Running Events in United Kingdom

From the organiser

From the organiser

From the organiser

From the organiser

From the organiser

From the organiser

Reviews

• R

  Ruth H

  Did the Marathon in 2018

  Loved it. Mainly flat, but a couple of climbs. Great atmosphere!

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• L

  Lynn C

  Did the Half Marathon in 2018

  Wish I knew the hills were there!!!

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• R

  Did the event in 2018

  Was not impressed. Over priced. Nothing at the end other than a bottle of water a banana and a medal. Roads were not closed and felt at risk on certain parts of the course. 50mph roads with a cone to separate you from the incoming traffic. Will never do this one again.

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From the organiser

From the organiser

From the organiser

Reviews

• T

  Tom W

  Did the 10k in 2018

  One of my favourite races in London. A fast, easily accesible, 3-lap course with great marshals. The QEOP is a great place to run - basically designed for it.

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• G

  Glenn S

  Did the 10k in 2018

From the organiser

Reviews

• R

  Did the event in 2017

  I'm a bit sad that my first Racecheck review isn't a positive one. The only good thing about this race was the price but I should have known that you get what you pay for. - Disorganised registration tables (queue once to be told what your number will be then queue again to be given your number- Late start on a cold day because they registered people past the close time advertised- No mile/km markers - Only one water table which ran out and nobody handing water to runners- Marshalls chatting to passers by ( to be fair a few were great and encouraging but others were useless)- People cutting corners and marshalls not pulling them up- Course finished on a long uphill pull - No toilets on the course other than near registration (and they were disgusting)-OK medal but it doesn't even have the year on it. All in all, rather disappointed. Even for a "cheap" race (£14 for pre-registration) the issues with water and marshalls shouldn't exist.

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• R

  Did the event in 2014

  Do not do any event organised by MCC. Bad organisation, no time - it is better do a Park Run. Pointless

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From the organiser

Reviews

• V

  Victor C

  Did the 10k in 2018

  You did warn of "mud" which was a good thing. The upper field was just a bit dodgy due to the hard dried mud forming ruts which were potential ankle twisters. The fields were, though, a lovely part of the run.

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• M

  Mike D

  Did the 10k in 2018

• T

  Thomas N

  Did the 10k in 2018

  Would have been nice to have a more secure bag drop.

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From the organiser

From the organiser

From the organiser

From the organiser

From the organiser

From the organiser

From the organiser

Reviews

• S

  Stephen P

  Did the 10k in 2018

  Just the course map and elevation details, I had to use someones old Strava feed to let my wife know where to stand.

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• F

  Francesco C

  Did the 10k in 2018

  you could offer fruit and snack at the end of race (better than sweets).

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Reviews

• W

  Wheel

  Did the Half Ironman in 2017

  A well organised event let down a little by the bike course. Although pretty, the road surface wasn't the best and there were two sets of roadworks that year (2107). The feed station (on the bike) was not ideal. The route was changed last minute for 2018 so 2019 could all be different. Great location and support as always though.

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• R

  Did the event in 2018

  Reading the race overview on the website I knew that it was going to be a tough course, and it was. That's not to say it wasn't enjoyable - the location is amazing and great for spectators and the marshalling of the course was excellent - clearly letting you know the direction to go and understanding the nature of triathlon and letting you know a corner was clear and you could crack on! plus always a smile. It is hilly and that hurt a fair bit by the end but the feeling at the end is fantastic. A really great event.

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• R

  Did the event in 2017

From the organiser

From the organiser

From the organiser

Reviews

• A

  Aurore F

  Did the Half Marathon in 2018

  I really like the course itself, around Bewl water. Mostly on a trail, with only a few patches properly wet/slippery, it's a very enjoyable run.I personally liked the absence of distance markers. Disappointed with the food available at checkpoints but that's personal preference.Very disappointed with the finish though. There was barely anything, no celebration and no indication of your time...The start was also a complete shamble, with most runners not knowing where to go after the first mile...

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• S

  Sarah T

  Did the Half Marathon in 2018

  Terrible! It was a hard route due to the combination of trail with road, however, the views along the route were great. The GPS tracking shows the route was a mile over the 1/2 marathon distance, the race started 1/2 hour late due to not enough people checking runners in, the course was over crowded but the worst part of the day was getting to the finish line to be told they had run out of medals!

