Les Croupiers Running Club Forum

I'd like to try and get a decent H/M next year in the spring. So would welcome some recommendations ones i know off are

> Bath ( same weekend as fission 20)
> Wokingham (long way away - some hills but ok)
> Lllaneli (clashes with XC weekend)
> Taff trial half - date not defined yet..
> Wrexham half (long way away - not flat so i hear!)

> Exeter half any good 9th Feb ? seems over 2 days which is strange..

> Newport (not flat, not straight - oh theres another kissing gate, or short sharp hill!)
> Forest of dean - fab but off road (and a tad short..12.8 Id guess)
> Hoka half (off road, not flat, not measured? , questionable)

so around Feb time any other ones I'm missing,, ideally not miles away..

any Birmingham or North way..

would be keen to try an alternative..

Edited by user 09 October 2019 11:50:49(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Hi James
I'll hold my hands up and say I'm biased. However, assuming you're interested in performance, I reckon Wokingham is pretty good, and it's currently my intention to run it in 2020.
Yes, it's for partly social reasons, cos my sister lives nearby, but even though you state the course isn't flat, the only rises are to cross bridges across motorways. Many of my 11 runs at Wokingham have turned out to be season's bests, and my run in 2018 is significantly faster than anything I've done recently.
Yes it is a bit of a trek, but with a 10AM start, I can get there in 2 hours from my house (I usually leave at 6.30AM in case of traffic issues, which there rarely are). Matt Clowes won this year, and he's a good judge.
Personal record to date:

Date Position Time Honours
13 February 1994 3 1:09:20
12 February 1995 9 1:11:13
11 February 1996 9 1:09:50 First O/40, M40 record
09 February 1997 8 1:09:33 First O/40, M40 record
14 February 1999 6 1:10:26 First O/40, First Team
13 February 2000 9 1:11:38 Second O/40, First Team
09 February 2003 10 1:13:07 First O/45
21 February 2010 83 1:20:47 First O/50
19 February 2012 132 1:23:27 Third O/55
21 February 2016 644 1:38:04 Seventh O/60
18 February 2018 441 1:33:28 Fourth O/60
(NB RJH - you haven't broken 71 minutes yet - I reckon that's due for revision and this gives you a great chance).
Also, for those of you with April Marathons in mind, this gives you a nice early chance to assess how your training is going.

Taff trail.half just depends if it not too close.to manchester

I am in Llanelli half 9th February and Swansea half, just past Spring, on 14 June.
Those two half-marathons have been warmly recommended by great runners!!
It won't make a marathon, though considering Manchester