Wrexham village bakery half marathon

jogon!jogon! ✭✭✭

It can not be just me they talked a good race but in reality it was just that.

No instructions at the registration

Limited and quite grubby toilets

follow the crowds to the start that's where it went even more downhill

No count down no gun no whistle just off we went 30 metres and all went left to be turned around from there we were half a mile over at every mile marker finishing at nearly 13.8 miles 

As of yet no word or explanation from the organisers

On the plus I managed to run a pb

An excellent race spoilt by slipshod organisation

«1

Comments

  • Have to agree.  Perfect day for running and I'd targeted this race for a PB.  I appreciate that they did have to change the course due to flooding, but to be out by over 0.6m (on my GPS) is very poor. 

    Based on my average running pace as per my Garmin I blitzed my half m PB, but the records won't show it.

    I prefer to support running club events rather than the more commercial events, but I will have to think twice about doing this one again.  2nd time in 3 years when things have gone Pete Tong.

    Pleased with my running thoughimage

  • No organisation and dreadful marshals. One poor runner neatly got run over while sprinting for the finish as the Marshall let a car through. Won't be doing this one again

     

  • Agree with the above...I too would have pb'd. Was hoping the mile markers would sort themselves out by the end...but they didn't!  

    Oh well...I'm putting it down to a training run with marathon the target.

  • I think the first marshal managed to send the whole field the wrong way which resulted in the extra 0.6 of a mile. A real shame but at least the race was on after the flooding and we did manage to get back on course, somehow. At the end of the day the organisers are volunteers and putting on these races must a times be a thankless job ! Hopefully lessons learned for next time.

  • Strange - its been going for years. I guess any race can have a blip.

    I'm sure the organisers are gutted too.
  • I don't think it is a blip Cougie, there is something fundamentally wrong with the way these guys organise and instruct their marshals Two years ago the leaders were sent the wrong way, the organisers claimed "vandals" had moved the direction signs, I was there and I think the marshals messed up.  Today the runners were sent left not right at the first T junction after the start, a matter of 100 yards, if that. I can't wait to hear the explanation for that!

    No directions to the start for first timers - that's bad, as it is a good half mile from HQ.

    No start gun/hooter, and no compensation for an extra section added to avoid a flood. All they had to do was move the start and/or finish lines. OR tell the runners that today, we're running 13.7 miles, pace yourself for it. I realised after ten miles that there was no opportunity to reclaim the extra half mile and was prepared for it, but if you hadn't run the course, you were probably expecting the mile markers to come right at some point.

     The extra distance was on top of the diversion for the leaders, so those guys - competitors in club championships and the Grand Prix - will have probably run over 14 miles in total, fighting their way through the pack for a large part of the early miles.

    The guy at the end giving out the water was just plain rude...and mean! when you finish a race of any distance you could do with at least a full cup of water, not a quarter or a half.

    I am very pro-organiser, pro-marshal and quite forgiving of genuine blips, wtf they are all volunteers, just like me when I marshal at a race. But actually, I paid good money to run that race, and if nothing else they ought to be able to get a person to stand on a junction and point.

  • Terrible race from Wrexham AC yet again (similar cock ups 2 yrs ago), agree with all of the above, first timers do not know where the start is or how far away it is, and it is a fair way.  Toilets grubby & not flushing.  Race just seemed to start when other runners in front started moving, other runners were then found joining from the left at the T Junction???  ALL the mile markers were half a mile out and the overall distance was over by at least half a mile.

    Guy on the water station was rude and then only gave half a cup of water as the containers were getting empty, and I was nowhere near the back markers, this seems to happen every time I race here.  Why cant they give you a bottle for gods sake you can get 5 for a quid in poundland, its not much to ask is it. 

    Just poor poor poor, must be one of, if not the worst race in Britain!

  • By far the worst ever organised   half I have ever had the misfortune to do.

    14 pounds for a malt loaf. Not on.

    then they blame the Marshall's for the mistake over distance.

    1. No directions to start

    2. No count down at start

    3. Mile markers 0.5 mile out.

    4. No one on water station at 3.5 mile.

    5. No warning about water station.

    6. Only 2 water stations.

    7. No countdown to finish.

    they took the money and provided a very very poorly organised half. Shame on you.

