My Event Ratings

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

In short: Nice venue, well-organised (so it should be for that level of entry fee) - but they don't tell you about the "off-road" bits
In full: Was looking for a local 10K race over the Bank Holiday weekend and this was the only game in town. Thought the entry fee was high but was prepared to pay it....but having to pay a £1.50 supplement for entering online left a sour taste, and being asked to pay extra again for using my debit card was definitely taking the p***.
The course being round Sefton Park, it was reasonable to expect undulations and tight corners and indeed there were several. There was also a nasty finish - a long drag up a slight incline over most of the last km. Tough, but again not unreasonable to include in a race.
What I did find unreasonable for an event advertised on this site as a "road" 10K was to have to run over a number of stretches which weren't either tarmac or pavement. These ran over uneven grass, or sometimes very rough trackway, and in more than one part of the course, were entered or exited by one of the sharp bends. Fortunately, it was a sunny dry day - on a wet day, these would have been a hazard to negotiate in road shoes.
The steps (encountered just before 4K and 9K) were apparently a late amendment to the course (on "safety" grounds that I didn't really understand), and a real momentum killer. Definitely NOT appreciated.
Date of review: May 6, 2013

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

In short: Great race, great value, great cause to run for - shame it's not quite 10K
Date of review: September 13, 2012

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

In short: Great race - just one little problem to sort out for next year
In full: My 6th 4 Villages....for me, this is one of the definitive winter half marathons, and was as enjoyable a challenge as ever this year. Almost everything organised perfectly...marshalling, improved chip timing, finish area....
The only issue - and it seems this was one imposed on the organisers at short notice for "health & safety" reasons, so not their fault - was that start, which was not worthy of such a great race.
Way too narrow, but what really bothered me was the muddy stretch...the deep ruts had been filled in with hardcore, but there was a lot of loose stuff lying around...wearing q thin racing flats & not being a heel striker, I was dreading landing on one of the larger stones & bashing a metatarsal.
But I didn't, and I'm sure the organisers will have sorted it by next year. So thanks to all at Helsby RC, and I'll see you again in 2012.
Date of review: January 24, 2011

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

In short: A great race at an all too rare distance.
In full: comments in brief: V impressed with the organisation.
Nice to see exactly what your entrance fee is helping to support.
The (same) climb at 2, 6 and 10 miles makes a PB unlikely.
Pleased to see they'd remeasured the course from 2008 and lopped off the 250m+ finish on the grass - that was hard!
Lots of runners failed to give due respect to the warm conditions & went off too fast - given the course, and the time of year it's run, something to keep in mind if you give it a go in future.
Date of review: August 21, 2010

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

In short: Always a good event
In full: Nice fast course, twice thru the Village where there seemed to be plenty of support for everyone, good organisation. Run on a nice warm spring evening with plenty of options for subsequent local refreshment; what more could you ask for?
Two only very slight criticisms: no proper directions from the recommended (and rather distant) car park to the registration point, also the km markers were a little bit out; 1st and 3rd definitely short, 5th long.
Date of review: May 13, 2008

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

In short: A challenging one
In full: I made the mistake of having a go at this when having not run up a slope worthy of the name for nearly 3 months......so was in pieces after the first mile. In fact most of first 1½ miles is uphill, then the drop down Primrose Hill is very steep. Fortunately the hill everyone talks about (just after the 3 mile marker) wasn't as long a climb as I anticipated - but bad enough.
I'll be back for this one next year - in better shape.
Date of review: November 20, 2007

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

In short: Fast course, well organised race
In full: Well marshalled race thru South Wirral country roads. Very fast finish; only slow part of course is the 200m stretch on the A540. The organisers running out of safety pins for race numbers is about as big a complaint as I can make which says it all really.
Date of review: August 24, 2007

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

In short: Not quite as fast a course as some would have you believe, but nice atmosphere & superb organisation
Date of review: July 9, 2007

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

In short: Lovely 10K with a real village fete feel about it
In full: I was here 2 years ago & ran a PB & liked it then. Today I ran like a 3-legged donkey but still thought this was a really nice event. Home made cakes on sale in the village hall, and finishing in the square just by the hall - all helped contribute to a really nice atmosphere - sorry I couldn't stay to see the fun run.
Only (mild) criticism is the runners' car park - the field is pretty uneven & overgrown anyway, and the thunderstorm in the hour before the start turned the exit into a quagmire, with some cars having to be pushed out.
But never mind that, I'll certainly be back next year.
Date of review: September 24, 2006

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

In short: Enjoyable event well organized on the day - any shortcomings were minor
In full: Seems to be regarded as a bit of a novelty race - not too many "serious" runners, and my (very) modest time was still good enough for a top 50 finish.
Point-to-point course (obviously) - this time the wind was behind over the last 3.5K on the prom from Seacombe - so it felt quite pleasant - this time.
Not really enough portaloos - need at least twice as many.
Excellent start location - wide roads, so no congestion even though some very slow runners were up at the front line.
Managed to spot all the km markers, though some were easier to see than others (4K, 6K weren't easy).
Very helpful assistants post-race - baggage reclaim thrust my bag into my hands even before I'd arrived at the desk; the bloke handing out the goody bags picked up my medal for me which I'd dropped.
Medal with tacky Merseytravel logo and the original race date on it - about the only thing which I'd complain (mildly) about.
Looking forward to running this next year when fully fit!
Date of review: September 12, 2006

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