"Down Tow Up Flow" Half-Marathon

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Comments

  • MuttleyMuttley ✭✭✭

    This year's Munro was a special once-only Olympic-year "ultra half marathon" with bonus miles and climbs. As ludicrous as ever, only more so. My legs are shot, even now.

    I'm looking forward to the Down Tow. It's flat. image

  • Does anyone know where the coach starts from?

    I will be away the week prior to the event and I may miss any notification from the organisers.

  • Looking forward to this one as it is local one for me and here there are some nice pubs up near Marlow for afterwards. Regarding the route and the Dorney section, saw this on their site..

    "<span style="color: #ff0000;">please note that due to the Olympic rowing venue being situated on a section of our route, we have had to detour away from this area. Therefore, this year we will start in Slough and be using the (fantastic!) Jubilee River for the first half of the route, before rejoining the original route at Maidenhead Bridge."

    <span style="color: #ff0000;">

  • runlozrunrunlozrun ✭✭✭

    Good spot PL, I don't want to offend too many people on here but Slough is no Windsorimage

    Means I'll have to run it again in 2 years to do the proper route image

  • MuttleyMuttley ✭✭✭

    Come friendly bombs
    and fall on Slough
    it's not fit
    for habitation now ...

    Sir John Betjeman, you can't argue with him really ... image

  • Also-ranAlso-ran ✭✭✭

    Its a shame. That part of the Thames has been closed for Months so that a new bridge can be built from the rowing venue to the racecourse side. Currently you have to run around the rowing lake on a 'slight diversion'. Once the Olympics is over, the new bridge will be taken down.

    I ran between Windsor and Marlow recently - the path was well boggy and rutted up in parts. Hope it doesn't rain.

  • This is an annoying change they have made...the organisers recommend to get the train to Burnham but the first train from central London on a Sunday morning doesn't get to Burnham until 9.20am - with 3 changes?! Not good pre-race prep!

    Does anyone have a quicker route or an idea of walking distances from Slough? 

    If I had know it was going to start in Slough I would have had second thoughts....

  • MuttleyMuttley ✭✭✭

    There's trains from Paddington arriving at 0820 or 0920, direct, no changes.

  • Thank you, that looks perfect for me - and very quick....this has calmed me down a lot!

  • MuttleyMuttley ✭✭✭

    Most welcome ... haven't looked lately but if I recall correctly the new start venue is a 15-min walk from Burnham stn.

  • Hello all. I will be unable to do the half marathon due to an injury I've picked up. So if anyone is interested in an unaffiliated place, please do let me know. Email is best, mine is w.s.willy@gmail.com.

     

    Thanks in advance!

    Wilhelm

  • Just signed up two nights ago... I assume I'll get a pack or something in the post like normal.  Just in case, any clue where and at what time the coach leaves from the finish line to take us to the start?  Cheers!  (See you all there! image )

  • OK - I probably should have read the race brief BEFORE posting the above image

  • MuttleyMuttley ✭✭✭

    Indeed so ... rule number 1 is RTFM image

    I am a bit concerned about the weather. Here in sunny Reading the Thames is very high and close to overflowing its banks. I wonder what it's like further downstream on the Windsor-Marlow segment. Anyone?

  • yeah Leisa, it is very, very muddy at Marlow - just wondering whether they will actually go ahead with this race.  I've seen other races cancelled for less than this...

    what do the rest of you think??

  • MuttleyMuttley ✭✭✭

    Oh dear. Does not sound promising. Better keep an eye on the email account and the Purple Patch website then.

  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭

    Leisa...that has to be the best profile pic for quality Ive ever seen anyone load on here.

    well done.

    ps Caroline, the Marlow 5k that's run in Hurley a couple of miles out of Marlow has been postponed from this tuesday...more due to the parking to be fair...the parking is all on grass that's been waterlogged.

    Parking seems to be the issue that's called a lot of races off rather than the courses themselves being problematic..

     

  • Stevie G - thanks.  Suppose it helps being a photographer. image

    I dont think the race will be cancelled as most races around here that have been cancelled has been due to car parking problems as Stevie mentioned.  I ran a race yesterday around Windsor Great Park, the parking was not on the grass but the race itself was more of a cross country muddy boggy grassy hilly very wet run.  PB's were out of the question!  

    With this race, the first half is on the jubilee river which is a path that is shingle so no mud but there was alot of big puddles when I was last there.  The second half will be the slippery part.  Once again, probably not great for PB's but this race is more for fun as it gets narrow and difficult to overtake people on the towpath.

    There isn't much rain forecast for next week after Monday so fingers crossed.  

  • MuttleyMuttley ✭✭✭

    Thanks for that, Leisa. Top info ... and anyway, pb's are for wimps.

  • Hi all, I tried the second half of the course this morning, unfortunately is in poor condition, couldn't pick up pace, very muddy and slippery. Hopefully the gates will remain open for the race. As Leisa mention in these conditions forget about a PB! Finger crossed for the weather.

  • YoungPupYoungPup ✭✭✭
    Good update - thanks marco image



    So trails shoes it is... Roclites for me, and then I can just aim for the middle of the puddlesimage
  • runlozrunrunlozrun ✭✭✭

    I'm a bit surprised that the email we got from purple patch a week ago made no mention of it now starting from Slough and not Windsor.  I know it had a link to their website for up-to-date information but even so would it have been that hard to mention it in the email?

  • Hi Leisa,

    Just sabotaging this thread. You didn't write a review for yesterdays race...I had a great time - though found it tough.

  • Also-ranAlso-ran ✭✭✭

    Maidenhead to Cookham stretch isn't too bad until you get towards Cookham where the horses have churned things up.

    My main fear is nettle rash! With all the rain the nettles are overgrowing - no overtaking for me!

  • Also-ranAlso-ran ✭✭✭
    It was worse approaching Marlow where there is a series of kissing gates. Lots of standing water around the gates. Not good when you are wearing road shoes.
  • well let's keep our fingers crossed and hope no one slips into the river...might need to run in wellies with that amount of mud around.

    So it starts in Slough now? I am getting confused...and just organised my lift to Eton.

  • Hi Guys, just to clarify, the start is now in Slough (due to the Olympic organisers putting in an exclusion zone around Dorney, which is right on our route).  Please everyone read the Race Brief on the website - this has all the information you need.  An additional email is scheduled to go out today on where to get the bus, which wave you're in etc. 

    Regarding cancelling the race - I know many events have had to be cancelled recently, but this race will go ahead unless conditions worsen this week.  It will be much muddier than usual of course, but the alternative would be to cancel, which we are detemined not to do unless absolutely necessary.  And it is a trail race after allimage!

    Hope that helps, but feel free to email me if you need to ask any questions: info@purplepatchrunning.com

    Hope you all have a good run despite the conditions image!

  • Thanks for the clarification Claire.

  • Claire, please keep us updated as some of us are travelling a fair way.

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