My Event Ratings

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

In short: Only enter this if you've exhausted all other options. Utterly un-inspiring and over-priced.
In full: I ran the 2011 race so I had a rough idea what I was in for. Following injury, during which I missed 3 of the 4 Autumn races I'd entered, I felt I needed to add another race to the pre-Spring itinerary. Paris beckons and I'm well behind schedule.
All that can be said for this dire event is that it's an official 13.1m run with competition.
1) It's pretty flat, but not the best for a PB. Not sure why; maybe it's the sheer monotony of 4 bleak laps; maybe a bit of undulation is preferable. I think this would be a great venue for a rowing event!
2) £27 is a lot to pay for a half. You could be forgiven for expecting something something special. I was astounded at being charged £2 to dump my bag. Totally un-expected, so my cash was buried at the bottom of my kit. Lucky it was there at all rather than hidden in the car. What is the 27 quid for anyway?
3) Parking! I nearly turned round and went home when I realised that once I'd parked I was trapped till the last runners started the final lap. I have work to get to at weekends and this made things rather tense. It was sad to see the post-race euphoria vanish from so many people's faces as they sat in a stationary file of cars waiting to get on with the rest of the day.
4) The race start was delayed by 15mins. Why? No idea. It was typical of this event; it's dressed up as super-organised with all the visual trappings, but none of the basic goodwill and runner-friendliness that assist a positive performance. This race claims no more than to be flat, timed & paced. As I say, I knew what to expect. But the cost versus feel-bad factor mean I won't becoming back. Neither, I would guess, will many others.

Date of review: February 17, 2013

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