My Event Ratings

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

In short: Great support and on course marshals- thumbs up to you! Poor organisation, thumbs down to organisers.
In full: Yeah!!! On course marshals and supporters: considering the weather, standing around to help runners and give support must have been a feat in itself! Without this who knows how I and many others would have got round.
Hmm...
Overall the organisation was poor. I was expecting to receive my race number by post- I was told I was informed of the requirement for pick up from the 'Expo' in my registration email- this was not the case. I had not received the email to tell me of the postal option so had to travel to the expo, which I had not planned to do. Also then being told you could collect on the morning when race info said this was not an option (though would have involved me leaving home at stupid o'clock)- never like moving goalposts, smacks of making it up as you go along.
Expo- not exactly unmissable- though if having to collect your number it was! A few stalls in a badminton hall in the local sports centre- I imagine it is not quite like that at London, which was the price we paid!
Deferment- think you should be able to defer pretty much up to race day, with valid and proven illness or injury- otherwise you are pushing people into running when ill or injured.
Route questionable, with some cross country sections- muddy and flooded, probably down to the horrendous weather conditions on the day, but also seemed very narrow and certainly could not run at the pace I wanted at times.
Did not see many signs- may have been blown away by the wind and rain, eventually looked out for the spray painted mileage on the road. No countdown mileage at the end that I saw- e.g. 1 mile to go!
It struck me at times during the run that if a runner was injured or worse we were in the middle of nowhere with no marshals, or prospect of rapid help- with some relatively isolated sections of the course.
I had borderline hypothermia at the end- thank goodness for space blankets being available when I got there- though think they ran out later!- and for the kind volunteers who helped me with it as my hands did not work due to cold at the finish. Thankfully missed the baggage debacle at both start and finish. Think there should have been more in place in the finish area, e.g. matting given that the weather was predicted. Little signage at the end and few marshals to direct tired and cold runners, though most were probably occupied trying to keep freezing runners alive!

Would need serious reassurance on organisation if I were going to do it again, so at is a very qualified maybe.

Date of review: May 1, 2012

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