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• W

  Will F

  Did the Half Marathon in 2018

  The hills are very steep towards the end make sure you train for that. All the hills were right at the end of the course so brace for it.

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From the organiser

Reviews

• R

  Did the event in 2018

  A good half marathon in cold and wet weather! Meant little public support but marshalls done well and course was clearly marked out all the way round.

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• R

  Did the event in 2018

  Did this for the first time last sunday.  well run half marathon, with a clear route and very helpful marshalls all the way around the course.  The hill that you have to climb is a sod, especially on the second lap but makes the medal at the end sweeter.  The medal itself is a thing of beauty!

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• R

  Did the event in 2018

  my first time doing the event it was a great price for a half marathon easy to get to not really any local support was a tough half as there was a steep hill to do twice for the half water was in cups it is mile and km marked the medal was great And I found the pre race warm up good the course isn’t the most scenic but the marshals were great

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From the organiser

Reviews

• R

  Did the event in 2018

  As a new runner and being born and bred in Tewkesbury I was really excited for this race, especially as I was offered the chance to take in the scenery and pace 2hrs.upon arrival I was disappointed that they had messed up the orders and was left with a 10ft flag to carry (needless to say I dropped it after mile 2)the course was a little disappointing and there were long stretches with poor scenery and no support however the organisation was great. The new finish in the high st was a massive highlight and I would deffo recommend this course for first timers and PB chasers alike

