I’ve always found the Marlow races to be well organised and super friendly and this year was no exception. I picked up my bib in advance which saved time on the day and I had used the race day car parking which was great as it took the stress and hassle out of trying to find somewhere to park.

Could not have felt better looked after - the PDF document sent via email was really clear (i was working from one I found from a previous years event before an email with the updated PDF doc came through, it was easy for me to send this to my parents who were coming rather than try to explain it all). My main concern was when the Marlow Bridge would be closed as this was our direction for getting to the event by car. Finding this info clearly in this doc was very useful and we timed our trip to make sure we arrived a good time before it closed. Showing the local car parking was also really helpful. Im not sure if there was clear signage to car parking when we arrived from over the bridge, but we found our way to one easily. As a first time runner at the event (I did the Marlow 7) I was aware of the 3 steep inclines but did not consider how steep the declines would be as well! The course was a bit wet with leaves on one of these very steep declines and I was a little worried about slipping, it was absolutely fine but I did wonder about the risks of slipping if it was raining. I think maybe some pre-warning about the steep declines at some point in the text or pre-run announcement might be worth while for new runners. I assume most people running the 7 wont be wearing trail shoes compared to those running the Frankenstein. I think the map of the Runners Village at the sports centre in the PDF could be a little more clear to help get the geography of the runners village / finish line area - I found it a bit difficult to see how the diagram on the PDF fit with the reality of the space - finding the loos was my major concern! My parents had a bit of difficulty as well as despite being told where the finish line was they couldn't identify it when we were in the village/HQ area before the race and they were confused as the START line signage had FINISH printed on the opposite side - so they thought maybe the start line was also the finish line! Its ok - they were only briefly confused. Thats all my very minor gripes - really appreciate the amazing organisation and the contribution of so many friendly Marlow locals and volunteers. Oh and great running vest merch + medals too!! All the best Simon, Ealing Eagles