Heard so many good things about this race. It came highly recommended so expectations were high.
Registration was simple enough.
Pre-race briefings were informative.
This was a point to point race.
Baggage drop off was simple & straight forward with all bags transported to finish line. Nice and handy.
The race itself was run along canal paths starting in Wolverhampton and finishing in Birmingham.
The race started in waves, depending on predicted times.
This is where the problems started for me. Paths were narrow, bumpy, uneven & slippy throughout. It was like running on a cobbled path for 13.1 miles.
My usual tactic for half and full marathons is to switch off and run. This was impossible as I had to concentrate on not tripping up. It was very difficult for me to get any kind of rhythm.
Paths were hazardous in places. The long tunnel at aprx 4mile was perfect example of this.
Running in almost complete darkness, on narrow, slippy, uneven paths wasn't much fun. I genuinely felt claustrophobic and uneasy.
The route continued in a similar vein with bumpy paths throughout.
I saw a couple of people suffer injuries due to tripping over. Not good to see but no surprise in all honesty.
The course wasn't as flat as advertised with bridges on regular occasions to tackle.
Water stations were fairly regular with cups of water every 3 miles.
Final couple of miles saw yet more bridges to cross. I was quite relieved to finally cross the finish line.
Finishers were well rewarded with a super medal, t-shirt. There was also a good quality finishers bag which consisted of water bottle, box of energy gels, stick of rock, crisps and water. Full marks for that.
In summary- This race is highly regarded but it simply wasn't for me.
Hated the uneven paths. Fear of tripping over was constantly there which made the run frustrating.
Sorry if I sound negative but I always try to be constructive in my reviews. Honesty is best policy.
On a positive note, there was a good atmosphere at start & finish. Baggage system was perfect & finishers were well rewarded with a top notch medal, shirt & quality finishers bag.
Would I do this race again? Probably not but I can understand why many would.
This was 10th anniversary of this race & im sure it will go on for many more years to come.
Many come back year after year so maybe I'm being a bit harsh?