My Event Ratings

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

In short: warm reception from the Weston crowds keeps cold at bay
In full: Hadn't done this for a couple of years and hadn't raced at all since October, so this was a welcome return to this race in particular and racing more generally. Good mixture of road and trail, although how about using that undulating trail that now runs alongside the toll road rather then the road itself? Might make it live up to the tough of the title a little more as this is in fact a good race for a wide range of runners irrespective of how much time they spend off-road. Great support from the crowds on the Prom despite the freezing cold.
Date of review: February 24, 2013

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

In short: Brilliantly organised
In full: My second marathon and my second Abingdon marathon, so I don't have any big city races to compare this with, but I chose to run this again precisely because you have so much space without ever feeling isolated and because it is so fast. The marshals were excellent from beginning to end, as was the overall organisation. Thanks especially to the marshal and fellow runners who checked I was alright after I slipped and fell at the 14 mile mark. Battered, bloody and bruised I still managed a PB, which is testament to how fast this course is. Only quiblle: more food needed at the end, perhaps, but that was the best Mars bar I've ever had.
Date of review: October 23, 2012

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

In short: mostly flat fairly fast 10k
In full: This was the 2nd time I'd done this and it was pretty much as I remembered from a couple of years ago. There's probably enough of a climb at the start to take the edge off a really fast time, but otherwise this is pretty flat and you can get into a good rhythmn on the 2nd half. (I was using it as practise for a half in September.) Good support along the way and very well marshalled. Like the towel instead of yet another medal/T-shirt.
Date of review: August 27, 2012

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Overall score		80%
Would you do it again?		Yes
Details:
Scenery		100%
PB potential		20%
Atmosphere		60%
Organisation		80%
Value		80%
Beginner-friendliness		40%

In short: up and down, up and down, and up and down again
In full: I don't think there is any flat on this course, so this is a must for anyone looking for a challenging, hilly 10k. No chance of a PB (unless you've never run a 10k before, of course), but that's not the point. It's a great off-road run through some lovely Somerset countryside and the bottle of chilled cider in place of a medal at the end was inspired!
Date of review: May 27, 2012

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

In short: Fast despite undulating first few miles
In full: I didn't mind the T-shirt, but I did the mind the queues for the shirts and the mild chaos surrounding bag storage. I got very cold waiting. But I think this is partly testament to how popular this race is becoming and it's the race that really matters, after all. Some tweaking next year will sort this out for sure. V. good marshalling and nice support from the crowd in Bideford.
Date of review: March 17, 2012

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

In short: mud, more mud and stream at the end
In full: Second time I've done this but it doesn't get any easier. Yes, there's a lot of mud, but there's more to the course than that, with a couple of challenging climbs towards the end, plenty of trail and great stretch along the Bristol channel with great views. One of my favourites and a great start to the racing year.
Date of review: January 15, 2012

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

In short: Great race
In full: Very well organised race with a better goody bag than you get at most big city half marathons (including quality shirt you can actually run in). Excellent value, great atmosphere. I got caught out again by the slight incline between miles 10 and 12; it grinds you down a bit when you least need it. But, with proper pacing, a PB is do-able. Back again for another crack next year.
Date of review: September 12, 2011

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

In short: Popular flat race
In full: Well organised, no fills race with a good mixture of club, charity and first-time runners. A number of runners who just turned up on the off-chance seem to have been turned away as the race reached its limit. The start was pretty cramped, too, but only for the first 50 metres of so and then the race opens out into wider country lanes with very little traffic. Was looking around for something sugary at the end, though, but there only seemed to be burgers and bacon butties.
Date of review: July 31, 2011

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

In short: bigger than your usual club race, but not a rip-off like a big city race
In full: I think many of the big city races (Bristol, are you listening?) could learn a lot from this one. For a start, enthsuiastic marshals all along the route, more water stations than a British summer strictly requires, a decent goody bag, an original medal design and a quality T-shirt (not another heavy cotton job that just sits in the bottom of your drawer). And free fruit at the end! I thought the crowds were good given this is a club race rather a corporate sponsored race. And it was really good to see the event being helped with road closures, the support of the council and teh local police. A good mixture of club and charity runners. Yes, it's undulating, but it's Devon. There were still PBs to be had here, though.
Date of review: June 20, 2011

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

In short: Flat(tish) and fast
In full: Very slightly undulating in places, but what you lose on your way up an incline you gain on the way down, so very good PB potential (even with the wind last night). A nicely friendly well-organised local club race.
Date of review: May 24, 2011

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