My Event Ratings

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

In short: hot and quick
In full: At the begining the roads are too narrow with runners taking to running off course adn parallel as they cannot fit on the route, I was very surpirsed that the aid stations consisted of only water, no energy drink and no gels till mile 16 followed by two more right at the end. This isnt good enough considering the high entrycost for this marathon, what did you spend our money on? with such a hot day they should ahve had a few more aid stations with water, there was no aid point where I was expecting there to be one (off road section) but thankfull local people came to our rescue and provided one, in fact this is the only marathon where I have had to rely on the support of locals for water and sugary food for energy, again with the high price this isnt good enough. I even heard an announcment that they were runing out of water for the slower runners from a marshalls radio :-(. The route only started in Edinburgh so really it is the East lothian marathon, it was quite pretty in the nice water although became boring and samey, it would have been very dull in the wet. The finish area was the best Iv been to, I can only give praise for it. However the long walk to the runners buses back to edinburgh was extremely hard and painful. I was surprised at the distance we had to wlak considering we have just done a marathon, not great for those with badly blistered feet or those that picked up any injuries. The hub was a huge disapointment, this is the only marathon iv been to without an expo, seeing as this was called a 'marathon festival' I was expecting a huge expo with stalls, physio and massage availible. Overall I was a little disapointed, if they dropped the price then it would be fair, but you can enter much better marathons including the london marathon for far less money. I would not do it again unless I happened to be local.
Date of review: June 11, 2012

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

In short: Good atmosphere, well organised, no shortage of water/gels/blocks, fairly hilly in the first half however there were not enough toilets and they were not frequent enough.
In full: excellent bar the lack of toilets, we qued for 40 minutes at the beginning, there were men having to skip out and pee in the bushes before going through the start timer, I had gastric problems, went to the loo at mile 13 and had to wait until jsut before mile 18 before there were more toilets, I was worried I wasnt going to make it and would have to pull out of the race or mess myself. Men were able to skip out and pee in lots of locations but this isnt exactly an option for women or those who get gastric upset. Where toilets were provided there were not enough of them and runners had to que.
Date of review: April 16, 2012

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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		40%

In short: good post chirstmas fun
In full: Well organised, fairly priced and for a good cause. Great 12 mile run post Christmas to counter the Christmas indulgences. Two proper hills the rest of the course was undulating, water stations well placed. Most gravelly tracks with one muddy section. They had to cut out the cross country section last minute this year as the area had not been cleared of unexploded ordance by the army, but the route was still good. Mostly club runners but still a few unattached. Everyone was friendly. Got a new PB so I am happy.
Date of review: December 27, 2011

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