Birmingham Half Marathon

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Comments

  • T'was GOOD! But only a dream!
  • why change it - just start a new one

    am really disappointed with the confirmation coming out so late - for first timers they may feel it is a bit late to start training and for regular racers they may have sorted other things

    not me though - i have  sad life and have been sitting waiting

    having been told in april by the organisers that it was 2 weeks away

  • but it is the day after beachy head - which i entered 6 months ago

  • Thanks Lex - just started a new thread with just the date under the main header. Hope you're OK with this bham snail, you're still the leader!
  • can you put a link  up on here Chio?

  • Hi All

    Just to let you know that the official website www.birminghamhalfmarathon.com will go live at 11am tomorrow. This is to fit in with the timing of the official media launch for the event.

     Cheers

     Sarah

  • Bham SnailBham Snail ✭✭✭
    Thank you Sarah
  • Thanks Sarah, amazing, the race is comingggggggg. Tomorrow Birmingham is launching a massive Half Marathon! www.birminghamhalfmarathon.com
  • Ooh, it's gone all dot com... does that reflect an international marketing approach perhaps?

    A hundred messages before anyone even knows what's going on!

  • It's been a long time coming, but im relally glad this has happened.  Well done to although those so far that have been planning this.

     I've just eneterd, although I cant download the map yet.   Seems a fairly good course as far as i can tell, probably going to run it next week to see what the routes like.  Although i will prob run fast through new town, which should simulate racing conditions image

  • I often do a Threshold run through Newtown, yep!
  • Bham SnailBham Snail ✭✭✭
    I've entered, took a lot to get Mr B'ham Snail to part with that amount of money for a race, he's going round saying "HOW MUCH??" but as we only live a 10 min walk from the start we cannot miss this race!!The part from One Stop and up the Birchfield Road will be very interesting!!
  • Ok. This might sound like a daft question but I cant find the answer.

    How do you get to the start from the finish? Is there transport provided as it appears a fair distance from both.

  • It says on the website that transport is provided to get people from the finish back to the start.

    Have just signed up to marshall as I cant do it so will be cheering you all on image

  • Just signed up for Birmingham City Half - also entered my other half - really looking forward to it - all information is on the EDF page - see you all there !!!!!!!
  • davidt - FAQs document on the website gives this....

    How will I get back to my car and how do I retrieve my clothing?

    Special arrangements will be made to transport runners back to the stadium when they finish so they can get back to their vehicles. Arrangements will also be made so that you can collect your clothing.

    More information about these arrangements will be available shortly and will be included in your information pack.

    Hope that helps?

  • £24.20?! They're 'aving a bleeding larff, aren't they?

    I can't open the pdf map, either.

    Try not to be among the stragglers in Newtown...!

  • Roadkill - I think it sounds good value, you gotta remember this is the first ever race and it's gonna be a top, top race, with the World Half Marathon in 2009, not many other cities can boast that can they, you gotta believe, go on join up.. I'm aiming not to be a straggler in Newtown, I'll be in leafy Edgbaston by then pal!
  • Still not convinced it'll be the world-beater some of you seem to think - I work for BCC and I know very well just how badly they can screw things up.

    Being the first one doesn't mean it has to be expensive, and the fact of the 2009 World Half doesn't necessarily mean that what amounts to a practice event is going to be any good. Of course I hope and pray that my doubts and fears prove to be unjustified...

    That said, I've already signed up - can't go missing it, can I?

    I was miffed by the 'processing charge' added in near the end of the registration process - why can't they just state the true cost up front?

    OK, grumbles over, for now - it is Friday after all, only 8 hours or so to the weekend!

  • I have been looking at the route. There are going to have to be a vast number of very disruptive road closures affecting several of Birmingham's major routes. I can see why they have qualified it with "may be subject to change". I have tried to transcribe the route onto GMAP pedometer. I come up a bit long but I think that is due to my detouring around Victoria square. Here's a link for anyone as boring as me.......http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1984441

    All things considered, personally I think £22 is a bargain, having often choked on £10 entrance fees to traffic plagued 10k races.
  • Well personally I think the routes quite a good one, nice and undulating, my only reservation is the birchfield to newtown section, but it's an inner city race and there are always scruffier parts of any city.  As i live near Sutton park it would of been nice it some part of the race could of gone through the park.

    I'm hoping that this first race is well organised and proves that the City is capable of hosting the championships the following year.  Im glad there's a five year deal for the race and the 2012 race should be something special beings as it's an olympic year.  

     

  • It's going to be a nightmare for those travelling to the event , they can either drop off and stay at the start and wait for competitors to be returned to the start or try and battle their way into brum for the finish , given the access route from the black country to brum will be closed the backstreets are going to be rammed!

    £22 - the Stratford marathon was only £25
  • You can't compare the price of staging a half marathon (and Stratford marathon is just 2 laps of a half) in a place like Stratford, where only small amounts of road closure are made at the start, and a city like Birmingham which is going to be a logistical nightmare with major road closures throughout the race. Compare the price of other City marathons: BRISTOL £29, BATH £30.50, GREAT NORTH RUN £38, etc..

    There are plenty of great value half marathons out there out there, Stroud, Gloucester, Lady Godiva to name but a few, which are top events but they are not Big City Half Marathons. I love the buzz of a huge press of people trawling around a city and I love slogging round the hills of Bedford on rainy December mornings but I accept they cost different amounts to stage and £22 still seems like a great deal to me.

    The most logical way to approach the travel issues - being as this is being billed as an eco event - would be to offer (lots) of free shuttles from Birmingham New Street to the start. The finish is about 10 minutes walk from the station. Locals could then come in by train, bus and visitors to our city coming by car could either use one of the central car parks or one of the outlying commuter station car parks.

    Makes too much sense to ever work though..........
  • Can anyone tell me if this could be considered a fast course?

     Thanks

  • Mike B - here's my effort, also slightly long, but I generally find these Google-Map powered sites over-do it. http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-kingdom/birmingham/880831174071

    I actually think that you can in fact compare the price of staging a combined half and full marathon in a place like Stratford, to a half marathon in a city like Birmingham - just you try and stop me! How much does it cost the City to close a few roads for a few hours on a Sunday?

    Oh, I don't know, I don't mean to be negative - I just can't seem to help it! As I've said, I've already signed up, and I am feeling quite excited about running through Brum. Maybe I need a race to get the blood coursing... Arden 9 next weekend.

    As for whether it's a fast course, JC21, it's fairly flat, and Walsall Road should be wide enough to avoid too much crowding off the start, so I reckon it could be.

  • BTW, I can download the pdf map now - hardly worth waiting for as it's just the same as the one on the Race Info page.
  • Mike B, Road Kill here's my attempt about spot on, maybe a bit further through the square thatn I have. http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-kingdom/birmingham/873944119674

     I personally think that the cost ia about right, you are comapring running club organised events against this one, if you compare it against other half marathons which are corporate sponsorsed events such as Robin Hood then I think you will find it compares more favourably.

     As regards speed, there is about 200ft / 61m of ascent, but this is pretty much over the entire route.  I would think slightly slower than the Great North run looking at the profiles, maybe slightly faster that the Coventry Godiva but never run that one.

  • Thanks Chris, the satellite image on your map link really shows how green the route and the city are
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