My Event Ratings

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

In short: Challenging but fun too
In full: Two long uphills, one of which was extremely boggy, plus one long downhill made this challenging and fun. Very little chance of a pb, but there are races like that out there so live with it. One very nice touch was the race director greeting every runner at the end with a 'hope you enjoyed it' and a handshake.
Date of review: June 25, 2012

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

In short: Good race, but, yes, the distance was way off
In full: I know a lot of people put in a lot of time to get all the basics right, and the distance can sound churlish, but if the distance was long - and a hell of a lot of people agree on this - then I was denied a first time under 1.35, and a run that was a long way under that, rather then getting a marginal PB. I pushed myself hard on this one, like a lot of others, only to be undone by an error no self-respecting race should make. I feel frustrated and quite bitter about it. Nice marshals, pretty poor goody bag.
Date of review: February 19, 2012

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

In short: Picturesque, well organised, and faster than most suggest
In full: The course is flat and, though off-road, not difficult underfoot, save for the loop at halfway that brings you back round to the riverside. It certainly has PB potential because I did one, unless of course I've not been trying hard enough in the few I've done before. Marshals, as everyone says, are excellent, smiley and supportive and the whole event has that buzz that makes you want to do it again. On the downside, no chip timing (though not a deal-breaker and, yes, I know it cuts down costs not to have them) is unusual these days, the parking arrangements could be better (but I suppose they could be better everywhere and there could be more toilets, especially since there are precious few opportunities that I could see to sneak off and find a bush (except maybe out on the course itself). Again, though, that's a problem common to all these races, and what do you do - provide one per runner? Thoroughly enjoyed it and will do it again.
Date of review: March 21, 2011

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

In short: A race that's learned a few lessons
In full: Nice route and, because I live locally, I've run that big hill a few times and knew what to expect. If I do have a criticism, some of the turnings off the Ridgway towards the end were not marshalled at all, which left runners open to a nasty surprise. The organisers cannot be blamed for the monsoon-like conditions and where there were marshals they were very good and supportive. Oh, and I know it's hard to second-guess the weather, but handing out paper bags at the end in teeming rain is asking for trouble - mine fell apart in a few minutes! Otherwise, a good event.
Date of review: February 28, 2010

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

In short: Organisation that leaves some other races in the shade
In full: Very good route that swerves the obvious (in Wimbledon, that means the common), a good fun feel, very good organisation around the start, a course with one challenging hill, and you can get a beer in the clubhouse afterwards if you're so inclined. My only worry: this is one of those races that's run on unclosed roads. These days, even Sunday mornings are fairly busy with traffic and I did fear that someone would get knocked down by one of the very impatient drivers.
Date of review: October 18, 2009

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