My Event Ratings

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

In short: Very good race, will be back next year!
In full: A very enjoyable evening out at Kingsbury Water Park. Whole course off road on various paths and trails, almost pancake flat save for a couple of 5m inclines. Paths were very hard, although a bit rough in places. One of the very best marshalled courses I've done and were very encouraging. Only small downside was that the section next to the river was swarming in mozzies, almost impossible not to get a mouth full of them!
Date of review: May 13, 2008

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

In short: Inoffensive but marshalling could have been better
In full: Its probably the best course in Sutton Park, marginally better than the Seven Pools in my opinion and certainly avoids the muddiest sections. Although plenty of marshalls, quite a few just stood there so we didnt know which direction we were supposed to be going until we shouted. For a £9 entry fee this should be bottomed out.

The chances of a pb here are next to nil, but its not that sort of course and shouldnt be the reason for entering. All in all a fairly inoffensive race visitng the best bits of Sutton Park.
Date of review: May 11, 2008

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

In short: Good value race
In full: My second time at the race so knew what to expect. Very cheap, chip timing this year and T-Shirt at the finish. For those who have been to Silverstone before it is obviously about as flat a course that most people will come across. That said it does feel like a long 10k, with the long straights so you can see so far ahead which came become a bit soul destroying if you have ran out of gas. It was a bit on the warm side this year so ended up just 25 seconds or so off my pb, but that it the danger of a May race.
Date of review: May 7, 2008

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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: Had a dreadful race, but well organised and mildly challenging.
In full: Had a dire race for some reason, probably went off a bit too quickly plus the wamrth and humidity really got to me and wilted as a result. Pretty well organised, bit pricy but probably worth it. Its not the fastest course out there but sometimes this isnt everything.
Date of review: April 27, 2008

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

In short: Made more enjoyable with the snow!
In full: What a difference a year makes. Last year was almost record temperatures for the time of year whilst this year had several inches of snow. Having said that the on foot conditions were not too bad, mostly snow free, just icy in a couple of places. All in all the snow in the fields made the race more visually pleasant than usual and the support on course was as good as ever. Although I smashed my pb, I'm convinced that its not a particularly fast course being off road and fairly undulating in the first half with some tight hairpin bends on the road section in the second half. That said it isnt a slow course either. Organisation was about the best I've come across so no problems there.
Date of review: April 6, 2008

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

In short: Pretty good, nothing special
In full: Race pretty well organised. As there are loads of twists and turns the race required a huge number of marshalls and in the main there were enough. There was one un-marsahlled road crossing at around 10 miles(ish) however that was blind for the runners. Race pretty quick although there are several mild climbs. No goody bag, just a medal and thats literally it, although the price of entry at £14 is not as bad as some events. Liked the 5km splits with the championchip timing.

Overall found the race ok, nothing special - this is not so much anything to do with the organisers. Just loads of tarmac paths twisting around with not a great deal of scenery. As long as you are ok with this then the race is pretty inoffensive.
Date of review: March 2, 2008

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

In short: Great little race
In full: A real gem in the calendar - excellant organisation and very friendly atmosphere. The event was made more interesting as there was a 35 mile race starting at the same time, but in a slightly different location. The prospect of five laps makes it sound dull, but Draycote Water is such a scenic place that at no time did I ever become bored. I wouldnt call the even pancake flat as at one side there are some small undulations - but nothing severe. A large portion of the lap is on the dams so this makes a large part of the lap pancake flat. The event even managed to organise perfect running conditions - no wind whatsoever and temperature ranging from 0-7 degrees. Perfect!
Date of review: February 17, 2008

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

In short: Sadistic as ever, but strangely appealing!
In full: One of the best events on the calander - a must do event at least once!
Date of review: November 2, 2007

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

In short: OK race and well organised but nothing special
In full: Although Mallory Park is a motor racing circuit it is very short at around 1km. As a result the race began with a clockwise circuit, followed by a loop around Kirkby Mallory village before a final anticlockwise loop around the circuit. There were a couple of moderate climbs so its not mega fast, plus the wind this year made pb's less likely. I found it a bit boring to be honest, but inoffensive and reasonable value for a good cause. Two pairs of socks inscribed with the race name was a nice touch. Course was well marshalled. Overall ok, probably better suited to newcomers.
Date of review: August 22, 2007

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

In short: Pleasant day out in Milton Keynes
In full: Pleasant half marathon well suited for newcomers. Everything was very well organised and plenty of marshalls out on course cheering you on along with the locals. Course is off road (but still on a sort of loose bound tarmac), following the paths that snake around Milton Keynes. There are so many twists and turns that it does become a bit dis-oirentating after a while! Only minor drawback was that the water stations were only every 3 miles with plastic cups so there is little chance to take on much water. If there are only going to be four water stations then perhaps bottles would be more suitable?
Date of review: July 22, 2007

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