My Event Ratings

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

In short: A beautiful day in the park.
In full: My first marathon and I loved it. Great organisation and a lovely bunch of runners. Water stations were often and well stocked. Richmond Park is just idyllic though is does get a bit lonely on the back section. Minor gripes: the mile markers seemed to have been set out by monkeys, the 9 mile marker was even facing the wrong way. I, too, took the wrong path before Pembroke Lodge. Twice. And one out of the hands of the organisers but I found many cyclists inconsiderate, rude and in several instances downright dangerous.
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		60%
Organisation		80%
Value		60%
Beginner-friendliness		80%

In short: A lovely rolling rural course with a real village fete feel
In full: Helped by lovely weather, the setting for this race is beautiful and the atmosphere is really welcoming, with a little tea kiosk and barbeque. The race is rolling terrain, mostly tarmac with a little grass and track thrown in, around surrounding private roads with very little traffic to contend with and is a joy to behold. One unusual gripe is course measurement, I don't use gps but I PB'd by quite some way and have an inkling the course may have been a tad short...
Date of review: April 29, 2013

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

In short: A beautiful if a little testing race Well organised and great fun
In full: Organisation was friendly and efficient the HQ was adequate but the race itself is one of the nicest I've done. The Darent Valley is a lovely part of Kent and running through, into and with difficulty out of the valley under the viaduct and past the Eagle sanctuary is wonderful. The second hill adds spice and then it's all downhill and arms out to the finish. The farmer's field for parking did cut up quite quickly but the teamwork and kindness of all the runners and clubs ensured everyone got out reasonably unscathed while the sun shone.
Date of review: April 15, 2013

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

In short: Excellent Coastal Tester
In full: I have never seen so many marshalls in my life. And very lovely with it. Helped by the weather, the route was beautiful with enough variation to keep it interesting although maybe the rutted loop around the playing fields was too interesting. Not bothered about goody bags or medals but some sort of changing facilities and showers would be welcome as the drive home was a bit fruity.
Date of review: March 8, 2013

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

In short: Fresh conditions on a great course, though still under-organised
In full: I forgot that last year I said I wouldn't do this again. I did it again. Solid course and great marshalling. The school is too small to cope with such large numbers so there were queues for everything. Again, the memento is a bit bobbins and there was no banana or equivalent for finishers. On the upside, I managed not to write my car off and treated myself to a KFC at South Mimms.
Date of review: December 27, 2012

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

In short: Despite flooding and torrential rain, a lovely course, well organised.
In full: The weather only seemed to make everyone more determined. The Marshalls were quite magnificent in both professionalism, hardiness and cheerfulness. The dashes through several stretches of standing water were definitely novel and there was just enough up and down to keep it interesting. Facilities at HQ were outstanding, plenty of hot sweet tea and rolls available after. I wasn't even sure where the start was so didn't start my watch in time and gun to chip could be remedied, surely.
Date of review: November 8, 2012

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

In short: A testing multiterrain course with exceptional organisation and quite the most wonderful marshalls
In full: My first Petts Wood, and although a similar style course to the recent Chislehurst Chase, this was superior in every way. The organisers had thought of everything. Everything. My own race was ruined by a unshakeable side stitch but that only enhances my appreciation of the marshalls who, each and everyone, were nothing short of uplifting. Especially the chap at the top of the rise at 6k for the metaphorical arm around the shoulder. Samosas! and bananas at the finish were perfect and plenty of places to obtain a nice cup of tea.
Date of review: October 18, 2012

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

In short: Great course, great atmosphere, great organisation
In full: The course was gentler than my previous halves (though certainly not flat) and so was good for maintaining a steady pace and ultimately a quick time. The race HQ was impressive with lots of stalls and people and a real feeling of village community, enhanced by the spectators and marshalls unfaltering encouragement on the course. I was unlucky to suffer from the chip timing failure, so my published time was a minute slower, but no fault of the race organisers. Passing the start/finish at 5M and running through the grounds of Christs hospital with all its pupils and Brass Band was just wonderful and really spurred me on. How about reversing the course so S/F pass is later and the school is at ~10M providing a much needed boost later in the race?
Date of review: October 3, 2012

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

In short: Super trail course with plenty of ups and downs.
In full: The course was excellent, forest trail setting with the odd log and tree root to hurdle and two testing uphill stretches on the back of the loop.
I found the marshalls to be perfectly cheerful and encouraging as well as instructive when needed to be. Toilets, bag storage all adequate and I was lucky enough to get a t-shirt and a banana. The lack of chip timing is certainly a con though.
Date of review: September 24, 2012

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

In short: Excellent rural course, with super organisation. Exemplary
In full: While did seem to be a lot of water stations in the first half, I was amazed at the sheer number of people (especially club runners) walking up the Gore Road hill. These are runners on better than 8 minute/mile pace, they should have looked at the parcours, done a suitable amount of hill training and paced their run in the knowledge that there would be an effort at 9.5miles. As for the other two "hills", there was one reasonable incline and another sharp ramp. North Kent is not short of ups and downs... Practice. The organisation by Dartford Harriers was brilliant and the atmosphere was great above in the park and track area, helped by the weather. A medal and a banana was plenty, nobody wants lots of leaflets about massage and gels.
Date of review: July 23, 2012

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