My Event Ratings

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

In short: Great chance to see new vantage points on challenging run
In full: All very well-organised, compact and effective starting area, with gloriously basic-but-adequate facilities. The 10k went off on time - to the second, which is how it should be. Plenty of hills and mud out on the course, proper cross-country. Perfectly obvious signage (the small number that went off-course should pay more attention!) and marshals where required. It was great to work out where you where in relation to the footpaths and byways that you can normally go on - this race takes you well off-road and on to fields that you can't normally go on, with great vantage points to match.
Good finish gantry with big digital clock and nice area for drinks/banana/post race chat. The tea/bacon butty stand was a good idea too. Saw a few familiar faces and some new ones. Everyone very friendly. I did 46 minutes and would normally do 40 or so on a flattish course, giving you some idea of the number of hills/amount of mud.
Great race - thanks to the organisers and all the marshals!
Date of review: March 10, 2013

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

In short: Great race - always a pleasure!
In full: I have my PB on this course, so it's a PB course for me. Supportive marshals this year. Couldn't hear the starter (as usual) although I was fourth row back. Great facilities at the HQ. Good race!
Date of review: January 6, 2013

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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: Britain's best race? Probably
In full: This is a local race with big race facilities: loads of marshals, great parking, bag drop, chip timing, cracking goodies, a smorgasbord of cakes and fruit (and tea!) at the end, wine and very many goodies at the feed stations (not just water stations, Feed stations), chunky medal and fine t-shirt, hog roast, DJ and cold beer.
The course is sublime - making sensible use of the terrain to inexorably climb from the depths of the valley of the Tillingborne stream to the top of the North Downs at Ranmore (what an appropriate name) at around mile 11, ready for a thunderous flight back down to Denbies Winery and the welcome finish line (and a handshake from the race director, Allan). I ran on a lot of new trails - and I thought I knew this part of the world. A classic course - yes, very fine indeed.
Yes it was a bit warm today, but we runners cannot complain about that - we have to take the rough with the smooth and the hot with the cold. I'll bet you someone does complain about the heat (just as they would have done if it had been raining or cold) - but remember, the weather is the one thing that is outside the remit of the race organisers! At least there was plenty of shade in parts.
Is this Britain's best race? Well, it's certainly the most spectacular and best-organised half I've ever done. It's got to be up there with the very best of them - there can't be many (any?) half marathons that are better than the totally awesome Bacchus Half!
Well done to Events to Live and all your cheery helpers and marshals - I give you thanks and full respect.
Date of review: September 9, 2012

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

In short: An elemental struggle - and a must-do.
In full: I drove 260 miles from the south of England to do this race, and thought that the petrol money was well-spent. Given that there is no other race like it, this is a must-do race that you have to sample at least once in your life. Although it is across a tidal bay and so therefore theoretically flattish, it is a tough course, including a number (5?) of river crossings and this year at least a brutal headwind for much of the race. Wading across the rivers made me wish that I had done some 'pool-running.'
The car park at Hest Bank was okay, plenty of toilets. The bus journey is a test in itself - it was a bit hot and sweaty. The start area definitely needs more toilets - you've got 500+ athletes with churning guts and half a dozen lavlavs - you do the maths!
The race itself is a brilliant and challenging battle against the elements, the 'terrain' and your brain. The wind meant that it really made sense to form peletons, and I hooked up with another guy to bridge the gap up to the next group - great fun. In many places it felt just like running in Chariots of Fire - brilliant. It was tough (especially when it started raining - it could have been grim) - but eased up towards the end when the sun came out. The finish area was good - and I greatly appreciated the water, orange juice, apples, bananas and cereal bars on offer. I thought the atmosphere was good throughout, and everything was really well organised. I can see why this has been named one of Britain's best half marathons. If something different and tough is your thing, then you will like this race. If you don't like that kind of thing, then this is not the race for you!
Well done to the organisers and all your fabulous volunteers - they made the 520 mile round trip well worth it. Thank you!
Date of review: August 13, 2012

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

In short: Great course, lovely atmosphere
In full: This first running of the Leith Hill Action Group 10k run was most intereting - the comedy start (the animals went in two-by-two) was the most cramped of any I've seen, since we were on a narrow rustic path, but it made for a good atmosphere. After a couple of hundred yards everything opened out and we could get a good rhythm going. Nice running on trails and a very brief view of Leith Hill Tower before plunging back into the woods for the long and very fast descent back down to Wooton on some ill-frequented and boggy tracks. Great atmosphere throughout. A few extra touches (for example water at the end (!), any kind of momento, a good course map on the web site and marshals without earphones in (!) and this could be a classic. Well done to the organisers.
Date of review: July 1, 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		60%

In short: Glorious English race
In full: Beautiful day for a run through classic English countryside. Very smooth organisation - Well done to Events to Live for continuing this fantastic event!
Date of review: May 27, 2012

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

In short: Astounding: A pinnacle of human experience
In full: My sixth London Marathon and once again I'm gobsmacked at the excellence of this event: there were 6000 (!) volunteers out on the course and behind the scenes, luggage worked like clockwork, there was plenty of water, energy drinks and gels, and the support was amazing. I didn't do the (unrealistic) time I wanted, but still happy with a sub-3.30.
A pinnacle of human experience? I think that it is: to see people still finishing at five and six hours, makes you realise that the human spirit is a robust and inspiring power. I take my hat off to everyone who ran. I have had some fantastic experiences over the years, and I thank the organisers and helpers. The charity I ran for, WaterAid, was totally brilliant!
That's enough big city London marathons for me for now - time for some interesting half marathons and trail races!
Date of review: April 23, 2012

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

In short: Fantastical local race!
In full: The acme of all local races: lots of familiar faces, very competitive at the front but friendly throughout and very nice course. I had my PB on this course for several years - so there's PB potential for anyone! Super weather today - blue skies. Cracking turnout from Clapham Chasers (about a quarter of the 380-strong field!). Well done to the firemen and all the helpers. Lovely atmosphere both before and after the race. Results out while we were there (most impressive). I would recommend this race to anyone!
Date of review: November 13, 2011

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

In short: A fast race (in the rain)
In full: Nice local, low-key race. A few familiar faces and met some new people too. Compact start area, easy parking for spectators in the Ashley Centre. Prompt start, adequate marshaling (no possibility of getting lost), enough water, finish area was okay. One runner slipped at the end after the finish, but I blame it on his earphones (DQ!). No thanks at all to the runner in green who kept on spitting and clearing his nose and just missed me a couple of times - YUCK - and shame on you!
It was overall a nice birthday race for me, and just missed a PB (which I got the year before on this course a year before).
Thanks to the organisers and the marshals - look forward to next year.
Date of review: June 12, 2011

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

In short: Another great Bookham 10k
In full: A dry course this year made it a very pleasant run in very blustery conditions. Very smooth organisation - Congratulations to Andy Fay and his band of merry volunteers, many from Dorking and Mole Valley AC. Good one Andy - stick with it!
Date of review: February 6, 2011

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