My Event Ratings

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

In short: First time for me over the infamous tough course. Not as bad as I thought and the hills at 5 and 8.5 were long but if you paced it right not killers!
In full: I would highly recommend this race. From the directions received in the info pack I found one of three suggested car parks with ease. I enjoyed the short walk up to the start at Stockport harriers track in Woodbank Park and found the baggage store and toilets within seconds of getting site.

I must say that the race was really professional throughout and a pleasure to run. Don't be put off by the undulating nature of the route even though some of it navigated some dull estate sections, the farm tracks and back roads made up for it. The hills at 5 and 8.5 miles are challenging but I knew they were coming, eased my pace slightly and passed lots of people. As long as you don't over-cook them they are fine.

The run back through Woodbank Park to the track was great and the lap on the track to finish was also superb.

The goody bag was very generous and featured a nice technical tshirt. Lots of choice for refreshments at the end too. A "must-do" race in my fixture list from now on!!

Many thanks to the organisers!
Date of review: December 7, 2008

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

In short: Excellent scenery, tough near the end
In full: My first full, great size of field, never running alone nor impeeded at all. Glorious scenery throughout with the exception of the New Milton finishing section. Undulations really sap you from 19 onward. I prepared well and ran by heart rate but still got caught out by them. Averaged 8min/miles until 23 then couldn't go any quicker than 9:30min/mile! Be warned :)
Date of review: September 16, 2007

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

In short: Excellent race and only 3 miles from my front door!
In full: First time running this race and thoroughly enjoyed it. I enjoyed the three-lap format and thought it worked really well decreasing in length as the laps go by.

I enjoyed the stadium start/finish and thought the whole event was well run and supported.

I would just say that I felt the course was slightly longer than 10km by as much as 0.3 of a mile. According to my stats anyways.

Date of review: June 24, 2007

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

In short: Challenging but rewarding
In full: First time over the hills of the Oldham 1/2 and having read reviews from here I entered the race a little nervous.

Very friendly atmosphere and helpful vets giving out useful advice before and during the race.

Decided to ease into the race as I'd read and been told about the first four miles being mostly up hill.

The views after the first four miles are well worth the effort though and from 4 to 7 miles its all downhill so a good chance to pick up speed.

The middle to latter parts of the race are a bit forgettable as you snake downhill mostly through some forgettable streets and road sections. A note about the road sections - the roads are all open and it does at times feel like you are on a training run zig-zagging the traffic.

One thing I would say is that if you are near the back and can't see anyone ahead of you - you might struggle at times to see where you are going. Most of the major roads were closed off but some minor roads and crossings weren't. I always had someone ahead of me so was ok. The race does have a club feel to it in as much that most people seem to have done it before and knew the route. If you are a beginner and are going to be lagging behind I'd probably not recommend this for you.

There are a couple of killer hills en route to the finish line, notably during the last mile which really sorts the field out. Although this wasn't half as bad as it was made out. If you've run sensibly early on it presents nothing more than a brief bit of pain knowing the finish line is a few hundred yards away.

In conclusion, well worth doing as its a good test of fitness and stamina as well as pacing in order to make it round in a good time. The views are great and the organization on the whole is good too.
Date of review: April 2, 2007

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