Brantham 5 Mile 2008
Race: Brantham Festival Fun Run
Date of Race: 20/06/08
Distance: 5 Miles (Jones Counter)
Entry Fee: £5.00 Affiliated, £7 Non Affiliated, £2 extra on the night.
How good was/were the.......
Car Parking: Official parking on an industrial estate, fairly close by, although parking could be achieved on roadsides closer to start/finish, no parking restrictions were noticed.
Finishing Prize: 2 inch medal on a race labelled ribbon.
Organisation: The organisers tried very hard and put on a generally decent race but fell into the traps of a race with little atmosphere and a lack of depth within the competition. All the components of a good race were there, it just didn't seem to come together. No info about the course or directions or race start times were sent out with numbers for the pre entrants.
Refreshments: Pimms tent, full bar in clubhouse, BBQ, £1 Hotdog, £1.50 Burger, £1.60 Cheeseburger. Ice Cream Van.
Chance of running a PB (mark out of 10 - 10 being the best chance): 7/10, what goes down must go up and the last mile will prove challenging if trying for a 5 Mile PB.
Atmosphere: Organisers tried hard to create a good race atmosphere, but because spectators see little of the runners at the start and there is a limited run into the finish onlookers are reliant on the commentator who was getting information via the marshalls on the course.
The disco music was a bit over the top and was a bit stop start, drowning out most of the general chit chat runners like to do before the race, generally the race lacked atmosphere with the start being 400 Metres - 600 Metres away from the race hub.
Race Website: No race website, although race results appear here: http://www.raceres.org.uk/.
Directions and instructions sent: Number sent, no info on start location or directions.
Marshalls/course organisation: Fluorescent yellow jackets, some in communication with finish.
General Information
What was the course like? Basically an out and back course with a view of the River Stour. Downhill start and a generally uphill return to finish. The start is 400 Metres - 600 Metres from finish area.
Number of entries: 109
Fastest male time (if known): 26.30
Fastest female time (if known): 31.27
Conclusion/Comments: A good effort and a welcome return for a race in Brantham after a few years away from the race scene. Reasonable promotion of the race in the weeks leading up to the event, didn't really bring the depth and numbers of runners flocking to it.
As stated before all the components of a decent race were there and a good addition was the Pimms tent and ice cream van. This race needs to get status through the Friday 5 Series, but until the organisers iron out a few small details this may be unlikely.
Brantham 5 Mile Pictures
Race: Brantham Fun Run
Date of Race: 20/06/08
Distance: 1 Mile.
Entry Fee: £3, £2 extra on the night.
How good was/were the.......
Car Parking: Official parking on an industrial estate, close to the finish. Roadside parking as well which is closer to the start/finish.
Finishing Prize: A medal with race labelled ribbon.
Organisation: Started on time, however a very long wait for fun run prize giving.
Refreshments: Drinks in clubhouse, BBQ, £1 Hotdog, £1.50 Burger, £1.60 Cheeseburger.
Chance of running a PB (mark out of 10 - 10 being the best chance): Measured at 0.91 Miles, no real other PB chance at this distance.
Atmosphere: Spectators at finish. Good atmosphere at the finish, not much atmosphere around the course.
Race Website: No website however results appear here: http://www.raceres.org.uk/.
Directions and instructions sent: No times for start, no directions and no information on starting location.
Marshalls/course organisation: Lead cyclist, roads not closed, course not shut off. Main race runners got in the way of fun run runners, going down a narrow track. This was down to no marshalls in this area of the course.
General Information
What was the course like? Downhill at the start then a flat loop down a narrow track and then onto 10 Metres of gravel into the finish.
Number of entries: 59
Fastest male time (if known): 5.00
Fastest female time (if known): 5.51
Conclusion/Comments: A good attempt, however lacked some points from not knowing the start times to not having any marshalls on the course. However the race has got good potential, it would be good for the race if it could break into the Friday Five Series. The organisers need to know that fun runners can't wait until the end of the main race for the prizegiving. Some points made the race good such as the well priced refreshments and the good quality finishing prize.
Disclaimer:
All opinions expressed are those of the Review My Run team and users, and do not represent
the official opinions of any organization.