Wicksteed Recovery Run Half-Marathon

1246

Comments

  • Jane, I'm going to struggle too.  I've not run for 2 weeks and spent the last week with poorly people at home.

    See you there though, I've got Cinders on the back of my running vest and I'm number 1844

    Happy New Year all image

  • Cinders - Good luck tomorrow image Hope mummy has nice roast dinner for post race food image
  • Hi all,

    Just got round to 'rating' the race - oh dear, I was not impressed by this one. If it was a tenner to enter, then I would have felt okay about what I saw, but still slightly ripped off! Where was the event?? Felt like most training runs I do around here. There wasnt even a start/finish line, and no times recorded, no bottles of water at the end - where was the money spent? The only costs I saw were the race numbers, medals and the cups they used on the water station. Was that really £20 a runner to provide???

     If this is the standard fare dished up by Ultramarathon.org, I will be staying well clear of these guys again.

  • Well if that didn't blow the cobwebs out I'm not sure what will.

    I must admit I hadn't realised it was laps, I'm not good with laps but once there I wasn't going to go home. I note that on the main site it says - closed for on the day entry yet if there were 100 people there tops from all 5, 10K and half races, no way they had 600 entries. Good job really as with so few marshals and HQ staff they'd have struggled, whilst everyone was friendly and nice they'd have seen big problems with many more people.

    As it was I was OK as I'm an experienced runner, this was like a race paced training run. The hilly and often dreary 3 .5 lap course was a real mental challenge, freezing cold and soaking wet in the rain -what kept me going was the thought of a flask of coffee I had brought in the van just as an afterthought. With no where at the race for hot drinks I was glad of it.

    I got entry on the day for £20 as the lady said there wouldn't be a medal - no problem I have loads of them , but with no goody bags and no drinks at the end I too was left wondering where the £20 went, marker tapes and a box of medals.

    As I said everyone was very nice and with my 1:57 I'm happy but I'd think again before doing another race with this company - especially an ultra, with so little race management.

    I did feel sorry for the few marshal that were there standing in the cold waiting for the handful of runners.
  • Phil miles 4 - you must have been the guy I was speaking to whose partner was waiting ! , I'm the bloke in the red T shirt that came in the same time as you!.

    Thank god I had a flask in the van!

    I *do* feel better now - especially after a plate of stew and a nice cup of tea, plus a good film on TV!
  • Mike,

     Spot on, its was me, I have often seen your name on these forums, nice to put a face to the name!

     Glad you feel better for it - I do having had my rant on the 'rating' section......

     Trust we will both find better runs this year - I haven't booked anything yet, as running partner is injured, and I need to do some serious gym work, but will gladly say hi next time we cross paths, and buy you a beer!

  • Unfortunately I have to agree with you all.This was the worst event I have entered. Sorry.

    First though thank you to the marshalls, especially the 2 at the first road junction. Shame weren;t marshalls on every road crossing!

    Family came to support me but no cafe facilities - this is poor on wicksteads part. But other races in the middle of nowhere have provided catering vans - tea/ coffee baccon buttys - I am sure supporters and runners would have appreciated this.

    Confusion over exact route - 3 x .. but  park bit x 4!

    No signage - to the start. Where the finish point was? No time on show! No milage signs on course. No beware runners on course.

    BUT MOST DISAPOINTING WAS THE MEDAL - i ONLY ENTERED BECAUSE I THOUGHT THE IDEA OF A MEDAL ENGRAVED WITH 1.11.11 WAS FANTASTIC. VERY DISAPOINTED TO GET MEDAL WITH OUT THIS OR EVEN THE YEAR ON IT!

    Good luck with organising other events! I hope you learn from this.

    Thanks once again to all marshalls

  • CindersCinders ✭✭✭

    Can't thank the marshalls enough. Thanks guys for waiting out there, I was at the back end, ended up around 2.23 but did try to say thanks to you all.

    But sorry, won't be back image

  • WexterWexter ✭✭✭

    I was trying to pace myself though with no mile markers was hard to work it out , specially with the extra loop at the finish. Timed on my stopwatch and did around 1.51 though not having a start and finish kills a race. Have to say the marshalls were incredibly pleasant and shame they would have stood for hours in the rain without being able to get a hot drink.
    I don't think Ultramarathon will get many takers for future events due to the negative feedback. Glad at least I had bought a change of clothes as was incredibly cold going back to London on the train. Was grateful to be home and have tea and chocolate. Was going to go out for a belated New Years tonight but legs have given up.