  • I will take a lo fi club-organised race over a big event race any time but this was appallingly organised.  All the criticisms above are fair, and while I would excuse the foibles of an honest and value-for-money race this was £16, so not exactly cheap.  

    What did they spend the entry money on? None of the roads were closed and I didn't see any medical staff on the route. The water came in cups, the prize at the end was a loaf of bara brith which I'm sure the sponsors supplied.  We even had to send a stamped SAE to get our generic unchipped race numbers sent back.

    The marshalls were crap. None could tell me what distance we had run, and even more disappointingly were able to offer no help whatsoever when my girlfriend pulled out after 8 miles with a hip injury. Help like the quickest way back to the finish (she was in the middle of Wrexham industrial estate and doesn't know the area), never mind actual medical help! I get that they are volunteers, but they do actually have a responsibility, otherwise they're just people in yellow bibs.

    I'm so pissed off, this is a local race to me and it was embarassing. I hope the organisers take on board the criticism and do a much better job next year, as this event could be ace. Today it was a joke.  

  • jogon!jogon! ✭✭✭

    Results and an apology of sorts on the Wrexham site strange how I've managed to lose another six seconds when I stopped my watch well after the Finnish line,another start line mess up?

  • I have to agree - must be the worst race in the UK!  Where should I start with what was wrong?

    I think the race organisers need to join the 21st century - no proper start, finish very poor with the climb up a stoney bank to get out the finish funnel, over 0.6miles too far, no chip timing and it claims to be the North Wales championship, the first mile marker as well as being at 1.5miles appeared to be a mile 11 marker torn in half, water in cups and only half full if you were lucky.  I live near Wrexham and can't believe they made us cross some of the busiest roads on the Industrial Estate as part of the race route.

    I paid £16 to enter this race and have no idea where that money was used for this event - I even had to send a stamped addressed envelope to get my race number, and that was all I got, no race instructions, and the website doesn't tell you much either, e.g. starts in the usual place!???

    The "apology" on the website is woefully insufficient and doesn't explain why the course was measured incorrectly or actually apologise - would be nice if they could just admit they made a mistake.

    On the plus side, I did get a PB as I've never run 13.75 miles before in a race!  I would not recommend this race to anyone and will not be doing it again.

  • I have to join runners world just to vent my anger at today's farce! Not bothered about the ??14 fee or the end prize of a fruit bun! It was the worst half inahvebever run, from start to finish! My gps quickly showed markers were out by 0.5 miles, Somme being stupid thought the organises may have moved the finish line! Not enough water through race, when you did get a drink of water it was half full ( or at the end a quarter full) and served by the worsts happiest man!!!! A goodbwastebof most of my Sunday! One to cross off the list for the future.
  • I did this today also. I was warned about the start line and is on the website so not going to complain over this. The start was a mess, I was near front, at T junction we started turning left and heard (I presume from a Marshall) shouts of your going the wrong way. This was first time I have done this so wasn't sure who was right. Anyway we ended up going right in the end. From the first mile marker I was 0.6 miles out and stayed that way right to the end. I have since looked up the route and we should have gone left and it would have been correct. Ended up running 13.8m. I checked my watch at 13.1 and would have PB by over a minute. Will just take positive that at least I am running well. I don't want to be too hard as these are people volunteering for us to run but as it was so close to start I guess putting a few cones or marshalls blocking wrong way would have been pretty easy to do? 

  • The website said that as the route had to be changed due to the flooding, the start was going to be further from the clubhouse than in the past and would take longer to walk to.  However, the start was at the same place as it had been for the last 2 years.  I think they simply didn't move the start or there is really poor communication between the organisers and it all got measure out correctly back form the finish and then someone who hadn't got the correct info set the start up in the wrong place.  Hence why everyone's GPS was over half a mile out.

    I've done this race for the last 3 years and this is the second time they have messed it up.  They really ought to have learned from past mistakes.  I don't want to have a go at volunteers, I've done marshalling myself, but I've always been given clear instructions from someone in overall charge of the organising, so that these communication errors are minimised.

    It's a shame - it could be a good event, but given the angry/defensive tone of the website, I don't think the organisers will take comments on board to try and improve things for the future.

