Gloucester Marathon, Half Marathon and 50K

Cracking little looped course. Starting at the leisure centre, you are soon through a small industrial estate and out on to country lanes. Can see myself doing it again.

Even though this was my first running race I am not a novice to events. I have been in many cycling sportives and know what to expect. Starting with some of the positives. The route was well marshalled- enough Hi Viz volunteers- they need a big congratulations.The route was good and I enjoyed the 90% no traffic so we could all run on the roads.Some negatives,The start was delayed, for reasons I am not sure. I thought it was a 10.10am startTo my knowledge there was no race briefing at the start. Due to multiple distances being run on the same course there were many markers saying how far you had run- these should be colour co-ordinated with each running distance to enable a clearer understanding.The inflatable finish arch and the timer were the wrong way round- for purely photographic reasons having the arch with finish on the reverse and the clock facing backwards would enable friends/family to take a better pictures as the runners cross the line.Also, in the race notes it says to leave the sports centre, go past the first start point (as this is for the full marathon) and go to the second start point further down the road. This is not accurate- there was only one start point for all run distances. Confusing to say the least.More postives- the medal and t-shirt are great and a good memento.The start venue is good. Nice to have coffee and food to buy after the event- much needed!The thrill of running with a whole host of other people, each with their own desire and motivation was brilliant.Thank you.Mark N

The course route, marshalling and on course support were perfect. Regular drinks stations were available and a flat route made for fast times. Also good facilities for bag storage and toilet facilities both on site and extras provided. However, the build up was somewhat spoilt by poor pre-race organisation, massive queues for race numbers which couldve been sent out in advance and contained the required bands, and insufficient numbers of bag labels made the process slow. We arrived by 9.20 and werent race ready until 10.05 - 5 minutes before the race start. Otherwise, a thoroughly enjoyable run.

Race HQ was chaotic with long queues for registration, wrist bands, toilets and food and on the road to car parking. Course was fast and scenic. Marshalling errors led to leaders going the wrong way. Not much support. One section was not closed road and was not adequately marshalled and therefore dangerous. Presentation was half hearted and there were no prizes despite high entry cost and race sponsorship. Not a race i will return to.

Nice and flat course (a little bit of undulation), some organisational issues, but overall a decent race.

New race for me really enjoyed it not a great lover of laps ! 4 was enough. Had a few more hills in than expected. Messed up my race programme when it was brought forward a week plus social media speculation as to whether if the race would go ahead

Great event back in my home City. Very little elevation, the odd slope as expected on country lanes. Lots of water tables with bottled water (bonus points for that) and plenty of places for family or friends to spectate and be personal energy stations!The small roundabout after the garden centre could have a section coned off to protect runners as there is no pavement at that point and there would still be ample vehicle room. Friendly Marshals all over the course on a cold (If standing around) day. Fabulous relevant medal and this was my 8th marathon and all came together for me to leave with a smile and a PB. Well done, one of my favourite races yet.

Great course - few inclines to keep it interesting. Plenty of water stations perfectly situated. Fantastic support from the Marshalls. Thank you. Perhaps numbered baggage labels and safety pins could be put in with the envelopes with race number. In a room full of people, this table was hidden. I had my own safety pins so that was fine and at the start line, which also wasnt obvious, I had to come back to find where to collect the labels. Then there was no pen but one was found fairly quickly. Just something small but one less thing to have to think about.On a more positive note, the sports facilities were great. Showering and then Stretching out in the warm with a cup of tea and a slice of cake was great and perfect for me to prepare for my 2 hour journey home. If I lived locally, Id do the race again. Thank you to the organisers as well as the marshalls and the lovely women who worked at the tea and cake stall.

Great course and a real challenge. Was relieved that there were water stations. A well organised event although it was chaotic for the ultra runners all lining up with the marathon runners! They should have started elsewhere but were not informed.

First marathon and all the volunteers were so good at supporting us get to the end