Barns Green Half-Marathon

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  • Hi Speedy,

    My family will be coming from Billingshurst.

    I also hear there will be a cake stall at the green..........hee haa, I do like a bit of coffee cake don't you know!!! And a nice cup of tea with half a sugar! he heimage

    Also I may even take the mountain bike out for a spin and do the course early next week?

  • Speedy,

    I am sure you were on the CRawley 10K race forum?

    I can see that I really should take it slow to begin as by the sounds of it the course could take you prisoner if you start too quick?????

  • Right, I'm not sure if you know the back roads from Billingshurst to Barns Green.  If you head toward Five Oaks, there is a road on your right just as you get out of Billinghurst.  Turn on to this (I think it may have a sign to a Carp shop & I think it is called 'New Road'!).  Follow this road to the end.  Then turn right and then first left and follow this road into Barns Green.  The last quarter mile of this road follows the railway line into Barns Green.  Then turn left and follow the road round.  You can then either park at Sumners Farm (which is being used for parking) or try further along the road.  

    I was on the Crawley forum. 

  • Martyboy,

    If you like your cakes after a race you should try the Lingfield Dry Hill 10 mile next September.  They offer a vast selection of cakes (for free) after the race!

     I would advise starting steadily although that is easier said than done! 

  • Just found this from last years, am sure it will apply to the same roads as this year?

    W EST S USSEX C OUNTY C OUNCIL(ITCHINGFIELD, S HIPLEY ANDS OUTHWATER: V ARIOUS R OADS) (TEMPORARY C LOSURE)O RDER 2006

    NOTICE is hereby given that on 25 October 2006,

    West Sussex County Council made an Order under

    Section 16A of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984,

    the effect of which will be to prohibit any vehicle

    from proceeding along lengths of Bakers Lane, Chapel

    Road, Christ’s Hospital Road, Dragons Green Road,

    Dragons Lane, Itchingfield Road, Lackenhurst Lane,

    Marlpost Road, Sand Hills Lane, Trout Lane, Two Mile

    Ash Road and Weston’s Hill in the parishes of

    Itchingfield, Shipley and Southwater. Pedestrian access

    will be maintained.

    The Order is necessary to facilitate the Barns Green

    Half Marathon.

    The above-mentioned roads form part of the route to be

    taken by the competitors and will be closed for short

    periods of time on a rolling basis. Drivers will be advised of

    alternative routes where necessary.

    The Order will be operative on 29 October 2006 and will be

    in force for approximately three hours starting at 10.30a.m.

    Any queries about the effect of the Order on traffic using

    the highway should be directed to West Sussex County

    Council Contact Centre, telephone number 01243 642105.

    Dated this twenty-seventh day of October 2006.

    C o u n t y S e c r e t a r y

    County Hall

    Chichester

  • It will be the same as last year.
  • My race pack arrived in the post this morning and I'm really looking forward to it.  Ran 1:36 in the Bristol Half last month and so my mate Tris and I are aiming for 1:35 on Sunday week. 

     Several comments above about congestion at the start.  Any advice from anyone who's run Barns Green in the last year or two about how to avoid this (and don't say start at the back...!!)

  • Several comments above about congestion at the start.  Any advice from anyone who's run Barns Green in the last year or two about how to avoid this (and don't say start at the back...!!)

    "One solution would be to paints horrible looking spots on your face and body and tell everyone that you have a super bad contigious bug that makes you vomit for days on end"

    This gives you a good chance of having a pretty clear path all the way round!!!!!!!imageimage

  • Oh dear, I hope I'm wrong, but it looks like the lovely Penny and her hard-working committee are going to get a lot of stick over this!

     I'm pretty sure this form of chip timing system (wire in running number, scanned by marshals at finish as a backup) only gives gun-to-finish line time. If there's ever a race where this is a complete waste of money, it's Barns Green.

    The organisers have always provided a gun-to-finish line time. It may have been a manual system, but the officials have always done their job with exemplary efficiency and accuracy. One of the best-organised races around. We don't need to pay extra for a chip system to do the same job.

    On the other hand, the race suffers terribly from congestion at the start, and the only way to solve this problem is to have a proper chip timing system that gives both gun-to-finish and start line-to-finish line times, so that runners no longer have an incentive to crowd nearer the front than they merit. That's why so many of us said last year we'd be happy to pay extra for a chip timing system, meaning a system that provides start line-to-finish line times. Runners like to see their actual time over the course, not a time that includes up to 2 mins extra for getting to the start line.

    Penny, tell me I'm wrong ... Please! 

  • Am I still OK to enter on the day as myself and a friend are considering this one?

  • Would advise checking with the organisers as I know that it has filled up quicker than usual this year.  We were advised to enter in advance.
  • Im scared. its my first half marathon. altho i run up to 10 miles..that 3 more will make it harder! any tips?
  • Well just finished my penultimate 5K taper. One more 5K this Friday and then ready to rock for Sunday.

