My Event Ratings

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

In short: Rough run - steep ups and downs for the first 10miles, then calmer and from 17 up the hill until about 20. And it ain't downhill from there even though many claim so!!
In full: I've got to admit that despite my negative picture of the race, I took away 14mins from my first marathon -so it wasn't all bad!

But. The start with inadequate number of portaloos (I barely made it in time!), the chap with the microphone never referring to the pace flags (I passed people all the way til 14miles), the hills in the starting ten miles (I had problems with my knees, sth I don't experience often), the last miles in Inverness where there was not much guidance to the finish, and the miserable pools that the torrential rain formed (this can be unrealistic to suggest, but isn't there any way to make sure runners don't need to run Through cold deep pools of water..?).

Ok, there were positive aspects too. The weather was not too hot (I was so cold during the last 5miles!). The scenery was gorgeous (I can tell only because I've seen it on a clear day -now there wasn't much else than fog to be seen). And the few people cheering us runners on the way made it feel special (due to rain -there definitely wasn't too many).

My view is not fair in terms of the rain, what can you do about it? But anyway, the course wasn't too good either.

Hope it'll be better next year.

Date of review: October 20, 2006

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