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• R

  Did the event in 2018

  And so, after a surprisingly decent time in Taunton on the back of a dirty hangover, the bandwagon moved onto Tewkesbury. I signed-up for this race for a couple of reasons really. 1. It’s only 40 minutes from home and, 2. It was the only ‘major’ half marathon or marathon I hadn’t run in my adopted county of Gloucestershire. I’d previously run the Gloucester Marathon and Half, Cheltenham’s Half, The Forest of Dean Half and the Stroud Half, so this would complete the local ‘Olympic Rings’, as I mentioned to a local running friend the day I signed up!After researching the race, I learned of its longevity (this was the 38th year of the event) and support it has gathered over the years. Tewkesbury is an attractive medieval market town standing on the confluence of the rivers Severn and Avon and, as a result, suffers terribly from severe flooding, which on occasions has come perilously close to swallowing up the famous Abbey!I felt I was in reasonable shape come race day and wasn’t carrying any muscular aches and pains for the first time in months, so on the basis that the course was ‘flat and fast’ as every race claims to be these days(!) , I was hoping to post a decent time.Waking early on the Sunday morning, the weather was beautiful and perfect for running – cool, sunny cloudless skies and no wind. My only concern was that the temperature was threatening to reach 16 degrees by 11am, which didn’t fill me with joy as I’m an awful warm weather runner. I literally fall apart as soon as temperatures reach double digits; which is probably why I usually post my best times between October and March!Race HQ was at the Leisure Centre, which meant that parking wasn’t an issue (the local sea cadets marshalled the parking across an extensive grassed space) and the tents to pick up the race numbers and drop-off bags was literally a stone’s throw from the car. There was good ratio of toilet cubicles to runners on site (no urinals though!) which only meant that people were only having to queue at peak times for about 5 minutes max.Whilst the ‘village’ was a hive of activity, with a number of stalls selling anything from coffee to running essentials, the race itself started about a 10 minute walk back the way I’d originally driven into Tewkesbury, with everyone gathering in a pub car park by the start line. The road is a major route into the town, and given that the organisers needed to temporarily close this – as the route would take runners back the way they’d just walked towards the town centre – the closure and start needed to be a fairly slick operation in order for the road to re-open again as soon as possible.Under bright sunny skies and with temperatures increasing by the minute, the road was closed at 9.58am and the starting gun fired at 10 sharp! There were a couple of pacers from Hucclecote Harriers (a Gloucester-based running club) running 1.45 and 2.00 target times, but given that I was hoping to run quicker than 1.45, and with no 1.40 pacer to offer any support, I figured it would be best to head out at a reasonable pace and see how I felt.The first couple of miles went fairly smoothly and I found myself running at around 7.40 mile pace, which, at the time, felt fine. The route (as mentioned earlier) took us back towards the leisure centre and then through the town before running out onto a main road.At this point, the route wasn’t particularly exciting and often laborious in places as we continued along the main road which took us out of Tewkesbury, before entering an industrial/retail estate with clusters of residential housing on route. I must admit that I didn’t enjoy this section of race and found it hard going and not particularly inspiring.At mile 3, I latched onto a couple of guys who were looking for a 1.40 finish. One appeared to be pacing/coaching the other, and whilst I felt fairly good, I thought I’d sit with them and see how things progressed. Mile 3 was a 7.27 which, in the heat, I found tough going but went with it. We went through 4 miles at 7.35 and I was now beginning to struggle with the heat and found myself taking on water at every opportunity, which is unlike me in a race. With little shade and temperatures rising, I knew that I couldn’t keep this pace up, so dropped off to try and consolidate some energy…as there was still around 9 miles to go!As we left the industrial estate and re-joined the main road, I was beginning to struggle badly. At mile 5 my pace had dropped to 7.59 and people were overtaking me with ease! After about half a mile further down the road, we turned left again but onto a more rural road that appeared to head out into the countryside and towards the villages that had been mentioned in the race description.Whilst the scenic and rural countryside was a welcome relief from the monotony of the estate and main roads, the heat and lack of shade was doing me no favours whatsoever. I went through miles 6 and 7 at a shade over 8 minutes, which wasn’t a good sign so early in a race and meant I was slowly fading…and still had half the race to go.I remember thinking at this point that the race was written-off already and even an energy gel couldn’t get my legs motoring! I honestly thought I was going to run my worst ever Half time and was already mentally preparing to start training even harder the next day and never let this happen again. I’d been naïve and stupid to think I could run a 1.40 in these conditions and was now paying the price. I started to consider wearing extra layers of clothing on my training runs and thick woolly hats to try and get used to coping with warm running conditions! But, however badly I was running, I was determined not to let my spirit drop and to try and enjoy the rest of the race as best I could. It was now down to survival.Mile 9 was 8.50-something, which was now officially the slowest ever mile I’d ever posted in a Half Marathon! It was getting ridiculous, but I ploughed on.So. Here comes the bit you’ve been waiting for. The Comeback. The phoenix from the flames. The Rocky moment…After turning into a pretty village (which I confess I can’t recall the name of), the road flattened out and a decent headwind presented itself at just the right time for me. Whilst this is never a good thing in my book, it started to cool me down and the straight road was a welcome relief after the windy, undulating lanes, as it allowed me to build some momentum. Nothing great, but I started to slowly, very slowly, pick up the pace again. As I ran through another village, families and supporters were lining the route and handing out jelly babies and water to the runners. I started to high five all the kids (even babes in arms!) and began to personally thank ever person I ran past for their support and encouragement! It started to lift me and put the spark back into my legs. I was beginning to feel strong again.Whilst I knew a PB was way out of the question, my next thought was to the 1.45 barrier. That had been my Holy Grail for years and after finally doing it in Oxford in 2016 I’d then begun to set my sights on getting as close to 1.40…the elusive sub-100 minute club! I had run 4 consecutive sub- 1.45’s in a row and I wasn’t going to break that streak today. If I could run that time in these conditions and the physical mess I’d been in earlier, then it would be an indication that I was running well and had some strong reserves in the bank. If nothing else, a psychological victory! All I had to do was keep ahead of the pacer I’d seen at the start line and I’d get there!I posted a 7.58 at mile 10 and was getting quicker and now catching other runners. As we left the villages behind us, we encountered the ‘hill’ at 10.5 miles. After shouting my signature expletive (‘Oh for f*ck sake!)’ at the sight of any hill in a race, I put my head down and went for it! And at that very moment, the pacer came up alongside me! Eeeeeeeek! The only person in the whole race I didn’t want to see again today!Imran, the beacon of enthusiasm who was just about to take his ‘bus’ past me at the crest of the hill, actually kicked me into gear again and I suddenly found a third wind. We began to chat and it transpired that we ran in similar circles locally and had mutual friends who also ran. This helped to take my mind off the fatigue in my legs that was beginning to take its toll. I ran through 11 at around an 8 minute mile and some fuzzy thinking led me to believe that I’d have to run close to 7.40’s in the last 2 miles to achieve a sub 1.45.Mile 12 came and went, and as we passed the sign for Tewkesbury town centre, we hit a slightly downhill section, which prompted me to put my foot on the gas. Imran was fantastic and constantly encouraged me and the guys he had been running with throughout the race, willing them to keep with him as they were so close to achieving their goals.The high street was packed with supporters cheering and urging everyone along the home straight to the finish line. The atmosphere was electric and gave me the strength I needed to see it home to the tape. I even managed to smile for the camera, which is extremely rare!Upon finishing, Imran turned and ran back up the home straight to give other runners some final enthusiastic words of encouragement as ever second counted if they were to duck under the 1.45 barrier. A true inspiration.My final mile split was 7.38 and I came home in 1.44.14, which I was delighted with. Not a PB by any stretch, but if someone had offered me that at mile 7, I’d have bitten their hand off!After collecting my medal (which was fantastic), a commemorative tee-shirt, a bottle of water and a Twix, I made my way back to the leisure centre to pick up the car. It was still very warm, which made my time even sweeter and as satisfying as any PB I’d run in the past.Whilst there were only about 700 finishers, the event was magnificently staged and really well organised. I have to give a special mention to the marshals on the course who were exceptional and a credit to the town and event.Another great Half completed that I’ll never forget for so many reasons. Dealing with a warm day, tactical suicide, the marshals, the crowds through the villages, The Comeback, Imran and finally completing Gloucestershire’s ‘Big 5’ Halfs!

