My Event Ratings

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

In short: Exceptionally well-marshalled, scenic trail marathon
In full: A superb mix of twisting trails and hills. What really made this race was the exceptional marshalling - so many of them and loads of support. Highly recommended and a big thank you to Farnham Weyside Rotary Club for organising!
Date of review: September 16, 2012

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

In short: Great atmosphere, tough but rewarding course. Excellent organisation. Highly recommended.
In full: The guys at Go Beyond organised another excellent race.

A 12 lap marathon. Despite what the doubters say, laps don't get boring - the scenery was beautiful with a mix of running on grass with views of the lake, then a long, gruelling uphill followed by a swift downhill twisting through the woods, finished off with another grassy climb. Its a tough course - there weren't many still running the uphills by the last third.

Includes tea, coffee and hot chocolate, awesome cake, a tshirt. Drinks and jelly babies on every lap. Great atmosphere. What more do you need in a marathon? Well done guys.
Date of review: October 30, 2011

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

In short: Well organised, stunning scenery, well marked and friendly
In full: A cracking race. This is the first trail run where I have not needed to refer to the map or directions - the marathon route was well marked and I loved the string section through the yew trees. I know a few people thought there should have been more markers, but that's part of how trail running works - you take a map and use it as backup when necessary.

Lots of water stations (you can never have too many in the heat) with jelly babies.

There was a lot of tarmac for a trail marathon, but it was mostly quiet country lanes and didn't detract from what was a a great course, with plenty of stunning scenery.

Its great to see such a wide choice of distances at one event and accepting both walkers and runners.

Well organised - hardly any toilet queues, easy parking couldn't be closer to the start and all the marshals / volunteers were friendly.

I'll definitely be back to run this again.
Date of review: August 8, 2010

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

In short: 26 laps, 52 hills...
In full: A superb, undulating course, mostly grassy fields. Its tough though - I don't remember many (any?) flat sections and there weren't many people running up the first hill, and the second hill into the headwind was hard going.

A big thankyou to all the organisers and spectators - all that encouragement really helps!

A great race, one I'd definitely run again and recommend to anyone, especially as you can opt for a half or a 10k on the same course. And a medal and tshirt at the end.
Date of review: October 25, 2009

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

In full: Another superb running of the Fairlands Valley Challenge! If you're looking for a great trail marathon, this is it.

Friendly marshals at every checkpoint, plenty of squash and bread pudding, loads of runners to chat to on the course, lovely course, easy to follow directions and a BBQ at the end. Even the downpour at 23 miles didn't spoil it!
Date of review: July 19, 2009

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

In short: Awesome course
In full: Another cracking race from 2:09 events. Keep up the good work guys!

A superb course as long as you like hills! Friendly marshals, excellent value with the tshirt and I really appreciated the early start option.
Date of review: June 13, 2009

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Overall score		100%
Would you do it again?		Yes
Details:
Scenery		80%
PB potential		20%
Atmosphere		80%
Organisation		100%
Value		80%
Beginner-friendliness		60%

In short: Exceptionally well marked, challenging off-road course
In full: A thoroughly enjoyable race from start to finish. The course was the best marked I have ever seen, with a huge variety of singletrack, wider forest paths and plenty of mud and water and short, sharp inclines. An exceptional course!

The turbo-x zone was an excellent idea and spurred me on to run faster when I was starting to get tired.

The decent quality wicking top and the rest of the goody bag made this race good value at £22.

I've been a big fan of the GRIM race for years, but the GRIM course has suffered and gotten easier as the numbers have grown. The GRIM organisers should take note - this race was tougher, better value and with a much more varied and interesting course.
Date of review: May 19, 2008

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

In short: Great course, very well marshalled, very little traffic.
In full: Not enough toilets (although I used the one at the station where there was no queue).

Very expensive (£18 on the day entry).

A great course though - very little traffic which isn't easy to achieve for a distance as long as a half marathon, and great scenery around Ashridge, despite the downpour.
Date of review: March 4, 2007

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

In short: Cold, wet and muddy. You'd have to be mad...
In full: A fantastic race, but only for nutters like me who enjoy mud, ditches, plenty of icy cold water and sand to liven up a race.

This race is becoming a victim of its own success. The first one in 2002 was well organised; in 2003 runners were queuing to cross the finish line and in 2004 some areas were too narrow for the number of runners (most people avoided running through the stream section this year). Its also softened up with the loss of the horse jumps section - please make it tougher!
Date of review: October 20, 2004

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