    The last 3 weeks have been doing a 20K long run and it has felt quite good.

    For the last 16 weks have been following am personel traiing plan on the myasics website and this has been awesome!! You put in your exact credentials and it doe the rest for you, well everything except run it for you!!!!!

    Now must re-learn the golden rule "I MUST NOT START TO QUICK"

  • Re the chip system, if it is the fact that it is timed the moment the gun goes off and not the moment you pass the start line ............surely this cannot be so!!!!

  • image unable to run this event due to injury, so now have a place in the senior ladies race age category if anyone is wanting and if transferable?!

  • First of all, I am looking forward to seeing you all once again at Barns Green for our 25th Annivesary Race.  I am sorry about any controversy about the chip timing, but can confirm that we are indeed having gun to finish timing.  This is on the advice of the firm doing the timing.  If all goes well we will be doing start line to finish timing next year.  There are several reasons for swapping to chip timing after 24 years.

    This race has been going for all this time because it has the support of the village, but we are a small village and sometimes struggle to find all the manpower we need. For the last few years I have had to draft in my family from Wiltshire and Herefordshire!  My son  Neil has run the website and headed up the computer team for many years.  I couldn't have done it without him and his wife.  Also, I don't know if you realise how many man hours we all have to put in each year, particularly the race sec - me!! I have been Race Sec for 10 years and am not getting any younger!!! No one else seems to be willing to take on the job - unless you know different!?  In addition this system will eradicate human error .  Although our team has done magnificently over the years, human errors DO creep in from time to time and we know that runners, quite rightly so, are very protective of their times and positions.  The last thing is the speed of the service, the results will be available earlier and the prizegiving will take place earlier. I am taking the race into the 21st century!

    Please bear with me and hopefully you  will get what you really really want next year.  Happy running, come and say hello on race day. Penny

  • Lauren - no need to be scared, if you regularly run 10 miles, you WILL be able to run 13.1 miles. My advice would be to run the first 2 miles very easy indeed (slower than you normally run your 10 miles), then run at what feels a comfortable pace. If you do that, then you will have enough left in the tank at mile 10 to carry you the rest of the way, and maybe even speed up a bit -- and you will enjoy the race, which is the important thing!

     Good luck!

  • Hi there

    Looking forward to this despite several injuries. hopefully it will be a nice cool, clear day. I'm hoping to do this in under 2 hours,  but my health has been pretty crappy over the past year, so I doubt this will be particularly achievable. I'll just be proud to finish.

    Lauren - you'll have no problems. I did my last half last year, and the sense of achievement afterwards is just incredible.

    Good luck from number 190 image

  • Good luck to you all.

    You can say hello to me too. I'll be rattling a bucket at you all collecting for Asthma UK the official charity.

  • thanks very much. i'll look out for u. im hoping to do it in under 2 hours too.
  • Like TT said above, just take your time and enjoy it. I haven't done this race before, but the atmosphere is meant to be lovely!

  • just hope the weather stays nice!
  • Thanks for that, Penny. All is forgiven image. I'm looking forward to next year already!

    Believe me, we really do appreciate all the hard work put in by the Barns Green team that makes this one of the best races in the UK.

    (Sadly I won't be there on the day: I'd entered the race but my achilles haven't recovered properly yet, very frustrating. Hopefully I'll be back in top condition for next year's race.)

  • If you do a search on youtube there is a clip of I think last years BG half that someone has uploaded.

    Bring it on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Didn't enter in advance due to wories about whether I'd be recovered okay from Amsterdam - physio has given his blessing - what chance is there of being able to enter on the day? 

  • I did the route (minus the thin lane and the part of Christ Hospital that had shut gates) today in my car.

    Being my first time doing BG it looks like it will be very interesting!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not too mention a good one for the LEGSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!imageme at start..............imageme a little later........................image.me a little more.........................image....................then the finishimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimageimage

  • Graham - I'm pretty sure you'll be able to enter on the day - race limit is 2,000 and it usually gets about 1,600 or so entries (but increasing in recent years). If the race were full, I'm sure they'd put a message up on the race web site. No doubt Penny or someone will be able to confirm.

    I'd recommend you arrive early to give yourself plenty of time for registration, and to avoid the traffic, which is very heavy on race day.

  • Bearded Burgess Hill Runner seeks sub 2 hour half pacing person! Any offers?!
  • Marty boy- I wish i hadn't read your post. I was starting to get nervous as this is my first half but now i am really scared. How big were the hills and is it all on roads?

     Bearded BH runner- I am also hoping to do a sub 2 hours but not sure how to pace it. i have been 8 minute miling on my 10 mile training runs. Maybe i am being too ambitious if it is a challenging course.

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