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• R

  Did the event in 2017

  Great event seeing the countryside around the town. Warm weather with little shade

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From the organiser

Reviews

• R

  Did the event in 2018

  I arrived in the centre of Stroud an hour before the race started at 7am parking in one of the towns car parks which were free to park in on a Sunday and there were lots of them scattered around. It was a short walk to the start and the registration and I collected my race number no problem and without any waiting. 5 minutes before the start we were given a race briefing in a small courtyard before being set off.The course was beautiful and 95% trail, it took us through woods, across fields along foot paths and along the canal. It was a tough course with some killer hills but the views at the top of them were definitely worth the effort.The aid stations were very basic, offering water and towards the end bottles of sports drink, but the people running the stations were very friendly and super supportive.At the end I received a medal, finishers t-shirt and a goodie bag with drink, flapjack and crisps.I really enjoyed the challenge of the hills and the fantastic views that this race offered

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From the organiser

Reviews

• P

  Paula E

  Did the Breakfast Run in 2018

• A

  Andrew B

  Did the Breakfast Run in 2018

  Hills are hard but at a good point in the run, nicely shaded for most part and a nice long flat bit. The pacers were excellent plenty of encouragement. Great run

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From the organiser

From the organiser

Reviews

• R

  Did the event in 2018

  Second time I have done this race and it doesn’t disappoint, plenty of carparks about the town to get parked up,sort  walk down to the park then to collect number and chip time, drop off bag and your good to good, race starts in the park then comes out onto the high street and into some residential areas, plenty of Marshall’s about and small crowds of local support, 1 water stop at the half way point just before u go up a bit of an incline the only one in the race, so mostly flat good PB potential, great medal, t shirt and goody bag after it with free photos of the race online, will definitely do it again

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• R

  Did the event in 2018

  Starts in Higginson Park with a great number pickup/bag drop area, fantastic atmosphere! Starts along the High Street, goes through residential areas - great support throughout - then  into a business park with one long up and downhill after which is a bit draining as the rest is so flat. Then back through a lot of the same roads as the beginning so more cheering and back to the park.Mostly closed roads and diligently marshalled (although some idiot drivers still tried to get through despite multiple signs) it’s a friendly fast fun race that at 5 miles is a good distance for anyone who’s not confident at longer yet. Loved it - will be back

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From the organiser

Reviews

• D

  Daniel H

  Did the Half Marathon in 2018

  people have left reviews about this being a flat course, which it is, well relatively! there are 2 quite steep small hills to which the decents are pretty short, and for the rest of the course it felt like I was continuously running up hill with long very gradual inclines. maybe just me, it was quite hot too , but just don't expect a totally flat course

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• D

  David O

  Did the Half Marathon in 2018

  Very warm but a nice run. Atmosphere was ok, but most crowds had cleared when the half marathon runners had finished.As an overall run, I'd say 8 out of 10

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• J

  Jaime H

  Did the Half Marathon in 2018

  Very hot day but plenty of water stops and great support.

