My Event Ratings

Overall score		20%
Would you do it again?		No
Details:
Scenery		60%
PB potential		60%
Atmosphere		60%
Organisation		20%
Value		40%
Beginner-friendliness		80%

In short: Weather was poor - organisation was worse
In full: OK, so all reviewers have probably mentioned the cancellation of the full mara. I'm not sure if it was because of the weather or the surface of the Greenway (and if it's good enough for the half then why not good enough for the full?). Communication at the start was feeble - many of us did not know that the race was cancelled until we were well into it.

Other than that though, the organisers could - and should - make some changes next year
- the path on the road in the final mile was too narrow to allow much overtaking and those of us who wanted to do the full were still full of energy
- where was the risk management on the course? The weather had been predicted for days and they failed to provide alternatives.

Marathons are supposed to be challenges for most of us - they should have treated us like adults and allowed us to do the full at our own risk.
Date of review: May 1, 2012

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

In short: Good race, but could be better.
In full: Unlike others, I didn't think that it was too hot, but I definitely think that it could & should have started around an hour earlier. Starting the mara at 9.30 and the half at 10.30 would, IMHO, have been better.

Plenty of water stations, but plastic cups only so I ended up taking 2 at most of them on the 2nd lap. Good idea on the personal drinks though.

Well-organised race - you can always tell when a race has been organised by a club rather than a company. I'm happy never to see that bridal path again though.
Date of review: April 11, 2011

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

In short: Early start but worth the trip
In full: Well the thunderstorms at 6.30 weren't a good sign which made racking a bit difficult and all the kit was soaked by the end of the swim. Nice bike course even if it was going to be trickier once car traffic arrived. Not sure on the 1k to go and the need to go an alternative way into the finish but good to do a nice low-key tri and get some of the DNF demons off our backs.
Date of review: July 18, 2007

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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		60%

In short: A hidden gem of a race in the spring calendar
In full: It's the sort of race that you want to tell everyone about but secretly want to keep it to yourself in case masses spoil what is a great little x-country race. Good honest course that is challenging but not too tough with friendly marshals & even a few spectators at some points along the way. Some hills, some mud but not too many of either & a very convenient race HQ for those who travel by public transport. The sort of course that makes you want to go back there and do it again the following week. My only regret is that I didn't find out about this race years ago. And what's more - it's free.
Date of review: March 26, 2007

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Overall score		60%
Would you do it again?		No
Details:
Scenery		40%
PB potential		80%
Atmosphere		40%
Organisation		60%
Value		100%
Beginner-friendliness		80%

In short: Nice event spoiled by some selfish runners
In full: Thanks to RW for organising this but some of the runners helped to spoil it for others. There was too much bunching and running across people - those wearing headphones were particularly culpable of this & not paying attention to those around them. However, my main negative experience was towards the end of the 1st lap when one of the 9-min mile pace deliberately pushed over a runner running the other way. It made me ashamed to be a runner.
Date of review: March 5, 2007

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

In short: Could have been so much better
In full: The 1/2m & mara races in Cardiff are growing in popularity but the organisers need to sort a few things out in order to make the races as good as they could have been. The course spends a lot of time in local parks which is nice in a way but does not show the rest of the city - have a look at Dublin to see how you could change things. Other runners have told me that the energy drink was finished at the 5m point & that there were no T-shirts left at the finish - both really poor organisational things that could be easily sorted. The goody bag was more or less empty & the mile markers were not always easy to see.

For a race costing over £20 with 9000 entrants, there are too many negative points that the organisers need to focus on. The support is there for a better race & I hope that they set one up
Date of review: October 18, 2006

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

In short: Everything was spot-on apart from the weather
In full: This was lining up to be a special marathon experience until the glorious Highland weather intervened. To say that it is undulating would be an understatement - no major hills to worry about but there was nothing flat until well into the race. Well worth doing if you're looking for an autumn mara & there are also shorter races for friends & family to do on the same day.
Date of review: October 3, 2006

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

In short: Great to see Liverpool getting a high-profile running event
In full: This was my 4th attempt at a Liverpool 1/2m and the 1st on this FLM-inspired course. While I might prefer the earlier low-key versions, it's good to see Liverpool being able to stage an event of this size and I hope to see it having the opportunity to organise a marathon in 2008.

Generally well-organised although it would be nicer to cover more of the city centre in order to capture tourist's imagination as an out-and-back course covering 2 parks can only give you so much enthusiasm. It also would have been good to see water at all of the stations instead of just 2 - if they can cover every mile at FLM, they should be able to cover more than 2 for a 1/2m. People could have struggled if it was warm. Good idea to put clocks by each mile marker though - that was never the case for the old organisation.

The baggage tent was not very well organised and needs to be improved upon. But the support over much of the course was excellent, despite the moaning after the event of roads being blocked.
Date of review: March 23, 2006

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

In short: Everything a marathon should be.
Date of review: October 30, 2005

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Overall score		60%
Would you do it again?		No
Details:
Scenery		40%
PB potential		80%
Atmosphere		40%
Organisation		60%
Value		20%
Beginner-friendliness		80%

In short: Fast, flat but just a bit dull. Good for an autumnal training run but not exactly the highlight of the race calendar.
Date of review: October 10, 2005

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