My Event Ratings

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

In short: Great marshals, mostly scenic and fast course, with good weather helping to make it a great run.
In full: A big thank you to all the marshals; they had to rate as the friendliest I've ever experienced at a race. The start and finish in the industrial estate wasn't the best but the rest of the course was very scenic, which was just as well as there was a 3 lap section. The course was pretty quick with just a couple of fairly small hills on the loop. A mug for a race momento would not be my choice, but all in all a very enjoyable race.
Date of review: March 7, 2010

Report this rating to the moderator

Overall score		100%
Would you do it again?		Yes
Details:
Scenery		80%
PB potential		20%
Atmosphere		80%
Organisation		80%
Value		80%
Beginner-friendliness		60%

In short: So much fun!!!!
In full: This race was split into waves, with approx 300 people in each going off at 15 minute intervals from 10am through to 12pm. I opted for the last wave but arrived around 10.15 to give myself plenty of time to register etc. I needn't have worried though as the organisation was very slick. There were plenty of toilets and hardly any queues.
The race itself was awesome, although having been advertised as about 10km I was surprised that the km markers indicated it was nearer 12! So with actual distance maybe a bit approximate and all the obstacles along the way there was no point thinking of PBs. The obstacles certainly made it more testing but they were all achievable even if you weren't superfit of strong. And if you did struggle there were plenty of fellow competitors willing to give you a hand. There were the bales of hay to clamber over just near the start, a mini army obstacle course, water slide into a muddy cold lake, the terraces of Nottingham Forest FC to run up and down and the infamous Wall to finish with to name but a few. Red or white technical T-shirts were given out at the start which you were expected to wear and after crawling through the disgustingly smelly, muddy ditch and drainage tunnel I thought mine would never be white again!! The biggest frustration of the race was the amount of bottlenecks at some of the obstacles, made worse by starting in the last wave - this probably added 20 minutes to my time. Some people just opted to skip them altogether and would have got better times because of it but they were too much fun not to do. To be competitive you really need to be in the earlier (first!!) waves, otherwise it's mainly about enjoyment. And enjoyable it most certainly was. I definitely intend doing it again next year. Finally, the goody bag was excellent - the best I've had at a race.
Date of review: October 12, 2009

Report this rating to the moderator

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

In short: Much improved course and far better organised than last year. Well worth doing
In full: This race was highly critised last year, mostly deservedly so, but 209 took this on board and came back with a much better race. The course was better, there was plenty of water and the organisation was good. Would have preferred the final drinks station to have been slightly earlier but that's a minor point. Thank you to all the marshals and supporters along the way. All in all, very happy with the race.
Date of review: May 10, 2009

Report this rating to the moderator

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

In short: It's what running is all about. Beautiful scenery, traffic free (almost) and well organised. What more can you ask for?
In full: I nearly didn't do this race due to injury and lack of training but so glad I did. Helped by glorious weather, it was well organised, friendly and thoroughly enjoyable. It may not have real PB potential but it isn't slow either; perhaps the good weather and scenery just spurred me on but I did it quite a bit quicker than I expected. Not much of it seemed to be flat, but other than a couple of short steepish bits it was mainly a pretty gentle incline for the first 9 miles and the mostly down hill last few miles encouraged a fast finish. It was also my first trail race and it was so much nicer than running on roads. I'll definitely be back next year.
My only minor gripe was that I wish they'd put the year on the medal.
Date of review: March 18, 2009

Report this rating to the moderator

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

In short: Hills and heat - not my favourite combination!!
In full: Knew it wasn't going to be a good run with the weather being so hot, but not being familiar with the course I didn't anticipate quite how undulating it was going to be and that made it even tougher. It just reminded me of Escher's Never Ending Staircase as the hills just seemed to go up and up forever with hardly any down slopes.
Still, it was fairly well organised, with good marshals, clear direction on the course (if not to it) and very friendly - thanks to all the people who helped out and also to the supporter outside his house with a hosepipe - a life saver.
Don't think 3 water stations is really enough when it's that hot but after Tewkesbury Half I made sure I carried a drink also so that was fine.
Medal was good but disappointing not to have the year on it and the goody bag was very generous.
Might enter again but would probably wait until the day and see what the weather is like.
Date of review: July 28, 2008

Report this rating to the moderator

Overall score		20%
Would you do it again?		Yes
Details:
Scenery		60%
PB potential		80%
Atmosphere		60%
Organisation		20%
Value		60%
Beginner-friendliness		60%

In short: You can't control the weather but you can plan for it - except 209 didn't seem to plan for anything. What a shambles. The only reason I'll be back is because it is my local Half Marathon.
In full: It's all been said, but the more it's said the more chance of 209 taking notice: -

1. Nowhere near enough water! I was lucky and got water at each station, but I still think there weren't enough water stations - 1 more would have made a huge difference. Those people who found empty water stations did incredibly well to carry on; not sure I could have done. Mind you, I don't think things were helped by people taking more than one bottle so they could pour it over themselves. Unlike some, I was glad to get bottles with tops on - made carrying them easier. I would have preferred sports tops though.
2. Organisation - what organisation? There just didn't seem to be any. What was the reasoning behind not sending chips out in the post?
3. Not enough marshals. Some were in positions that didn't seem worthwhile, others were in groups and there were places where there were none where they would have been useful. It shouldn't be up to a paramedic on a motorbike to help separate runners and cars.
4. Not convinced of the accuracy of the mile markers. I know GPS units aren't 100% accurate but all the way up to mile 12 my Garmin read a shorter distance than the mile marker indicated then by the time I finished it read about 13.3 miles!!
5. Where was the start and finish? Lots of people though the finish was going to be at the same point as the start only to find they still had to run further. I had checked the map on the website so I knew where they were, although the map certainly did not indicate having to run round the final field. When you're knackered the last thing you want is to have to run further than you are expecting.
6. Goody bag was mostly advertising stuff. Why can't the year be put on the medal rather than just on the ribbon. And the writing was partly worn off my medal. Not impressed.

I'm sure there's more but on the plus side, the locals who came out to support were great. Thanks to them.
Date of review: May 13, 2008

Report this rating to the moderator

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

In short: Fantastic race. Even the rain couldn't dampen the experience.
In full: If you've never done it - do it!! The atmosphere is amazing; it seems like the whole of London is out supporting (or running). Only ever wanted to do this once but it's been twice so far and I've applied for next year - it's addictive!!
PB potential does depend a bit on what you're aiming for and whether you get held up by the masses at the start, but the support really does spur you on (smashed mine by 50 mins this year).
Only slight gripe was the lidless water bottles and lucozade - not easy to carry for long so most people chuck them when they're still half full.
Hope to be back next year, but I guess that will depend in part on how the new online entry system affects things; fingers crossed.
Date of review: April 23, 2008

Report this rating to the moderator