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From the organiser

From the organiser

From the organiser

Reviews

• M

  Mike H

  Did the Half Marathon in 2018

  Beautiful course but lacks proper signage and insufficient marshals throughout the route. More facilities needed at the start/finish.

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• A

  Amie F

  Did the Half Marathon in 2018

  Beautiful course, highly recommend. Lacked basic organisation though. Timing chip wasn't as per the information we'd been given, PA system didn't work so 10k and half marathon runners didn't know where they needed to be (started in different places). Started 15 minutes late so needed to use the loo by the time we set off. Lead rider tried to give brief to runners but didn't even have a loud haler (even park run can do that!). Water stops not well manned, people queuing for water and stewards kept putting their hands into the bucket to get the water out, not very hygenic. Very few Marshalls out on route (only a couple) and route very badly signed; at 10 miles lots of runners got lost as there was just one arrow pointed across a few fields but no path across and no clear exit. Relying on following other runners but can't tell if they are going wrong. Race distance also came up short.Feel the organisers cash in on the location but much better planning needed.

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• N

  Nathan R

  Did the 10k in 2018

  the route , as no marshalls present or directions on the course !

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From the organiser

Reviews

• R

  Did the event in 2018

  This run was a well organised, very scenic and friendly run. Organisation was great, pre run details sent out were spot on and precise. The drink stations on the way round were plentiful for a very hot day. The local scouts were running one of them and they were great and encouraging. There was also a sponge stop too which I was very grateful for.The run is not on closed roads, however I did not feel unsafe at any time. They are rural roads, the marshals were plentiful and they were giving plenty of warning about both cars and runners as needed. There is a cut off time of 3 hours for the run. There was a fab medal at the end and I did need to see the first aiders at the end who did an amazing job.2 small problems:there was a timing issue so the results were late coming out and then there were some discrepancies. However a quick email and it was quickly rectified. All the photos are free to download, however if you are a slower runner there isn't many photos and none at the finish line. The person who finished about 2 mins in front of me was the last person to be photographed. I finished in 2hrs 40, well within the time limit.

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• R

  Did the event in 2017

  Nice, flat course. Easy to get to, we'll organised and a great medal!

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From the organiser

From the organiser

From the organiser

From the organiser

From the organiser

Reviews

• R

  Did the event in 2018

  Great location. out of the boat lift area and then onto a looped course. Very pretty.Cheeky hill up to the finish area which i'd forgot about.Good medal, make sure you pay for parking. I'd do it again

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• R

  Did the event in 2018

  Only remembering when getting into Northwich that I didn’t have any money with me for parking my friend was scrambling round in her bag for change lol I’d already felt disappointed that parking fee wasn’t included in the entry fee. Although I found somewhere else to park near to the boat lift. Walking toward the boat lift there was little signage directing into registration and the start from outside of the facility. We made it in the end though and registration was fast.  The course was beautiful and extremely warm and I was soon loving the run. Marshall’s where lovely and very encouraging. Hoping this event will get bigger and better this being the first one. The goody bag had sweets , cake and chocolate which soon was eaten but I honestly didn’t expect much with the entry fee being so cheap.Well done for a great event !

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From the organiser

Reviews

• R

  Did the event in 2018

  The support was amazing and the volunteers and marshalls were fantastic. The route was a bit uninspring but for it's first year I think it was a cracking race. Will definatly be back next year!!

