Bath Half-Marathon

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  • was my first half and did it in 2 19
    an amazing day!

  • I had a good experience (new PB so I would say that!).

    +ves: start was good; course had plenty of room (just as well given the size of Jason Leonard); mile markers were small but all there; mile 3 seemed a little out of place; organisation generally was good - access/egress/baggage/changing/water stops; support was good; I could hear the announcer at the start!; sun shone in a blue sky.

    -ves: biggest problem was runners leaving bottles and lucozade packs in the middle of the road rather than in the gutter which is a rather poor show; mile 3 was a little out of place; a lot of money.
  • Thought it was a pretty well organised race, despite it feeling like hard work for me, I did enjoy it!

    I agree regarding the number of lucozade/water bottles in the middle of the road, not really that difficult to throw to them gutter.

    Wasn't too impressed with the woman texting whilst running and drifting across in that 'I'm using a mobile not really paying attention' way. hmmm.
  • Another excellent race.Really impressed now with how well things are organised.
    Marshalling and feed stations where of their usual high standards.
    Bath is certainly in my top 5 great halfs.
    In no particular order for those interested these are:
    Hereford
    Glasgow
    Great North
    Cardiff
    Bath
    All have many positive things about them,all different as well so there can be no overall "winner".
    Keep up this excellent work!!
  • I really enjoyed the whole day. Knocked 15 minutes off last year's time and 6 minutes off my PB. My only quibble, as others, where were the mile markers? I only saw about 4 of them
    On the Garmin subject mine has measured every race I've used it on as too long. Don't trust them too much.
    I'll be back.
  • Great day!

    Agree with Sheepman about the wheelchair users: sad to see them having to beg runners to move out of the way. More marshalls to help them would be good, but for anyone entering in 2007 it'd be useful to remember to yell to runners ahead to move left as a wheelchair approaches, and if you hear such a call to move over.

    I couldn't see all the mile markers. More prominent ones would be helpful.

    Many thanks to all for a great day. Pricey but good value! Any chance of running it twice a year??
  • Looking forward to finding out my chip time because I was aiming for sub 1:40, my watch gave me 1:39:44 and the clock time was about 40 seconds more. Can't remember if it took half a minute to cross the line, but it probably did from where I was. Anyway, a PB by more than 5 minutes so I am pleased. Generally I thought it was well organised. Plenty of toilets. Only gripe was that they ran out of coffee before the start so I had to make do with a tea.

    A good race. And some welcome sunshine.

    My garmin had me down for 13.6 miles (!). I obviously took a very poor race line, probably early on when I had to dodge around a lot of slower runners. But 1/2 a mile extra?!
  • ChynahChynah ✭✭✭
    Great day - if a bit blowy! Thought the organisation had improved tons, had no problems at all. Really nice to have no crushing round the Rec entrance. Well done Race Director - and loved the course change (Queens Sq so much pretttier than Brassmill). I was going to make this my last Bath due to some bad experiences in past but think I'll probably be doing another one now! And I got a PB.

    BTW anyone know how you correct a Garmin cos mine was out too (consistently shows me running below the roads I'm on!))
  • One thing I left out of my rating: a HUGE thankyou for a wonderful sports massage after. Great facility!! And fantastic value @ £10/15 minutes. I didn't catch the physio's name who did mine, but he works at Frenchay in the hand unit. I feel great the day after and it is all his fault!
    Please do pass on my thanks if you can.
    Ben
  • Why do the chip times take so long? Yesterday they showed the 2005 times and today I am just seeing an error message. Following other half marathons you get your real time ie chip time on the same day.

    + Well organised
    Improved route


    - No chip times yet
    Mile markers way too small and low
    No free t-shirt
    Seeing spectators getting hurt near the finish line

    Overall enjoyed it; just wish I knew my time.
  • Chynah you can correct the route of your run the Forerunner has recorded by using the SportTracks software http://www.zonefivesoftware.com/SportTracks It allows you to edit the way points the Forerunner has stored by overlaying the route on a map and then dragging them onto the proper route (only good for road routes). I find I have to edit all my runs because the Forerunner route has wandered off somewhere along the way. I wonder if the 205/305 are any better?

    This site http://home.socal.rr.com/diverhank/ForeRunner201.htm gives some advice about diagnostics but unless your unit is faulty I don't think there's anything you can do to improve the accuracy.

    Apologies if you're aware of all this already but it might help someone.
  • Thanks for all your welcome comments, good & bad, keep them & your ratings coming, we welcome feedback, & any sensible suggestions will be acted on.

    Mile markers will be high on list (and higher on lamposts) for 2007 !!

    We stopped doing T-shirts in 2005 because the majority of runners sampled said they prefered a medal, they didn't like cheap cotton shirts & wouldn't pay an extra £10 on the entry fee to cover the cost of a tech-tee. If the general mood is changing we will revisit this decision.

    The official results are based on gun to chip times - in accordance with UKA rules.
    But the unofficial chip times & intermediate 10k times are now available to download as a pdf at http://www.bathhalfmarathon.co.uk/download.asp?i=6 My apologies, I thought this had already been done
  • ChynahChynah ✭✭✭
    Philbert, Thanks for the info - it has been driving me nuts since I got it! Thought there must be some way of doing it but I'm a bit thick with these technical things! Will definitely give this a go.
  • BHRD......or anyone else, the PDF shows that only 5993 people finished?

    That was my first half so perhaps it is the norm, but assuming there was a field of 10,000, 4,000 people not finishing seems mighty high?

    Is there a reason for this?

    Once again, thanks for a wonderful day!
  • Hi guys. just been reading through all your comments, I spent all day in the start / finish area and as usual really enjoyed (most of) it, and would like to thank all those have posted kind words about the marshalls, or who thanked us on the day.

    Some personal thoughts:

    Arrangements worked much better in terms of keeping runners and spectators separated before and after the race.

    However, I still think we have more to do on this area - constrained by the layout of the Rec / Great Pultney St but it could be better - will take up with Race Director when he's had a chance to unwind.

    I know the course is accurate because the official race measurers certificate was on display in the pavilion.

    I'm sure it doesn't apply to you guys, but if a marshall tells you not to go back into the finish area when you've got your goodie bag (or any other such instruction) please do what they say! Having given my day up to volunteer to marshall I don't need to be sworn at (yep - people being foul-mouthed and abusive) for trying to stop runners going back into the finish area, where all they can do is get in the way of the medical teams.

    Keep posting your feedback here and on the race review section.

    See you all next year - its about time we had a snowy day!


  • Oh and Alistair, the race accepts 10,000 entries but this is six months or more before race day so an awful lot of the missing 4,000 have failed to train / got injured / lost interest or whatever. and so never turned up on the day - people can defer their entries for another year if need be.
  • Many thanks for reply, thought i'd broken into top half of runners!!!! Nevermind.

    I'll still tell people that I did....!!
  • I've run Bath a few times and it improves every year. Can't say I had any problems with the mile markers, but I sort of remember their locations from previous years. My only gripe is with other runners being rude; swearing in front of kids, pushing into the wrong time-pens at the start and getting in the way etc. The most annoying thing was the amount of runners that threw their water bottles/energy drinks into the river on lower Bristol road.
  • > My only gripe is with other runners
    > being rude

    I agree. This is the reason I make the comment about not liking large events.

    The smaller club run events have a funky atmosphere, whereas the larger events seem to suffer from the shopping trolley / car parking space mentality.

    Its not the Bath's fault just a symptom...
  • Thanks Boy Wonder (original) and The Race Director for your comments, and thanks again for putting on a great race. My remarks (above) about the mismatch between my Garmin distance and the race distance are more directed at Garmin than you. I am more than happy to accept that your distances are more accurate. I am learning to take Garmin's mile beeps as warnings of an upcoming marker rather than a real measure of course distance covered! I am pleased to see that my watch time coincides with the chip, and getting the chip time along with the 10k split is really useful ... PB on both for me :-).

