My Event Ratings

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

In short: A good pre-VLM 20M race.
In full: A good race with just a couple of potential tune-ups. The registration/changing was a long way from the car parking and the start, but the course itself was very nice - it starts from a business park but then does three laps of mostly quiet, rural roads. There's two minor hills on each lap, but nothing murderous. The course was well marshalled and there were plenty of drinks stations and encouragement. My only real problem was the mile markers seemed inaccurate - the first 'mile' or two were short and the last 'mile' was very long - not sure about the others. This made it difficult to keep consistent mile splits without the benefit of a Garmin, which is not ideal marathon preparation.
The goody bags at the finish were decent - bag, biscuits, banana and a nice flask as a memento, and thankfully the finish was closer to the car-park than the start!
Date of review: March 19, 2013

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

In short: Brilliant low-key race.
In full: Lightning fast course in my opinion, without any slopes steep enough to put you off your stride -I went 2 minutes faster than Bristol without being in much better shape.
Very well organised and well marshalled, even though it was in the countryside you never went an (accurately-marked) mile without seeing marshals and supporters. The combination of free food (hot-pot) and goody bags (hat, chocolate, medal) at the finish seemed generous and a nice touch.
More car parking and less wind in the last few miles would have been great, but you can't have it all!
Also, all credit to the organisers for not cancelling it due to the recent panic about weather. The course was fine and it's not like anyone froze to death.
Date of review: January 20, 2013

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

In short: Undoubtedly a Big Race, but none the worse for it.
In full: Overall, this was a very good event.
There was ample car parking and the bag storage was a nice touch. The loo-queue was very long, but that was partly my fault for arriving late.
The White start seemed to be a right mixed bag, as there must have been 95+ minute runners in it, even though there were the elites at the front,so the 1st mile was by far the slowest. No worse than many other big races though.
By the Portway, people spread out and it was mostly a test of pacing one's self. The course then got more urban and interesting after about 7M. I didn't like the short, sharp inclines and sliproads, but lively crowd support made the last 5 miles seem that little bit easier. Gels on route was also nice, and I managed to set a PB.
After the race, the organisation was good, though a lot of us never got the promised Costa vouchers in out goody bags and the T-shirts seemed to be very big. I got a Small and it's a great technical T, but as an average sized bloke I feel sorry for any small runners!
Date of review: October 2, 2012

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

In short: Good for an inaugural event, despite horrible weather.
In full: Swim - 800m pool. Standard.
Pool near transition and transition near mount-up, so no time wasted running with the bike.
Bike - quite a slow, technical course - had a lot of U-turns, tight corners and a steep hill that demanded caution (in wet slippery weather) on the way down and the granny gear on the way back up.
Run - nowhere near 10K, probably just a bit over 5M, but fast and flat.
The marshals could have spoken more loudly and the road to the race could have been better signed, but other than that, very good. Nice expo, no queues for numbers/toilets, decent prizes for 1st 3 M/F as well.
Date of review: September 24, 2012

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Overall score		60%
Would you do it again?		No
Details:
Scenery		100%
PB potential		20%
Atmosphere		60%
Organisation		40%
Value		40%
Beginner-friendliness		80%

In short: Challenging terrain is all very well, but this was dangerous. Not worth a potential season-ending injury.
In full: I enjoyed the flatter and more scenic bits of the race and didn't mind the climbing, but the descents had the potential to be lethal due to endless slippery mud and a lot of wet rock, although to be fair the weather had been pretty wet beforehand. The course was too rocky for spikes and too slippery for trail shoes, so there was no grip available to descend quickly. Also, some of the marshals seemed clueless (e.g. not pointing out an important 180' turn) and the course could have been better marked. Good points included a decent goody bag, plenty of water/aid stations and regular Km marks, even if a lot of Garmins measured the course as short.
Date of review: July 8, 2012

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

In short: Up! Down! Up! Down!
In full: After the exclusively-uphill first mile, your legs aren't quite the same for the other eight undulating miles and downhill finish, but it's a surprisingly enjoyable race. Not a PB course, but then it's not meant to be.
Climbing/descending skills recommended!
Date of review: August 14, 2011

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

In short: If you're not a climbing specialist, you won't enjoy the course.
In full: The swim in the 40-yard outdoor pool was a nice change from usual, as there was neither heating nor lane ropes, but it seemed to work well.
The bike course was very hard, as it seemed to be almost entirely gradual climbing with short steep descents and not much flat, meaning there was no real opportunity to get any rhythm or go fast.
The run wasn't the route advertised, but also featured a long, steep hill up to the halfway point!
As a challenging local sprint, this was a hard but pleasing event to do.
Date of review: August 7, 2011

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

In short: Not one for the track specialists, though
In full: Very well-organised, with plenty of car parking, mile markers, drinks stations, the works. I liked the course and got a PB, so no complaints about the hills either!
I don't drink Horlicks or mouthwash so was unimpressed by the goody bag, but a generous prize list more than made up for it.
Date of review: July 25, 2011

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

In short: For a My First Half (tm), very good.
In full: The course is surprisingly undulating in places for one advertised as "Flat"! I know the area so I wasn't surprised, but others might have been. Also, the single-file bit along the side of the A419 was a bit of a nuisance. Other than that, an excellent, well-organised race where you feel the whole town turns out to support.
Date of review: November 9, 2010

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

In short: Mini-GNR and great for all.
In full: Good bits: Held in Cardiff Bay, a nice place
Roughly flat - More down than up
Not elitist
Good atmosphere
2 water stations + shower
Pretty quick
Nice goody-bag & T-shirt

Bad bits: Delayed start
Very hot day
Slower start pens too small, so too many slower runners in the fastest pen
Slower starting pens too small.
Never saw a 6K mark!

Date of review: July 29, 2008

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