  • this use to be a cracking race and a highlight  in the racing year.

    sadly their has been questionable decisions / actions the last 4yrs. I complained to them last year about their being no water until 7m. which is in breech of uka rules that states it has to be every 5k! I've had problems in the past with my kidneys so take hydration very seriously. I thought they had sorted this as I did glimpse water but no one drinking (I carried/ drank my own water at 3m) but clearly not.  this makes me think they aren't listening or taking their responsibilities seriously!

    this year its communication, I new from the website the route had changed and looked for maps in registration, I couldn't find one (the first of many mistakes). they failed to communicate on all levels.  I personally find it in these modern times it hard to believe they didn't know the route was long beforehand and it gives the impression that they kept it quite so runners didn't ask for their money back!

    when this race didn't use to fill up it ran like clockwork, however these days their seems to be an arrogance that has set in. they are not listening to runners, or learning from their mistakes! they are giving club races a bad name! 

    while I always like to try and support local club races these have run out of chances and I'm gonna look for something else next year.

  • Didn't think much of the mstshalls - sorry guys, but very little encouragement. The mile markers being so off was unacceptable. At the end the guy on the water was not good at all - yes I did have 2 cups of water as I had just run over 13.7 miles! He actually questioned another runner who picked up 2 cups, which were half filled anyway, he was getting a cup for another runner, but to be told they were running short, was not our problem!!
  • Oh, and surprised there were no accidents with cars and runners, junction marshals were useless, had to rely on car drivers to wave me over!? And just before the endless finish I had to stop as narrow pavement, car pulled over and a guy was giving directions - totally blocking my path!!
  • Didn't think much of the mstshalls - sorry guys, but very little encouragement. The mile markers being so off was unacceptable. At the end the guy on the water was not good at all - yes I did have 2 cups of water as I had just run over 13.7 miles! He actually questioned another runner who picked up 2 cups, which were half filled anyway, he was getting a cup for another runner, but to be told they were running short, was not our problem!!
  • On just a slightly different note, I logged on to thank Bryan Dale, the photographer on the day for taking over 2,000 photos at 6 different locations, then uploading them onto the Internet, where I could download them for free.  I really appreciate this very kind gesture of goodwill.  Thank you Bryan.

    www.racephotos.org.uk

    On the above I would just like to add that I hope the guy who made the wrong call and appears to have been crucified for it, is okay.  It must have been a tough thing to live with afterwards.

  • Thanks pink, with all the events I'd forgot about him taking photo's



    With regards to the Marshall/lead car driver, I don't blame him, he/her are also victim of the ongoing problems with this event. Which is the reapted reoccurring problems with the organisation of the race.
  • .... And the toilet was broke. Haha

  • After successfully resurrecting the Farndon 10k we were asked by Wrexham AAC to help organise and manage the Village Bakery Wrexham Half for 2015.  The problems of previous races have been well documented and we have brought in our own team to modernise the race. 

    We have a slick entry system and chip-timing as well as bringing in some of our own staff for key marshalling positions.  You all know that this is a fast course with great PB potential and we hope that with a few tweaks we can restore the reputation of this race.  Entries can be done via Runner's World or www.cutefruitevents.com

    We too are runners and we have kept the price the same as last year despite the improvements and we hope to see you there.

     

     

  • My Cheque book will be disappointed that its missed out on coming out of the cupboard for its annual outing. 

  • Can we put you down as a maybe then Luke...

  • Haha. Should be there. Work off this excess first. Farndon was excellent  

  • Thanks for the kind comments Luke. Hope the training goes well. Lisa Dobriskey's coach said an athlete is only ever 6 weeks away from a PB...not sure how much cake, trifle, wine and port she would have had over Christmas though! 

  • Great news and a sensible decision, hopefully Wrexham AC will benefit from the race without all the hassle. I was still going to enter as it is a good time to do a half but its reassuring that it won't be a mess again. It's not just last year it's been in decline for years. 

  • Thanks Mr Puffy...contact me via the website if you have any questions or concerns. In the meantime I hope you stay injury free and we look forward to welcoming you at the start line.

  • My Cheque book will be disappointed that its missed out on coming out of the cupboard for its annual outing. 

  • Is there plenty of near by parking ? If i sign up i will be traveling down from Lancashire.

Sign In or Register to comment.