  • Cinders - Well done for finishing. You are further ahead of me on your marathon trainingimage
  • Phil miles - it was all a little shambolic but great mind training! Thats one spin to put on it!

    There is another *new* race near Telford next week , 10K I might try that and see what happens there!

    Jane Butcher - I never thought about the mile markers, but imagine how many there would be on that 4 lap course! Only with my garmin did I know where I was and only because a bloke told me did I realise it included a fourth lap of the park and that HILL!

    Wexter - at least I had the VW caravanette to sit in after and have lunch, I haven't any gas for the cooker so brought a flask with me. I moved the van to the edge of the course so I could cheer in the last few runners. Well done to all those at the back - the race there is in the mind more than anything. I'd have been warmer if I'd brought a proper change of clothes!

    The thing is there was the 5K AND the 10K as well , did someone collide with a pedestrian and take a tumble?

    How bad would all this have been if there had been 600!!
  • i saw a bloke run by me with a bloody arm and mud on him so guess he must of tumbled

  • CindersCinders ✭✭✭
    Some of them looked like they'd been doing x country!
  • Well it was so wet and miserable we might as well have done an XC Half!

    Looking through the reviews it seems a lot aren't happy one bit, as I said - what on earth would it have been like with 600!!

    On the plus side even those who finished toward the rear gained much from this - if you are a new runner then if you managed this mentally tough race with no support you'd fly round a big well supported half in good weather!
  • my next half is the brass monkey in york on 23rd cant wait for thatimage
  • WexterWexter ✭✭✭
    Anyone know when the results will up. Although this did not feel like a proper event I would still like my time. Think I will enter Watford now in February as part of my marathon preparations.
  • the results are up on their site already
  • I would take ANY results here with a shovel full of salt - I saw no stopwatches, just a woman with a clip board. As someone came in behind me she was taking yellow vests off the two children roped in to give out the water. No way are those proper results for the half. I'll stick with my own timing thanks.

    Angie - sounds great, too far for me , a good ten mile XC here in the midlands the week after though.

    Wexter - VLM? I'm going for Stratford, although I always do it this year will be different as my fitness is not as good as I sit all day driving whereas I used to walk delivering all day and could crack round the marathon easily.
  • Oh and as a late entry I'm not even ON the results sheet, no WAY they are right, not a chance.

    Feel really bad the the Portuguese bloke on the race review was so upset, for himself and his sister.

    From me I'd like to say that I've done hundreds of races over many years and this was the most shambolic, the rest are just fine, I hope we haven't put him off UK races!

    Time for the organisers to speak up I think?
  • Has anyone dropped an email to them?? I think we deserve some answers, and in fairness, they deserve the right to reply??

    I see a total of 182 runners on the day, so at average of say £17 each, thats £3082 in entry fees....where did it go?? I guess the marshalls were volunteers (I never get paid!) and with no bottled water/signs/goody bag/road closures would be interested to know where it went for starters. Someone suggested some of it has gone to charity (?) but cant find anything that really backs that up or if it did, how much.

     I see that Lloyd from Ultramarathon posted on here some time ago, but has gone very quiet since. Maybe he would like to offer some explanations on here??

     I will drop an email to him later if he doesn't want to post on here, I am sure he has read the comments, and noted the poor rating this race has received (is this the lowest rating ever??)

  • 182? did you get that from counting the results? Thats £3094 by my reckoning.It looked a lot less than that as we stood in the crowd. You should be next to me on the results and the results should be pressed down to make way for runners not listed - did you see a stopwatch? I didn't.

    Even the little lads giving out the water were spectators pressed into service, their mother told me!


    How many paid but didn't turn up? entered thinking it would be a good idea but drank too much the night before?

    I note from their website they are organising several more 5K,10K & Half events throughout the year, they'll really need to get their act together to stop them turning out like this did. At best they could have some ugly scenes(*) at event or worse someone could get injured and not get attention due to lack of organisation or marshals.