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From the organiser

Reviews

• R

  Did the event in 2018

  When I first signed up to the race I wasn't too sure what to expect as there wasn't any reviews or much information other than the description on the website.Communication was pretty good. race day instructions were only sent out a few days prior. I guess this is probably because of the variables in weather and route changes but some extra communication a couple of weeks prior would be nice but by no means a deal breaker. Directions to the start were very clear and parking was very easy.Registration and kit check went very smoothly . I would say that a coupe of extra toilets would have gone down well. But I was there early enough not to have to queue too long. Before the start of the race was a nice and short race briefing. They had explained some locals/walkers had removed some of the way markers for some unknown reason so and they were doing their best to make sure we didnt get lost!The race itself was amazing. The route was stunning. First following the River Erme up and down before meandering through some beautiful countryside and villages before dropping into Bigbury then running along the beach out to Burgh Island. There as a little welcome part there cheering us on which was nice as I felt pretty sapped of energy by that point after running for what felt like a couple of miles on the beach.After Burgh Island the real challenge started. The South West Coast Path out to the Mothecombe estuary crossing. The scenary was amazing but the temperature was also starting to rise and it felt tough. After the crossing there was another couple of tough sections of coastal path before again heading inland over some beautiful countryside before making our way back up the River Erme to the finish line.The reception at the finish was amazing lots of cheering and clapping. Just what you want after completing 46.4km with 1300m elevation.All in all I really enjoyed my day runing Race the Tide stunning route I don't think you could tire of. I thought the aid stations were well stocked and supported although I didn't use them to there full potential other than topping up my water/nutrition bottles. There wasn't much in the way of crowds/spectators around the route but for me I wasn't that bothered it was remote so I don't blame people for not standing in the middle of nowhere to cheer us on.Overall I thought it was well organised well. Marshalled and put together I would Definately recomend it to an new or seasoned trail runnerJust one addition I think would have added to the experiance is some sort of bar/food at the finish. I could have murdered a cider and a burger at the end.

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• R

  Did the event in 2017

  There are 3 distances to the Race the Tide events, 10K, 16 mile Half-Marathon and 29  mile Marathon, as you can tell this is a trail event where unusual distances are commonbut Pure Trail tell you the distances beforehand so you know what you are getting.The Pure Trail team are always very friendly and well organised, this is a must do event and I will be back next year, not sure which distance I will do next year, but this year it was the 16 mile option for me, which saw us head uphill from the start and within half a mile, wading through a very wet, muddy water section, which for me is great fun, then single track through woodland, before we crossed a bridige over the estaury and up into more woods, the following downhill through the woods was fast and fun, with estuary glances through the trees, soon we were at mile 6.5 and at the Erme Estuary, the tide was out but it still meant a run through some water, others walked I ran, splashing through the water, then it was a couple of miles of hilly coast path before turning inland through fields and country lanes, before we reentered the woods and had the pleasure of wading through the muddy water again, quick stop for some photos and downhill to the finish, where we got a fab medal and a well stocked finish line of goodies. Do this event!

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From the organiser

Reviews

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  Diana K

  Did the Hyde Park 10k in 2018

  Fantastic 10k well organized and fantastic crowd

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From the organiser

From the organiser

From the organiser

Reviews

• G

  Gavin C

  Did the 10km in 2018

  The course was uninspiring (perhaps the best route was reserved for the 1/2) and poorly planned with the entire 10k field being slowed to a walking pace when trying to squeeze on to the tow path at the start and once or twice later on. Despite the walking and two boring laps of a field, chasing a 10k PB was still on until my GPS watch showed I had hit 10k and was still on the opposite side of the river to the finish. Would not waste money running this 11.6k event again.

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• C

  Charlene A

  Did the 10km in 2018

  I was very disappointed to find out it was a 5km course run twice. This was not mentioned before booking. There were not any km markers and the race was actually almost 12km not 10km.

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  Francesca P

  Did the 10km in 2018

  I wish i had known that the course was going to be 1.6k longer than expected! Pretty disappointed that the route was incorrectly measured and not marked along the way and that this was not acknowledged afterwards to those that had taken part.

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From the organiser

Reviews

• R

  Did the event in 2017

  This was my first trail race - however, the 10k itself was mostly ran on tarmac not Trail paths. I did expect more of the race to run alongside the river, and was a little disappointed that it didn't!! Overall the race was well organised, there was a water stop halfway and the bag drop and event HQ was well set-up.To collect your race number, you had to travel to Windsor on the days before the race, which I found a little strange for a non-marathon event. Luckily, my friend and I love close enough to travel there and back!!When we finished the race, we found the course only measured 5.9miles, so not the full 10k distance - not sure if this was different for previous years!Overall a nice race, but I was expecting more trails!

