My Event Ratings

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

In short: Wonderful support all round, excellent start and finish organisation but more manning needed at water stations
In full: My fourth Great Eastern Run and, once again, it was the hottest October day! The support, as ever, was wonderful all the way round (special thanks to my family and friends for the huge cheers!). The organisation at the beginning and end was very good though moving the finish line out of sight round one final corner meant I wasn't quite sure when to start my sprint finish! The course is very flat so great for pb potential (I was on course for one til nine miles but the heat put paid to it in the end!). My only criticism is the lack of people manning the water stations. I know it's not always easy to rope volunteers in but I went through before the main flush of runners and at all three water stations they were struggling to keep up with demand so I guess it got worse further back. That aside, the support from the marshalls was excellent and it was great to see so many local club's flags on route too. You can sign up for next year's race - another great date 9/10/11 - TOMORROW! See you there!
Date of review: October 10, 2010

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

In short: Most chilled out race I've ever run! Wonderful atmosphere created by great marshalls and super friendly runners - why isn't this race more popular?!
In full: Laid back is probably the best way to describe this race. The organisers were wonderfully friendly and helpful, and the small field made for a great atmosphere among the participants - runners, walkers and bikers. The route was on quiet rural roads and tracks running through rolling hills - mmmm, about those hills! Sped through the first five miles and then the long slow climbs started...and never really stopped! To be fair, they were undulations rather than hills but they were very l-o-n-g undulations. There again as it's the only 14.2 mile race I've ever seen you're always going to do a pb! Refreshments at the end were very welcome - free hot drinks and biscuits - and the goody bag, specially for a charity race, was exceptional. Thank you to everyone involved!
Date of review: March 28, 2010

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Overall score		40%
Would you do it again?		Maybe
Details:
Scenery		60%
PB potential		80%
Atmosphere		60%
Organisation		20%
Value		40%
Beginner-friendliness		60%

In short: Potentially such a great race in a fantastic town - sadly organisation ruined that potential
In full: I'd got lack of segregation of runners running in opposite directions, lack of loos at the start, lack of mile markers and chaotic organisation in the funnel after the finish (missed out on drink and banana, had to go back to get a space blanket and tripped over the chip remover) on my list of complaints. But having read the rest of the ratings, I realise the organisation was even more shambolic than I imagined - I seem to have missed the bottle necks, queue to get over the finish and baggage drop fiasco. Such a shame because the support from the local people who braved hideous weather was wonderful and Brighton sea front has the potential to make the perfect venue for a long run. Must do better Beacon to keep this one on the 'must do' calendar.
Date of review: February 21, 2010

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

In short: I live in very flat Cambridgeshire which made the hills challenging - but in a good way (I think!)
In full: Lovely friendly race, well marshalled with good organisation from start to finish. Disappointed the chip timing appears to have started with the gun so chip times slow (20 seconds in my case) but then with pb potential limited by those hills it didn't matter too much. Only thing to change would be the position of the start on the field to avoid the bottle neck 70 yards into the race. Oh, and flattening out the hill at 5-6 miles and the one at the end would be great too!!!!!
Date of review: February 9, 2010

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

In short: Lovely scenery, wonderfully encouraging marshalling and the opportunity to collect the commemorative rugby shirt before the race meant that for the first time I got the small size I need!!!
In full: My first Bedford half and - as a fen girl - I was slightly concerned about talk of hills. However the 'ups' were offset by some lovely 'downs' which gave a great pace boost. The marshalling was excellent - plentiful and very vocal despite the chilly weather. The scenery was lovely and cars few and far between on the country roads. In response to others who've mentioned the race to get to the start of the race(!) - I arrived an hour before the start and had plenty of time to pick up my chip, claim my 'small' rugby shirt (best commemorative top I've ever had), dump my bag and go to the loo (twice!!). Well done to the Harriers for organising a very slick and professional race. See you next year.
Date of review: December 16, 2009

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

In short: Excellent organisation and support and a prime course for a PB.
In full: Wonderful support all the way round, very slick organisation and excellent PB potential make this a race worth doing. Once again it was a very warm October day but bottles rather than cups of water made it easy to keep hydration levels up. The course is flat so and there are no bottle necks so it's easy to run a fluid race. The start and finish were well signed and organised. Only gripe which is the same everywhere - more small t-shirts at the end please!!!
Date of review: October 12, 2008

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

In short: Very well marshalled, plenty of water stations, just the dodgy start to contend with!
In full: I was slightly nervous having heard horror stories about the climb at 11 miles but it was nowhere near as bad as expected. The start was a bit messy as others have said but the marshalling right the way round the course was outstanding with a great police presence too. Water stations were plentiful which always helps. The only real let down was the lack of proper chip timing - but I would say that - I slashed eight minutes off my pb and would like it on record!!
Date of review: August 11, 2008

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

In short: Very well marshalled with plenty of water stations, lovely scenery and plenty of shade on a very hot day. Let down by complete lack of signposting to car parks, the shambolic finish and car park exit queues..,
Date of review: June 8, 2008

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