Hi All - Just had a RW email alert about the Keswick Half - unless the course has changed, the loop of Newlands Valley is BEFORE the lap of Derwentwater not after, as the email suggests. Quite important if you did it last year & 'enjoyed' the Little Town hills! Imagine them at 9 miles....
Looking forward to a great run, as ever superbly organised & supported!
Comments
If you do the full marathon at Langdale the steep hill which you encounter at the start of the second lap seems almost vertical. That said, on a good day the course is fantastic with views to kill for. Hopefully we will get something similar on Sunday.
FAS - I'm not quite as quick as you, but figured that I would probably need to add around 5 minutes to my normal finish time. To be honest I have no intention of trying for a PB - too long in the tooth for that. Just hoping for a good run and an enjoyable day.
I concur
Big thanks to everyone involved in today's event. Some of those hills surprised me a bit, and my finishing time was slower than expected, but I've got a brilliant excuse. I'll just tell everyone that I was distracted by some of those fantastic views - and I think I must just get away with that.
I nearly cried at 3 miles thinking the rest of the route would be the same. Too knackered to admire scenery! Spectator support round the course was really impressive.
Got to wholeheartedly disagree with you Andrew.
Having the coaster as an extra helped to keep the costs down and £11 for a Half is bloody cheap these days compared to the £25 plus you will pay for a city event with a "goody bag" full of rubbish. Most of the field appeared to be club runners who couldnt normally give a stuff about a medal or another t-shirt and would rather save a few quid!
Ditto chip time - As this is hardly a PB course, who cares about chip time? It took me about 20 seconds to cross the start line, so it isnt as if we were all 10 minutes out on gun time is it?
Not sure how they were supposed to chill the water out on those country lanes either! In fact I have never run an event on a hot day with chilled water facilities!!!!!!!!
I thought the organisation was fine. The guy who started it could have done with a loud hailer as I didnt get a word he said with rude runners continuing to talk aroud me, and runners walking 2 abreast along the narrow road back into Keswick was irritating for those still trying to run and get past...but thats about it.
Support in the villages was brilliant, (particularly liked the Mexicans!), marshalls were switched on, water stations very well run by people who have obviously done it before, and the views were almost beautiful enough to take my mind off the agony of some of those early climbs!
First 6 miles took its toll and I think everyone suffered for it in the last 3 or 4 but thats the challenge of this particular race.
A cracker - thanks to all involved in organising it.
Hi All
Next years date Sunday 6th May 2012
I'm with you Kicked -It. You pay your money, and take your chance. This is obviously something of a low-key event, compared to something like the Great North Run, but I know which I would much prefer. We could all suggest improvements - chip timing, goody bags etc but everything comes at a cost and that needs to be passed on to the runners. Seemed to me that there were a lot of club runners yesterday, and that usually suggests a good event to me (even though I often feel as though I'm gate-crashing). I just happened to be sorting out my running kit last week and came across a pile of t-shirts from previous events - lord only knows what I'll do with those, but I'm quite pleased not to have a Keswick Rugby Club half marathon t-shirt to add to my collection!
The congestion in the pavilion before the start was something that I was able to avoid having applied on-line and turning up early on the day, but I do appreciate that that doesn't suit everyone.
I can definitely see me coming back next year - after some hill training, and if I do, then I hope that there aren't too many changes.
A huge thank you to all concerned yesterday - organisers, marshalls, water 'dispensers' and anyone else who gave up their time so we could have such a good time. The photos are excellent, but I haven't seen the official results yet - any clues?
Results
http://www.ukroadraces.info/
I agree, low key & laid back that's how we like it in Cumbria.
A beautiful sunny day running around Newlands & Derwentwater. Yes If you analyse it, you could say "what do you get for your money" but is that really what its about. For me its all about running with other people who are doing their best whether it be 1hr 15min or double that.
Great support on the way round means more to me than yet another t-shirt not to mention that walk to the start at Portinscale with mountains all around.
Don't understand the comments about putting water in the shade, chilling it or whatever and no goody bag (full of tat) or XXXL t-shirt.
Ripped off?? Really? I can't stop laughing. I really hope you are just teasing. Come on, this was a great event and you surely can't expect a small local race to provide facilities of something like the GNR, not without charging say £30+ for the race?
Give it another go it's - painful, but good!
It's a low key race. You won't pb so you don't need timing chips.
And fantastic explosion to lose seven minutes in 7 miles. And the last parts the easiest too ?
Got to be a wind up this.
What do you expect for £12 entry???
Instead changing your name perhaps you should deleted your last comments!
Is there something BAD about liking World Peace ? As opposed to the opposite ?
At least I can run a race without whining like a baby about the bad man giving you a dwinkie winkie that was warm. You poor poor soul.
You'd best not try the Langdale Half - that's got real hills. And the drinks probably warm there too.
Happy running !