My Event Ratings

Overall score		60%
Would you do it again?		Maybe
Details:
Scenery		80%
PB potential		40%
Atmosphere		80%
Organisation		40%
Value		80%
Beginner-friendliness		80%

In short: Today I found my inner child!
In full: Its hard to know what to say about this race really. The organisation leading up to the race was less than perfect with a last minute change to chip collection from posting which caused some consternation and a promise from the race organisers that people entering as "early birds" would receive a free NB tech t-shirt to train in if they applied by a certain date in March. The t-shirts eventually arrived after much begging a couple of weeks ago. The promised car park pass was missing for the second year in a row and I really wanted to DNS.
So glad I didn't!
Weather was ATROCIOUS. No getting away from that but you can hardly blame the RO's for it! The chip collection looked smooth and organised and the start was on time. Crowd were amazing. They came out with their wellies and brollies and cheered us on - some even brought drums and vuvuzelas! The terrain underfoot was EXTREMELY poor in places and it was impossible to keep your feet dry. The extended section through the woods turned the course into something from Hellrunner! Marshalls were friendly, encouraging and attentive. No complaints about water stations and there were adequate toilets on the route (though 20 loos for 2,500 people at the start isn't great - especially when three of them are lying on the ground on their side and the park toilets are locked!)
Medal at the end is brilliant, goody bag was fine but OH didn't get a finishers t-shirt! He got one of the training tees we'd waited 6 months for! He wasn't happy...
Stadium finish is great and it was easy enough to get out afterwards. RO's did a good job on the day in extreme circumstances. Tech t shirts are a rarity these days in your goody bag and its nice to get a decent one.
Date of review: October 4, 2010

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Overall score		100%
Would you do it again?		Yes
Details:
Scenery		80%
PB potential		80%
Atmosphere		80%
Organisation		100%
Value		100%
Beginner-friendliness		100%

In short: A triumph of great organisation.
In full: This race gets better and better every year and I wouldn't miss it for anything. Beautiful parkland, amazing views over the Mersey and a great view of the Liver buildings ahead to finish. Those who complain about the car parking charge should try and park in OTHER major cities for a fiver a day on the start line of a race and see how far their money stretches! Great T-shirt, excellent medal and lovely goodies in the bag. Shame about those who didn't get a t-shirt - blame the low lives who took one when they hadn't earned them.
Will absolutely be back next year - try keeping me away.
Date of review: March 31, 2010

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Overall score		80%
Would you do it again?		Yes
Details:
Scenery		100%
PB potential		40%
Atmosphere		80%
Organisation		80%
Value		80%
Beginner-friendliness		60%

In short: A great success
In full: It's well documented on RW that I firmly believe that the ridiculously random allocation of car parking tickets is grossly unfair and I stand by that, but I wanted to say how much I enjoyed this race and I would urge you to consider adding this to your race calendar as a "must do". The scenery surprised even me (and I live here!) and you need to know that this is a race of two halves (one uphill and one down!) but the organisation on the day was superb. The crowds were really supportive, there were bands on the course and the finish was very well attended. There is far too much potential to "cheat" in my opinion, as the course criss crosses a bit and you could feasibly cut over three miles of it out (and some people did which I find disgusting). Water stations were well manned, organised and plentiful. Medal is lovely and a WICKING t-shirt makes me defend the cost of this race! They even handed out some brilliant ponchos at the start when we were getting soaked - miles better than a bin bag. A slight delay at the start was immediately acknowledged, which is appreciated too. Delays happen, but if you know what's going on, it might lessen the frustration and give you time for one more nervous wee! :-)
All in all, I am extremely impressed with this new race and would do it again tomorrow.
Date of review: October 4, 2009

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Overall score		100%
Would you do it again?		Maybe
Details:
Scenery		60%
PB potential		60%
Atmosphere		100%
Organisation		80%
Value		40%
Beginner-friendliness		100%

In short: Been there, done that!
In full: There are a few issues with organisation at the start, but other than that, this is as good as it gets. The pens were shut early, leaving runners arriving in time to crawl under barriers to start in the right place and the toilet facilities were ridiculous as both men and women felt compelled to urinate in public (which I believe may even be a criminal offence, but needs must!)
Water and powerade were plentiful, bands were brilliant and I LOVED the Bupa "boost zone" which was a fabulous idea and gave a much needed lift to tired legs! Too many people gasping for breath wearing oxygen masks made me wonder if everyone had heeded the warnings to "respect the distance" and the weather conditions clearly were challenging. Highlight of the day for me would have to be people handing out their own juice and ice pops to grateful runners and making banners saying things like "welcome 50000 friends"! I was proud to be one of them. Thank you North East England!
Date of review: September 21, 2009

