Please post your feedback and reviews of Dark Run 5k (2015) below:

1/11/2015

39 Comments

Tatina Armstrong

1/11/2015 08:37:07 pm

Excellent event, well organised, good publicity and great fun :-)

Chris Richards - Event Director

1/11/2015 09:24:50 pm

Thank you Tatina, we are really grateful for your feedback and glad you enjoyed Dark Run 5k!

REBECCA HARLEY

1/11/2015 08:37:24 pm

Loved that Dark Run 5k is an all inclusive event. We aren't runners but walk regularly and were allowed to take part in the event without any qualms. The marshals were superb and kept encouraging every one. The organisers were fantastic and put a lot of hard work in to make sure the event was a success. This shows that 425 entered in 2015 compared to 250 in the first year.

Chris Richards - Event Director

1/11/2015 09:25:51 pm

Thank you Rebecca, we are really grateful for your feedback and glad you enjoyed Dark Run 5k!

Phil Plant

1/11/2015 08:37:27 pm

Slightly biased as I volunteered on the event, but it was a fabulous run, well organised and immensely popular.

Chris Richards - Event Director

1/11/2015 09:27:05 pm

Thank you for everything Phil, we really appreciate your help!

Jac Cassidy link

1/11/2015 08:38:43 pm

Chris and his team have produced yet another fantastic event. Nothing was missed out for this event. They have put alot of hard work, sweat and tears into this years well planned event. I think what would be nice especially for the little ones is to recieve their badge as they cross the finish line. Also would be great for the radio station to be down there.
Definately hope there will be future events each year. I would like to sponsor the DARK RUN 5K next year both financially and with glowsticks.

Chri Richards - Event Director

1/11/2015 09:29:37 pm

Thank you so much for your amazing warm-up Jac and for your very useful feedback! These are certainly things we will be reviewing. We contacted several local Radio Stations, but as keen as they were to help... they had already been booked for other events. We will try and get in touch with them earlier if we are able to put this event on in 2016. Thanks again!

REBECCA HARLEY

1/11/2015 10:15:31 pm

Agree with Jac about the medals being given out on the finish line. Not just for the children but for the adults too. We love the medals and very grateful but were a bit surprised that at the finish line the marshals rummaging around in bags werent actually dishing out medals and that we had to go further away and fish them out ourselves. It took a little bit of the acomplishment out of it. Probably just us as we had never taken part in anything like this before.

Chris Richards - Event Director

2/11/2015 10:02:52 am

Thank you for this feedback Rebecca, we will definitely take it on board. We did make the decision to put the medals in the bags, as otherwise we would have to recruit more volunteers. Finding the 45 volunteers we needed was no easy task, we were actually five short on the night due to last minute drop-outs. Next year I anticipate needing even more, as we would like to provide more volunteers on the longer stretches of the course. Thanks again for your helpful comments.

Pam maton

1/11/2015 08:41:31 pm

Had a fantastic night.thank u to all. Only downfall was the people who took dogs round with them which scared my little girl as they barked lot. Apart from this it was a fantastic event :)

Chris Richards - Event Director

1/11/2015 09:36:41 pm

Thank you Pam, we are really grateful for your feedback and glad you enjoyed Dark Run 5k! Dogs at running events are always a difficult subject and I very much see both sides of this particular issue, as it's also something we see regularly at Telford parkrun. I fully understand that some people run with their dogs regularly and that they're very much a part of the family (we have a dog too). The other side of the coin is that not everyone likes dogs, or they may just feel intimidated by them. Dark Run 5k is an inclusive event and we made it clear from the start that we welcome everyone... but this is a subject that needs to be addressed. My personal opinion is that I would much rather see children have fun at Halloween, than the dogs having a bit of exercise. I will discuss this with the team and review our dog policy before next year. Thank you again for highlighting this.

Emma Hodges

1/11/2015 08:47:05 pm

An absolutely fantastic event, from start to finish everything was absolutely fantastic :) the marshals were great, very supportive and encouraging, the whole event ran really smoothly, the goodie bag was excellent :) These guys did an absolutely fantastic job :)

Chris Richards - Event Director

1/11/2015 09:39:31 pm

Thank you so much Emma, for your lovely feedback! We are really glad you enjoyed Dark Run 5k and fingers crossed we get to do it all again next year!

Becca Patterson

1/11/2015 08:49:56 pm

Had an awesome time doing dark run with a few family members. Fantastic atmosphere, very well organised. Really hope there will be another dark run next year. Do agree with other comment regarding dogs though. Frightened my autistic son. Other than that, I would just like to thank everyone involved organising/ supporting this event, you are incredible!

Chris Richards - