I assumed that I would be able to enjoy running around Stratford-upon-Avon's historical landmarks and picturesque countryside. As it turns out I should have been a little less hasty and perhaps done some background reading as what I had actually signed up for was running around a disused WW2 airfield! In my defence, other than being in the same county as Stratford, the races links to Shakespeare are tenuous at best.
Overall the organisation of the event was excellent. The pre-race information was clear the event was easy to find. Due to an injury I changed from the marathon to the half-marathon. I did this on the day with the minimum of stress and although I worried that this may cause subsequent confusion with results, it did not. There were runners doing 5km, 10km, half-marathon and marathon and so there was plenty of opportunity for confusion but again this did not materialise due to lots of signs and helpful marshals.
My main issue with the race was the course itself. As you might expect on an airfield, there was nothing much of interest to see on the way round the 5km course. The main highlight was the final straight which went down the old runway that is now used for drag racing. Unfortunately it was difficult to look up into the grandstands as the rain made the rubber on the Tarmac (presumably from the drag racers) very slippy. Rather than just being a loop, the course weaved around the airfield and at three points on the 5km course it went around a cone and double-backed on itself. This meant that you had to slow down, losing momentum. You also had to concentrate on avoiding the other runners, some of whom seemed to be attempting to take out as many of their opponents as possible by veering off-line. Another slightly odd aspect of the course was the sound of gun fire that could be heard on the far point of the course. Having lived in Manchester for some time I assumed that locals were either shooting at the runners for sport or the organisers were shooting over our heads to encourage faster times. I found out after the event that the rather boring explanation was a clay pigeon shooting range on the airfield.
With regards to the race itself I set myself a target finishing in under 100mins. Despite the issues with the course it was defiantly very flat and this helped me to keep my 5km splits pretty consistent. After completing my 4 laps I even managed to pick up my pace for the final 1.1km loop to scrape home under my target in a new PB of 1hr 39mins 54sec. Another plus point was being able to print off your official time from a computer at the finish.
In summary the race was really well organised but the location and the course itself mean it isn't a race I will be rushing to do again.
For more information visit the website.
Fran G.