    It is disappointing to hear reports of such poor behaviour from runners, and I sympathise with those who give up their time only to receive abuse ... it must be sorely trying. I would just say that I am very grateful for all your work in making this race happen. And it is so sad that among 6000 runners there is still a proportion of idiots.
  • On the subject of medals vs t-shirts I imagine that most first timers would prefer a medal to a t-shirt. They make a far more permanent souvenir.

    My own personal opinion is that the t-shirts do tend to be at the cheap end and the designs are rarely tasteful unless designed by Adidas or similar such as at very large events.

    A good medal like that at Bath and Bristol definitely gets the nod from me as another £10 for a decent t-shirt would surely put people off.
  • On the question of medals/tee-shirts - Bristol manages to do both for a £25 entry fee, and there's going to be a mug too this year. Bristol gets my vote - great organisation, quality medal, tech tee and fantastic goody bag.
  • I did not get a medle his year did I misout?
  • Try that again " I did not get a medal this year did I misout"
  • WrintyWrinty ✭✭✭
    A quick note to Chynah, BlueWombat and other Garmin users about GPS distances vs the official measurement. As the Garmin is taking it's position from any of three satellites simultaneously, there is a bit of a lottery as to which three it 'locks onto'. A greater angle between the satellites that it grabs the more accurate the measurement, than if the satellites wre more directly above. Also the GPS reading will be impacted by blockages caused by trees/buildings causing a new satellite to be locked onto (to maintain the three points of reference) and of course altitude also plays apart.

    Garmin will be correcting this in later models, which will include an optional "surveyors wheel" attachment:-)
  • > Try that again " I did not get a medal
    > this year did I misout"

    They were in the bags. I didn't get one in my bag and it was only when I went back into town and saw so many people wearing them that I realised.

    I managed to go back to the bag handout area where a very helpful marshall gave me one (fnarr).

    I think it was a bit of a lottery.

    As for the garmin issue.... my biggest complaint is as it gets the distance wrong it tends to display my mile split a bit too quick.
  • Wish I could afford a Garmin!

    On the subject of T shirt v medal. An extra £10 for a Tshirt will put this race out of my reach. Not all runners are rich. I originally took up running because the total cost was a pair of running shoes ...

    In any case, I think the medals are supurb and I much prefer them to Tshirts, which never fit, or mugs (I'm still trying to use up the 15+ I have received over the years.) Medals are always best for me especially as that is the nearest I'll ever get to a 'winners medal'!

    I have entered Bristol, but I really could have done without having to pay for an unwanted Tshirt. Much better having the option to buy one, like in Bath, rather than being forced to have one!

    Anyway, thanks to all marshalls etc for such a well organised race. I enjoyed it, despite doing an (almost) personal worst time!!!
  • Ploddyone: At £15 (short sleeve) & £18 (long sleeve) for the Bath 'mercandise' I think Bristol represents good VFM. Unwanted tee shirt or not, you're still paying the same entry fee.
  • On the garmin issue.. my garmin said 13.33 for Bath and only 13.05 for Berkhamsted. Berko was under a few trees though. At least my chip time agrees with my watch time.

    Question: when people use times as PBs do you use your watch time or the official time? I have a dilemma as my official time was 7 secs slower than my pb but my watch time was nearly a minute faster than my pb. I'm currently top of the division at my runnign club and gettign a pb would get me extra points!!

    On the t-shirt/medal front i'd prefer T-shirts but actually I'm not that bothered about what you get.. a well-organised race that you enjoy and you might get a pb from is the best I think.

    The organisers of Bath have taken on board the suggestions from previous years and noted the problems and have worked hard to rectify them. Well done to them! Nothing is ever going to be perfect or be something that everyone thinks is great.. Thanks to all of those who contributed time and energy to making bath the success it was. Here's to next year!
  • Ken's Girl: The medal for Berkhamsted was rubbish, wasn't it?!
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