One of the MOST poorly organised marathons I have ever attended. There was not a lot of communication prior to the event. The numbers were not sent in advance, had to do everything on the day. There was a lack of signage on the route, had to check my phone for directions all the time, no volunteers available to ask questions or directions. Have seen no first aid station and only ONE water station. The medals are plastic (very unsustainable) and poor quality. Paid £31 which is definitely too overpriced for this kind of an event. Would not suggest anyone to attend and will definitely not be returning next or any other year. The only good thing about the marathon was a scenic route. Very disappointing.

This is a fabulous event. Small, but well organised, and extremely well supported. The course is beautiful. It's quite hilly but you're rewarded for getting to each crest both by the scenery and by the vast number of well-wishers who turned out to support. This isn't a high profile event, it's a local event, so that's why this is outstanding. Entry was relatively cheap compared to many larger events. All participants received a t-shirt upon collecting their numbers and a medal at the end of the race. photos attached. A couple of minor problems. 1) Roadworks at the foot of the first downhill were a bit of a safety hazard, with cars parked on the pavements and traffic and runners all squeezing through narrow gaps. Not a lot the organisers could do about this but it could have been managed better (perhaps by the council?) 2) Having survived the roadworks there were a myriad of junctions in and beyond Delph and it wasn't entirely clear where the route was going as I'd lost sight of the runner in front of me. The route wasn't doing anything particularly complicated but could have benefited with a few more signs. 3) The car park was locked during the race. Great from a security point of view, but it wasn't unlocked until 2 hours after the race start. It was a chilly day and not a day for hanging around in the cold if you finished sooner. Of course I could have gone for a coffee etc were my money not locked away in the car park! This could have been managed better either by getting someone on the gate to open up sooner, or to inform runners ahead of time of those arrangements so that they could plan accordingly. Today was a really great event and I'd recommend it to anyone to have a go at. If the minor points above could be addressed then it would be even better :-)

This is a gem of a race which has recently been overshadowed by the Manchester Half being in the same day. The Oldham Half Marathon is for those that like hills with over 1100ft of climbing and some stunning views of the Pennines. 

The race starts & finishes in Oldham town centre but much of the route is through the semi rural villages of Saddleworth.

The race is well organised and has decent support on each of the Hill climbs. 

Goody bag contained a medal, t shirt and a protein bar with bottles of water, fruit and flapjack freely available at the finish line.