My Event Ratings

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

In short: Well organised race. Not the cheapest, but stadium hire and road closures probably don't come cheap.
In full: The start and finish were in the football stadium. Plenty of WCs and well-organised baggage store. Plenty of water, gels and energy drinks en-route. Well marshalled. A couple of mild hills towards the end, with some slightly steep bridges over the canal, but really nothing to complain about. I would probably do this again.
Date of review: May 6, 2013

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

In short: Excellent pre-marathon race
In full: Very well-organised 4x5mile lap race. Plenty of water-stations and supportive marshals; some very fast runners at the front but plenty of mere mortals further back. In the middle you can lap and be lapped, which stops it getting dull in the latter stages. Thank you Hillingdon AC.
Date of review: March 25, 2013

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

In short: What goes up must come down
In full: Very well organised, very scenic. Loads of loos at the start, good marshalling and water-stations en route. Yes there is one big uphill and a couple of other noticeable uphills, but there are descents too and the last mile is pretty much all downhill, which is a great way to finish. Thanks again.
Date of review: March 4, 2013

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

In short: Well-organised and friendly race.
In full: There's a fair mix of scenery: suburbs, parkland, pavement by a main road, winding country lanes. The scenic lanes are also the most undulating, but there are no real killer hills. Lots of water-stations (with energy drinks if you want them) and encouraging marshals. And a hat to keep me warm the rest of the winter. Thank you Stopsley Striders.
Date of review: November 18, 2012

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

In short: I do like to be beside the seaside
In full: Lovely race. Mostly on well tarmaced footpaths and promenades, back and forth along the coast. There was plenty of water and gels, plenty of marshals, t-shirt, medal, goody bag. A couple of short sharp inclines, but nothing bad enough to spoil the fun.
Date of review: September 2, 2012

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

In short: Hot and a bit hilly. But more shade and less traffic than you are likely to get anywhere else.
In full: A half marathon in August is unlikely to be chilly. There was plenty of water available and I guess you just have to do the best you can in the heat! The organisation was great. I just felt a bit sorry for the Mars bars at the finish, which seemed to be suffering in the heat more than the runners. Thank you Burnham Joggers.
Date of review: August 19, 2012

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

In short: Hard but definitely worth doing.
In full: It was very hilly, but we finished where we started so there were definitely downhills as well as uphills. Yes the rain and puddles were extreme, but it was probably easier to run in than baking sunshine. The marshals were very supportive. The goody bag (medal, technical vest + selection of fruit, energy bar, drinks) was was generous. Thank you for a great race.
Date of review: July 8, 2012

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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: Well organised, well marshalled, pleasant countryside race. Will definitely do it again.
Date of review: March 25, 2012

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

In short: Flat; undulating; steep uphill; undulating; superb view; down; up; down; flat.
In full: A superb event. A challenging climb, a beautiful view; a fun descent; a short cruel hill and another fun descent; the hardest bit is really the flat 2 miles at the end. Great organisation and a handy technical shirt. To answer the question about ascent, a clubmate tracked the race on GPS, nearly 400ft climb (profile follows, assuming this does not get edited out):

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/120121431
Date of review: October 10, 2011

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

In short: A well-organised, virtually traffic-free, scenic race.
In full: My ageing limbs hate that short steep grassy slope near the start and finish. But the rest of the race is scenic and shady with a few undulations. The road hills weren't as bad as I remembered. Thank you Burnham Joggers.
Date of review: August 21, 2011

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