My Event Ratings

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

In short: Good effort for an inaugural race - few issues that I'm sure will be sorted next year!
In full: There were definitely a few problems with this race but none that can't be sorted out for next year – and I'm sure there'll be a next year! The sun came out for the first time in MONTHS so that was good for starters. Glad I remembered my seldom-used sunglasses! OK so the problems – the first couple of miles along the Kew Road were dangerously crowded. The pavement is far too narrow, dotted with tree roots, bus stops and other obstacles to accommodate all the runners so at least half ran in the road. It's a busy main road, a red route and on a bus route – having so many runners in the road was dangerous and a nightmare for marshals. Also made sticking to pace tricky. The towpath from Kew to Richmond was also a challenge as narrow and uneven and icy in places – which is fine, don't mind a challenge, just pointing it out as something to be aware of if you're chasing a PB. Towpath again very muddy from Teddington lock to Richmond but hey, what's a bit of mud! Rest of route great and scenic, only hit a problem around mile 12 when runners were surprised to have to jog up three flights of stairs!! To give the race organisers credit (and I don't know this for sure), I think this was a last-minute re-route as the part of Old Deer Park was badly flooded. I didn't much enjoy the final mile that crossed the park, into a headwind - felt three times longer and never much fun to finish on grass with heavy legs. The marshals were all friendly and helpful and there were plenty of them. A bit sparse on spectators but again, think that's normal for an inaugural race – there are ample places for people to support and see the runners twice (Tide Tables cafe or anywhere along Richmond riverside great) so hopefully in future years it'll be a real event for the town. The race had some great sponsors and promotions and a good 'race village'. Plenty of loos. However many people were annoyed that the goody bag/T-shirt pick-up wasn't at the finish line alongside the water and bananas, which would have made most sense, but back at the race village - with a queue that took about half an hour. Many people gave up and went home as it was so cold. Definitely something to fix for next year. Overall a good race, well organised, and worth doing next year as I'm sure they'll smooth out all these issues. Just be prepared to get your feet wet because no race organiser can control the tides!
Date of review: April 1, 2013

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

In short: Smoothly organised, right down to the perfect weather!
In full: OK the perfect weather conditions for running helped (not too hot or too windy, rain held off), but this was a very well organised and marshalled race. Hilly but nothing too challenging, a great atmosphere, I had a lovely morning and will definitely be back next year!
Date of review: June 10, 2012

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

In short: Brilliantly organised, beautiful and challenging. Try it, you'll like it!
In full: This is a perfect pre-London/Brighton/Paris training run. There's a nine mile loop followed by a 6 mile one (with the option to finish at 15 miles, which you can decide mid-race), which then repeats. I found this a real psychological plus that helped me get through the 21. Course was beautiful, marshals all smiling and encouraging, plenty of parking and facilities at start/finish, lots of support from other runners. A sunny day and a sunny atmosphere. Thumbs up to Mabac for a very smoothly run event, thank you.
Date of review: March 25, 2012

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

In short: Killer hills that are worth scaling for the views from the top
Date of review: January 18, 2012

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

In short: Beautiful scenery, beautifully organised, good for PBs.
Date of review: May 13, 2011

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