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Would you do it again?		Yes
Details:
Scenery		100%
PB potential		60%
Atmosphere		80%
Organisation		100%
Value		40%
Beginner-friendliness		60%

In short: Thank you Rotary Club!
In full: This was my first attempt at the full distance and I certainly didn't order the blazing sunshine that we were "blessed" with! Organisation is second to none on this one. The marshalls are friendly and extremely encouraging. The traffic situation can be a bit hairy though, as the roads are NOT closed and some of the drivers are going much too fast and far too close to the runners and seemed to regard the whole thing as a nuisance designed to spoil their day. That aside, the course is undulating with a bit of a killer hill on the second lap and the last leg on the Greenway is tortuous and should be used to break the spirit of terrorists! I was delighted with the banana at the finish and the medal is exceptionally lovely, although the lack of t-shirt means that if you want to purchase one, this makes this marathon a pretty expensive one in comparison to others. That said, it is a charity fundraiser and is so well run, it could easily tempt me back. The locals embrace their marathon and make you very welcome to their town, which is half the battle. A very enjoyable day.
Date of review: April 27, 2009

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Overall score		100%
Would you do it again?		Yes
Details:
Scenery		100%
PB potential		100%
Atmosphere		100%
Organisation		100%
Value		80%
Beginner-friendliness		100%

In short: What a difference a day makes!
In full: Yesterday we had sleet, hail and snow. Today we were greeted with blue skies, little wind and bright sunshine. Such a shock, but a pleasant one. Fantastic new course that many runners commented on and organised like clockwork. Marshalls were great, the crowd was brilliant and there was AMPLE water and Lucozade for all. Even the toilets had loo roll in and the queues were not horrendous. This race could not have gone better and I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone who wants a really friendly half, with excellent PB potential and a great course. GO FOR IT - you know you want to....
Date of review: March 29, 2009

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Overall score		100%
Would you do it again?		Yes
Details:
Scenery		100%
PB potential		100%
Atmosphere		100%
Organisation		100%
Value		100%
Beginner-friendliness		80%

In short: What hill?
In full: The race was superbly well organised, ran like clockwork and was blessed with cool weather and a light breeze. The tunnel atmosphere was brilliant, with shouts of "oggy oggy oggy" and the hill was nowherenear as bad as I feared. Wonderful view on the Wirral of the Liverpool skyline and the firemen with the spray shower was a wonderful bonus! T-shirt was really nice (and fits) and the goody bag had plenty to keep you going. Free transport back was busy, but efficient. I would undoubtedly recommend this race to those looking to experience an unusual race setting in a fantastic city!
Date of review: June 1, 2008

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Overall score		80%
Would you do it again?		Yes
Details:
Scenery		80%
PB potential		80%
Atmosphere		60%
Organisation		80%
Value		40%
Beginner-friendliness		100%

In short: What a Scorcher!
In full: Well, I wouldn't CHOOSE to run in 25 degree heat, but this was a very friendly race, pretty flat and with a really fun warm up at the start! The water station was well manned, the lids were off and the marshalls were encouraging. The crowd was a bit sparse at times, but many more people willing us on to the end. The loss of the timing chip meant that many women were pushing to the front and jostling for position initially, but I didn't find I was being held up too much. The goody bag was ok and the medal is lovely, but the T-shirt has been better in previous years. Still, a great day enjoyed by all our family! My girls did the Bullybusters funrun beforehand and both got a PB! My youngest burst into tears she was "so happy"!!!
Date of review: May 11, 2008

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Overall score		80%
Would you do it again?		Yes
Details:
Scenery		80%
PB potential		60%
Atmosphere		40%
Organisation		80%
Value		80%
Beginner-friendliness		80%

In short: Well done Mr Rothwell! You had to fight for it, but you certainly delivered!
In full: The one thing missing from this race was the crowd, who were conspicuous by their absence. The course was fine, a lot of it in the parkland and we are looking forward to the possibility of a city centre course next year. The city of Liverpool should really be getting behind events like this, especially in the capital of culture year and despite the council's apathy, runners found this one a positive experience, with a nice medal and an impressive goody bag at the end. The portaloos even had loo roll in - what more can you want?
Date of review: March 3, 2008

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