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• R

  Did the event in 2017

  I have ran this race before 2 years ago, but when I did I don't think I paid attention to my watch and just ran and took in the surroundings.This really is a beautiful course along the Thames river, mostly on trails, but a real introduction to trail running with flat and compacted trails. If you want a pb in trail running this is a good venue.To start there is official parking about a 5-10 minute walk away. They charge a fiver which isn't too bad. If I were to look around you could probably find cheaper or free parking.Registration is basic, but there is a nice small race village atmosphere. There are activities for the family, and with the gorgeous weather we had it makes for a lovely day out.A small criticism is that the bag drop is £5, I've never known paying separately. Perhaps this is to reduce the cost of the entry fee, but for many this would be an issue, no matter how much it cost. I put my bag in someone's car so not an issue for me, but wouldn't have been happy to pay for this service.The race started in waves which was great. The trails are narrow for most of the route, but I personally did not experience any congestion which will be partly owing to this good organisation at the start. I organised the pacers this year and people did not appear to be in correct waves, so this could have been advertised more widely. There was a PA system at the finish, but at the start (a short walk across a bridge) there wasn't, so I announced the pacers and times myself. I did ask one of the organisers a couple of times but he chose not to. The run itself was so beautiful and really enjoyable. As the 1:45 pacer I had a good small group around me which was fantastic.The support was very sparse, as were the marshalls, but this is expected in a course like this. There wouldn't be room for anyone else. This isn't a criticism of the race, it's just a fact. The course was well marked and only a couple of road crossings. What I did find strang at mile 12 was the marshalls stopping runners rather than cars. They need a proper brief. There were so few of us they could have easily stopped the cars, which I what I have experienced in EVERY other race that have done this. I've seen lots of feedback of people being stopped for a few seconds here?The aid stations were to sparse and I only saw water in cups and high 5 gels. The cups were also only being handed out by a couple of people so it was difficult to get the water if in a group. This could benefit from a little attention.The main criticism of the whole day is the course measurement and markings. The course is about 400 metres long. As a pacer this is something we could have been told as now everyone is saying this is a common theme (i wish someone said this before). Even if a course is long we can usually account for this, but what made matters worse is from about mile 10 the course markings were coming up short. So at mile 10 my watch said 9.90, and this was consistent until 12. I was running perfectly just under 8 min miles. At mile 10 I started to ease off a little to adjust to the course, otherwise risk going too fast. At mile 12 my watch recorded 11.87 and I was still set to come in too fast. I eased off maybe 15 seconds over the next mile to ensure I wasn't too fast and encouraged everyone on. I told everyone they had loads of time.I didn't see a mile 13 (and no one I have spoken to did either) but when I got mile 13 on my watch I had plenty of time. I crossed the bridge and all of a suddden started to worry. I was at 13:12 and still no sign of the finish and only had 1 minute to spare. I sped up at this point and caught up with the people I sent ahead. I could have sprinted and made the time but was not going to leave those I had paced behind, what was the point in me doing a 6 minute mile now? We came in a minute over the pace, and I feel terrible.Im upset and a little angry with the organisation of this part as everyone on social media has confirmed they experienced the same. Every single pacer finished the exact same way, experienced pacers, there was nothing they could do. To put in in perspective, the additional distance at the end is an extra 2 minutes for me, and gets worse the slower you are running. The short mile markers made it much worse as we all slowed thinking we were ahead (still confident our watches had us with a good 30 second cushion). If this is the same route they always use they must know it's long, in which case it needs to be advertised as a long course. If it's not then look at the route as it's been marked wrong.Ok rant over. This was a big deal for a lot of people, probably more for the pacers that do this to help people achieve their times, so all feel terrible that this didn't happen. Apart from this I thoroughly enjoyed the whole event. If the measurements are sorted or announced as long then it would be a great race to do

