My Event Ratings

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

In short: Downhill glory, Uphill another story !
In full: * Very friendly 10k, on a freezing morning, with the oh-so cheerful tea ladies dispensing hot drinks & biscuits both before and after the race - most welcome !
* My only gripes would be about the timing chips; i) mine didn't work (or rather the time for my race number was about 7 minutes faster than I actually ran - far too much for my conscience to accept !), ii) there was no timing mat at the start, hence with the narrow roads, it took me about 15-20s to get over the start line, but my Gun Time and Chip Time were identical.
* Only other point would be that in today's world, not having any online entry procedure is a bit of a pain, but then again, the race is limited to 500 people and seemed pretty close to that number, so I guess over-popularity is not to be encouraged ?
* However, minor gripes for what was a challenging but rewarding course - very fast downhill for the first 5km, then undulating, and finally a 3km climb to the finish - so it's a challenge to pace yourself properly on this 10k.
Date of review: January 18, 2013

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

In short: Well organised, excellent kick-start to the Easter weekend
In full: Agree that business parks don't exactly set the pulse racing, but what they lack in beauty, they make up for in practicality. Personally, I'd take easy parking & access anytime, over chocolate-box charm and playing one-armed bandit with a pay & display ticket machine.

Good points

Bad points: only (minor) gripe would the confusion over the first two laps round the business park, especially having witnessed a quicker runner raising his fists when cutting through runners still completing their first lap, on the grounds that a red carpet hadn't been rolled out for him and people hadn't bowed to his superior speed and athleticism...difficult when he was behind them !

Good points : excellent organisation, and as mentioned previously, great value, with a technical t-shirt, a mars bar and some water at the finish = ideal. And, had it been bad weather, solid ground, a big finish tent and easy access parking.
Date of review: April 30, 2012

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Overall score		60%
Would you do it again?		Maybe
Details:
Scenery		60%
PB potential		60%
Atmosphere		60%
Organisation		40%
Value		20%
Beginner-friendliness		80%

In short: Clearly signed, enthusiastically marshalled but chaotic at finish and steeply priced
In full: I guess I can look back in future years and say 'I was there' !
I know I'd only entered the half marathon and would have been justifiably upset had I'd been planning to run the marathon only to have it cancelled at the last minute (literally, give or take one or two !), but yes, I'd say it was the right decision given the twin threats of exposure and drowning. However, given the state of the Greenway, and the blanket rain forecasts, could this decision have been taken earlier ?

Good points : unfeasibly cheery marshalls, palpable sense of relief at the finish

Bad points : steep price - I'm not upset at no t-shirt (got loads of those), but no space blanket and nothing at the finish save for a banana and I didn't have the money on me for a cup of tea or something hot.
Conc : On a sunny day, I can this being a very pleasant half-marathon, with runners lazing around in the field afterwards, and hence less congestion problems. As it was, with a quagmire finish, one over-crowded tent in danger of being blown away and no other facilities, it should have been no surprise that everyone scarpered asap. Better contingency planning required

Date of review: April 30, 2012

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