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Bath Half-Marathon
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Just re-read my sulky e-mail from yesterday which is a wee bit harsh and v.whingy. I've also got me facts wrong in that I've done this race for the last 3 years running, not 'twice' - and have always enjoyed it !
Having already e-mailed the race sec, quite possible a form is already in the post. I'll also have another go from work tomorrow and get IT colleagues to mess about with the settings
Now where's the custard (to go with the humble pie..)
Going for it this time though! I really want to be able to run the whole course wihtout walking.
My chip worked last year but b/f's didn't hence he didn't get a result. Also agree with some people's comments about the 'dull' course.
Will think about it a little more.....
PS If you want a dull course I offer you Silverstone. There are no buildings, no trees, no rivers, no bagpipers, no steel band, and a major opportunity for a fleecing.
Do it if you want to. Can't say I've ever ran well in Bath but to be honest I prefer Bristol..... I suppose they are calender opposites but the two lap course is not the best.
Despite my moaning I'll be there again next year, hoping for a good run.
(p.s. my chip didn't work in 2004 or 2005).
I'll be joining the big Four-0 Club soon! You know what they say...!
PW may be Personal Worst; I was referring to Paddock Wood. I'm pleased to say that all my main PWs date back to 1990, but I have come a bit close once or twice since then!
Wrinty - you must have had a hard paper round then, 'cos I thought you were older than me. I'm 44. Mind you I don't act like it, and can't seem to think like it.
I'm continuing to improve, especially at distance. I think that degeneration becomes measureable at 50, but I'm not even thinking that far ahead. I'm going from what my 67 year old Uncle quotes out of his training diaries.
£25 entry
£15 for a tee shirt - and no mention of ladies or mens, therefore assuming an unflattering mans fit tee shirt - and also assuming that one is not included for finishing?
Extra donations to local charities you have to remove if you dont want to pay extra, and a deduction if you're not successful in the ballot!
This would be my first half marathon - is this the usual thing?
Big events are alright every now and again but the price can be a bit galling. Normal 'club' events are just as much fun but rarely cost more than a pound-a-mile (including tee).
I wouldn't wory about turning 40 - running wise at least. All the quickest runners in our club are vets. I get phased filling out tri applications - age groups every 5 years.
I think this is the usual thing for the bigger races. What the heck, go for it anyway!
5000 to 40,000 entrants can be £2/mile, and the economics appear to provide dubious value. I exclude my favouite: FLM, which is £1/mile and you get showered with goodies and discounts.
Up to 2000 entrants tend to be £1/mile, to pay for Plod, and some road closures etc. One would normally expect a few goodies or gongs though.
Up to 100 entrants and it can be down to 50p/mile. Provide your own safety pins though!
For me, Bath is a known quantity. It is my gauge of fitness before London.
Regrettably our current budget only stretches to either a free medal or a free cotton T-shirt for finishers. They both have the same supply cost to us c.£1.50 each vs c.£12.00 each for tech-T's (plus printing, postage etc). The concensus of opinion amongst runners changed in favour of the medal against cotton T's as tech-T's became the norm.
Despite appearances to the contrary events such as Bath still struggle to cover their costs each year in the face of steeply rising venue, road closure, medical & marshalling costs, plus increasing expectations from runners in terms of facilities, administration, datasystems, goody bags, bottled water, chip timing etc. Only a handful of races in the UK make any significant profit (eg London Marathon, Great North Run), most medium size and larger races depend on substantial local council subsidies - we receive none - 99% of BANES' events budget goes on the Music Festival & other arts events. These races are high risk ventures, hence we made a loss of 40K in 2004 !
Why do we do it ? We genuinely enjoy & believe in the value of what we do, including the knife edge balancing act of quality vs cost.
Thanks also to everyone else for your opinions and comments.
PS, If I wear my luminous yellow Julian House vest again I won't be recognised, as it's a very popular colour....and I have never been run over when wearing it....
Most are hung on picture frames in an untidily tidy fashion. Some are in the girls bedrooms, so that they don't feel left out. The prized ones are in my office as motivation. These represent pbs mostly.
On race day I wear my meggle with pride.
Sometimes I've got to take a couple of spares with me so that my young supporters can wear one each!
Next time you see Shades, you should ask her: 100+ marathons.
i'm joining up with this lot
This is fantastic news! I'm in the Bath Half and now have the added incentive of beating a whole host of my rugby heroes!
Good luck to all runners. Have a great day!
Ben
I am actually running a marathon in just over two weeks - The Walt Disney World marathon in Florida and I must confess that I am not enjoying the long runs in the slightest, so I think that it is safe to say that it will be my last marathon. I can then go back to considering 12-14 miles as a long run.