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• R

  Did the event in 2017

  I was invited along to this F3 event by my pacing friend Paul Addicott who had been asked to provide the pacers for the first time at this event.  I was asked to pace the 2 hour slot.I found the registration to be straightforward and I travelled up by car from my Milton Keynes home to the event via the M1/M25/M4 in just over an hour.  I parked at the official car park as advertised on their website for a charge of £5.00It was an easy 10 min walk from the car park to the race village to collect my race bib and pacers T-shirt and meet the other pacers.There was a baggage area here at a cost of £5.00 which is unusual as this is normally included in the entrance fee. There were stalls selling running sundries and refreshments along with post race massage. Portaloos were dotted around and the PA announcer made it clear there were extra toilets opened just outside the park that the race village was in.The race start was on the opposite side of the River Thames and a 5 min walk to here from the race village.We made our way over to the start and there were more portaloos here. The start area was roped off and in 7 start wave times; 1.30/1.45/2.00/2.15/2.30/2.45 and then last was the wave for the 10K option.The idea of the staggered wave starts was to eliminate congestion in the early stages as the first few miles were often narrow along the Thames and in wooded areas.I made myself known to all the runners in my wave pen that I was the pacer for 2 hrs and that I would be pacing 9.05 mins to finish approx 30/40 secs under allocated time; (actual 2 hr time is 9.09 pace)The race started promptly at 8.30am and every 5 mins another wave started so at 8.40 I set off.The start followed a smooth flat trail on grass alongside the scenic Thames and into wooded areas for the first few miles. Very narrow in many places and a little slippy/muddy due to recent downpours. I made everyone around me aware of puddles, roots and low branches as we made our way towards the first water stop. Rather surprisingly the first water station was 4.3 miles in (usually 3.1 on most races),and very disappointingly in plastic cups which is nigh on impossible to drink from whilst running. There was also a fallen tree that we had to run around just before 5 miles but this was marshalled perfectly. There were 2 more water stations around the course. There were 3 road crossings to manoeuvre over the remainder of the race that the marshalls were actually stopping runners as traffic had priority. The first two I didn't have to break stride for as the road was clear but the last one just before mile 12 brought myself and my followers to a standstill for approx 10 secs.All the way I had been checking my Garmin to the mile markers and these had been very accurate up to mile 10 with miles 11 & 12 ever so slightly early but as I had paced as promised I was on course to finish in just over 1.59.20 as planned so we ease people home over the last mile. I didn't need to panic as I had those extra seconds in the bank,however as I was telling everyone around me we were well under the 2 hrs it soon become apparent that as my Garmin signalled 13 miles I couldnt see Windsor Castle - where the finish line was???Major panic set in as I double checked my splits and distances and yep I was approaching the 13.1 expected finish time and we approached a road bridge only to be told "only 700" to go???As I came over the road bridge I could see the castle in the distance and thought immediately there was no way I could reach there within the 40 secs I needed to as my Garmin showed 1.59.16:(Needless to say I sped up automatically leaving the large group I have accumulated over the race standing :-(( in my attempt to get home in time. I had no chance in reality as I came home in 2.01.24 with that last 1/4 mile run at 7.48 pace lowering my ave for the run to 9.03 for 13.38 miles. The fact I had let others down really hurt me personally as I pace events to help people reach their goals, but I still had lots of thanks from people that still gained PB's from my help and from those who had just missed out due to the inaccuracy of the distance. The last 1.1 miles was in fact 1.38 so that extra distance ruined my memory of what otherwise was a very picturesque scenic run along the Thames in a beautiful location on almost flat mixed terrain. The medal was very nice and the goody bag contained an energy bar, heat wrap and a few leaflets,water and banana.Finding out afterwards the last few years has been similar with the water station issues/long distances simply hurt even more. If only we were made aware but it's happened so....!??Its these small details that really make the runner go away with a sense of 'I can't wait to return next year' mentality, but I can only assume a lot will go away feeling let down and these will not return unfortunately for a long time if ever!F3 events run lots of events and if they read this I urge them to please look at making sure the water is every 5K and in bottles, and that the distance Is remeasured. Lots of runners will say 'oh but as it's Trail you can run a bit longer than usual' but the bottom line is ALL 7 of our pacers were over a minute over their times which I have never to this day heard of

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