My Event Ratings

Overall score		60%
Would you do it again?		No
Details:
Scenery		40%
PB potential		80%
Atmosphere		40%
Organisation		80%
Value		80%
Beginner-friendliness		80%

In short: Faultless organisation but not a great course and certainly lacked the atmosphere expected of an official London Marathon training run!
In full: Carparking at the start was easier than expected. There were plenty of toilets aswell and queues moved quickly!

However, the run itself was pretty disappointing. Very efficient start with no delays but some of the turns were quite tight and there were quite a lot of runners being 'squeezed' off the track in places. Some parts were like a building site and the dust created from so many runners going over gravel and sand etc was terrible on such a windy day. I found the large gravel areas quite difficult to run on and I'm surprised no-one tripped on those metal grids as some of the joins were quite raised.

Water stations were well manned and there were plenty of them I thought.

Atmosphere was non-existent really for such a major event. The radio station that was playing on the loudspeaker in the paddock area could not be heard most of the way round the track...wish I had brought my headphones as spectator support was a bit thin on the ground too. The few people that were shouting out encouragements were much appreciated.

Like others i was disappointed that the t-shirt in the goody bag was not a technical one, also I will never be able to wear due to the XL size!! The medal was ok though.

Unlike other comments, I had a terrible time getting out of the carpark. Although I finished in a good time it took me nearly an hour to get out of my parking space, it was a total scrum getting out and some drivers were starting to get quite aggressive! No carparking marshalls in sight....

An ok run, glad I did it for my marathon training but would not be tempted to do it again. Shame as there were some nice touches, like the clocks at each mile marker.
Date of review: March 15, 2010

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

In short: Reasonably well organised, fast, flat with good PB potential.
In full: Despite the wind and rain it was a nice race. Very friendly and a good mix of runners so didn't feel out of place by being a slower, non-club runner! Very boring scenery but I found someone nice to run and chat with so didn't mind too much. Good facilities on site.
Date of review: March 1, 2010

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

In short: A nice 10K, well marshalled, but congested start and finish slightly spoiled it for me.
In full: On the whole a lovely run. Generally well organised and lots of locals came out to cheer runners on. A very warm morning which made the 'inclines' feel harder! The start going through the gateway was very congested, made worse by cars on the road trying to get by - lost quite a bit of time here. The finish was similarly congested and the queue from the water station was backed up over the finish line making it very difficult for people to cross the finish line....people slamming into each other to try and stop dead. Perhaps the start could be moved out onto the road, and the water station at the end moved further away from the finish line. I also agree with another comment that an extra water station on route would have been welcome. Will definitely do again and all the young helpers handing out water and t-shirts did a great job.
Date of review: April 27, 2008

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

In short: A bit over priced but well organised
In full: A nice run but I also find doing laps a bit of a mental challenge. The brief at the beginning of the run leading you up to the start line was good - no confusion as to where we were going!! Good mile markers and friendly people on the water station. The scenery gets a bit boring and sadly there weren't enough runners to create a really good atmosphere, however a couple of other competitors I spoke to were very friendly. Great commentry at the finish line and very accurate finish times. I did think the event was a little overpriced but would definitely do it again.
Date of review: March 10, 2008

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

In short: The best half-marathon ever!! All other race organisers could learn a thing or two from the Swindon team!!
In full: This is the best organised race I have ever done. I cannot praise enough. The first race I have been to where there were more than enough loos at the start (plus extra around the course!)Signage for drink stations and toilets was excellent and the marshalls were the best ever - what a bonus that they removed the bottle caps before handing you the drink!! Marshalls around the course were so friendly and supportive, motivating those who were struggling up the hills!! I had a fantastic day and wish all other races could only be HALF as well organised as this one. A big thanks to all the locals who came out to cheer - well supported. Compared to the Nationwide Bath Half-Marathon the medal was a bit disappointing, but other than that I have no criticisms of this brilliant event.
Date of review: October 17, 2007

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

In short: Beautiful scenery and a lovely evening.
In full: A lovely run and a nice mix of runners taking part. Beautiful settings and it was nice to run in the evening for a change. I was a little surprised at the lack of marshalls around the course, although there were plenty of arrows showing the course direction, I was concerned in places that should someone have taken ill, it would have been a long run to notify the next marshall. I was really impressed with the speed at which the results were posted and will definitely do this one again next year. I agree with someone elses comment - a half marathon at the aboretum would be great!!
Date of review: September 10, 2007

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

In short: Disappointed!!
In full: Perhaps I'm just being too picky, but after paying such an extortionate entrance fee, compared to other 1/2's that I've run, this was a big disappointment. There was a desperate shortage of toilets to say the least, and I was cross that my 10k time was only logged the second time round so was actually more like my 20k time! My net time isn't listed at all so I only have my gun times. The start pens were well managed and the start itself was fairly smooth and quick to get going. The water stations were fairly chaotic, as was the goody bag station at the end - a complete bottle-neck. I found the sub 2 hour direction signs confusing at the start as several seemed to point in different directions! I was also disappointed at the lack of atmosphere along the route - I thought there was supposed to be more entertainment along the route other than the drummers, which were excellent by the way, so thank heavens for some people playing stereo's out of bedroom windows!!! I was glad I had my MP3 player though. Bath is a lovely city but I'm not sure that I would make the effort to run this half again. Sorry...!!
Date of review: March 30, 2007

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