Fleet Pre-London Half-Marathon

I fancy trying a fast 1/2 this spring is the Fleet 1/2 a good 'un ?

ta in advance

«1

Comments

  • Haven't done it myself, but it was recommended as good, fast and not too busy (compared to some) but fills up quickly.  Apparently.

  • Entries are closed for this year, but Reading is the same day and may still have places.  I registered in a fit of overexuberant enthusiasm.  I haven't run more than 10k but am starting to step it up this weekend with an 8 mile race, so I may be ready come 20 March.
  • Did this in 2009 as my third half and only my fifth race - I knocked 10 minutes off my previous best  time (Marlow Half). Hoping for about 1:35 this year!

    Last year and this the race coincided with Reading and the Water of Life Half along the river at Bisham Abbey - I did that one instead last year.

  • there will be a slight change in the route for this year's event. i have run this race quite a few times and i reckon the new route should be quicker, i have run 71:39 (by 2nd fastest half). good luck gold beetle and hellywobs,  hope it all goes to plan.

  • i'm doing this one too - glad to hear it's fast as i'm hoping for a new pb (sub 1:37), although training hasn't gone exactly as planned so we'll see...good luck everyone!
  • Training NEVER goes as planned fight&flight - the more we plan it, the more targets we miss
  • so true... image as long as i have a good race, not necessarily pb-shattering, then i'll be happy!
  • Please can anyone exchange/sell me their number if they cant do it?

    I really want to do this half

    07765 863896

    Thanks

  • Hellywobs wrote (see)
    Entries are closed for this year, but Reading is the same day and may still have places.  I registered in a fit of overexuberant enthusiasm.  I haven't run more than 10k but am starting to step it up this weekend with an 8 mile race, so I may be ready come 20 March.
    only charity places left....
  • quite excited about the new course - this has always been a great race, always fast, always well organised other than the crunch to get to the start - which they have now sorted. If any race can get the best out of you, this one will!!!
  • sounds cracking - looking forward to a good race
  • JWrunJWrun ✭✭✭

    Drove round the route yesterday, i've been doing my long runs along the canal so its nice to see the villages from the roadside! Course is nice, few slight undulations but nothing scary at all.

    Looking forward to it lots, hope the weather is like it was yesterday. Good luck one and all!

  • Sorry Chalky - I'll be making it to the start line
  • have entered the windsor half now

    done it before , 4 laps araound a lake - beautiful

  • ??? I think you might have the wrong route there Chalky - I run around the lake and ponds out in the Great Park every week, and I've done the last couple of Windsor halfs - it's a lovely route, but you only catch a glimpse of the main lake once as you pass Johnson's Pond. Lots of views of statues of royalty on horseback though!
  • ...and 4 laps around the lake would be 17 miles!
  • i thought the windsor half was in september! or i guess there's more than one.

    either way, hope everyone's enjoying resting up for the big day. good luck!
  • I live nearby. This will (hopefully) be my first half marathon!

    I have ran pretty much the entire course over the last few weeks. The steepest hill I would say is the hill on Reading Road North up to the Oatsheaf pub on the crossroads (just where you turn to run down the high street a second time) - its both longer and steeper than it looks.

    The only concern I have at the moment is that the course is (sort of) two loops - a loop of around 4 miles followed by the larger loop of the remaining 9. Therefore come Sunday at around 11:15am I can see myself 5 miles into the run, back at where I was 40 minutes earlier, with another 8 or so to go! I can also see potential for the fastest runners lapping the slowest runners.


  • David, there are people out there who can run half marathons in 65 minutes - there's no point in worrying about being lapped by them. They will not go out and drink 4 pints of lager on Sunday night. I willimage.

     I might do it in 1hour 35 with a fair wind, and if you are at 5 miles in 40 minutes then you'll be looking at around 1 hour 45 as a target - that will put you easily in the top half.

  • Ah, a Fleet thread... really need to read my info pack...
  • David, it might involve a loop but i think you'll be safe from getting overtaken if you are running at 8min per mile...that's a good pace and as chillies for breakfast said, a target of 1hr 45 is great. good luck mate, have a great run
  • Hi there

    Just a quick bit of advice please if known.

     As usual I leave everything to the last minute!!! I am coming from London for the race tomorrow. The 8.04 train from Waterloo arrives in Fleet at 9.34am. Would you think this would give you enough time to get to the race start and hand in baggage etc?

    It's either that train or one at around 6am with 3 changes but it would get me there at 8.30am?

    What train would you take? This is my first half tomorrow!

    Thank you

  • If you get in at 09:34 then that should be OK. It takes around 20-25 minutes to walk from the station to the park where the race is starting from, so you should be there in good time for the suggested 10:00am time that you should have your kit checked in by (I am guessing that this 10:00 time is guidance and not a rule set in stone - someone else would have to advise on that).

    There are usually a line of taxis outside the station. If you travel in the second carriage from the front then that usually stops closest to the station exit so you should get to the taxis first if you don't fancy walking it! Fleet road isn't shut to traffic until 1030 according to the website so they should be available at that time of day.

    I do note there is a lot of Engineering work about tomorrow on the trains, and they appear to have dug the tracks up at Wimbledon so the trains are being routed a different way which accounts for the 40 minutes extra journey time (Waterloo->Fleet usually takes around 50 minutes). They are also likely to split the train in two when they get to Woking so make sure you are in the right bit otherwise you will end up in Aldershot!

    In the past, I have found south west trains usually do stick to their revised timetables when engineering work is taking place, but there have been exceptions. Suggest monitor their website. If you are assured of getting in at 0934 then I do not see you having a problem.
  • <a href="http://null/localiser/member.asp?sp=&v=2&MemNo=634775" title="Visit David N 173 member profile">David N 173</a> - Thank you very much for replying.  Getting nervous now! Good luck for tomorrow
  • Anyone have a good race? I thought the weather was about perfect, but the course was tougher and more undulating than I remembered from 2009. Thanks to all involved for the great marshalling and organisation.

    I got round in 1:36:30, which was 2 and a bit minutes outside my PB at Wokingham a few weeks ago - don't know if it was me or a tougher trip??

  • Fantastic Run Got my PB 2hrs 2mins image
  • My first half marathon (hence also a PB!), and loved every minute of it. Expected to "do" around 1:50 but was secretly hoping for around 1:42 given my longer training runs around bits of the course, and ended up at around 1:36:45 according to my stopwatch!

    The support going down the High Street was nothing like anything I have experienced before (and living in Fleet, I have never seen that many people in the High Street - even when the Xmas lights are turned on!) - and full credit for the organisers in giving us that pleasure twice. I guess nearly a mile of people several deep on both sides of the road, all shouting. And a good turn out on other parts of the course as well.
  • congrats everyone! i thought it was a very well organised and good race - although yeah i definitely was expecting a much flatter course and was kicking myself for not having done as much hill training this time around. I did 1:42, which is my slowest half yet - i got my pb of 1:37:30 at royal parks and did 1:39 at run to the beat in september, so a disappointment as i was at least trying to beat 1:39 but oh well! you win some you lose some.

    my boyfriend beat his pb by 7 minutes though and i saw that andy dixon got a pb of 1:26 so chillies for breakfast, maybe it was just us image 1:36 is a great time though, well done!
Sign In or Register to comment.