    (*) did you Phil or anyone else see a spectator having a go at the finish line as I came round for the 3rd lap? he was shouting something about it not being a proper time etc etc. Any ideas?
  • Mike,

    182 came from adding from the results page, 102 did the half marathon, about 60 did the 10k, and about 20 the 5k. I was trying to be kind by suggesting that was all they took in entry fees, but you're right, I am sure a number of people didnt make the day (about 418 if you believe their 'sold out' claims on their website!!!!!)

    They clearly had little/no control on who did/didnt race, as I can only assume the woman at the finish 'line' was relaying the finishers to the guy in the car, who then 'guessed' at the finish time? I had 1:57:00 on my watch, and I crossed the line about 5 secs after 'go' which I think was a few secs after the gun. Yet I still managed 1:56:55! Even allowing for a few secs to right down my number, which had to be relayed, I think that was generous - I would have expected to see 1:57:30. So will concede the fact there was some form of timekeeping, however loose it may have been.

    I think you may have been M Mawd - is that a pseudonym you use?image 

    I didnt see the incident you refered to at the beginning of lap 3, but there was the girl who clocked the distance at 12.5 miles - we made it 13.0 miles, so still a touch short in all likelihood. I reckon something was said which made her question it?? In all, very poor, and you're right, had 600 turned up, there may have been a riot in Wickstead Park!

  • I wont post it on here, but he has logged a few race reviews, and they are worth a read!

    Will drop him an email, and see if he wishes to reply/explain/apologise(?)

  • CindersCinders ✭✭✭

    Where are those reviews Phil?

  • Cinders,

    If you find the forum entry he made on page 2 (I think), then click his user name, you can follow a link at the top of the page just under the user name entitled "My Event Ratings".

  • He's got a cheek with that review on the Richmond park 10K !

    If he'd *seen* a race go bad then he'd *know* where it could go wrong - good intentions aside, this race was a cock up in places , it could have been 10 times worse had 600 turned up!
  • I loved the comment at morecombe when his family were there, but they couldn't get a drink or anything to eat.....and only the runners were given tea, biscuits and bananas at the end...such luxuries eh? My friend waited for an hour before the race started, and nearly 2 hours during the race, and she couldnt get anything to eat or drink for over 3 hours.....image and that was as much as us runners got!
  • kaybeekaybee ✭✭✭

    Hi sorry to gatecrash - I did the 10k and it didn't seem worth starting another thread there.  Just to echo what everyone else has said really, what an unmitigated disaster, by far and away the worst organised race I have ever been to.  Without re-hashing what has already been said too much, it comes down to three things:-

    a)  the event itself bore so little resemblance to the event described, there must be grounds for a refund on the basis that we didn't get what we paid for (a traffic free park race, with mile markers, refreshments, baggage store etc etc). 

    b) No disrespect to the marshals who turned out for free on a lousy day and did a good job in difficult circumstances, but there simply weren't enough of them, and some clearly didn't have the necessary skills with traffic, etc.  This, coupled with a total absence of route signage ("Caution; Runners" signs, etc) in my view, made the event not just a dog's breakfast but actively dangerous.  The organisers should count themselves lucky no one was seriously hurt.   

     c) Someone has trousered the best part of £3000 on an outlay of what cannot be more than a few hundred quid.

    I'm a pretty laid back person as a rule and a great believer in people being allowed to learn from their mistakes, but this was just a dangerous rip off.

  • Kaybee,

    I am pretty laid back normally as well, but felt compelled to email the organisers raising some of these issues, trying to be a little diplomatic in the process. I have encouraged them to read this forum and the ratings/race reviews, as too many people have used phrases such as 'ripped off','never again', 'dangerous', 'disaster' the list is endless. I have suggested they dont reply to me, but to all the runners who took part either through their own website, or on here. Sadly, I get the feel that either they are desperate for money (I know times are hard, but....) or they are too wound up in trying to raise their own egos they have forgotten the real reason people are willing to pay to run in races. I hope I am wrong, and they have the decency to reply properly, and offer some insight into what it took to 'organise' this race, and why they failed to achieve even the most basic requirements of a race.

    I will let you know if anything comes of it......

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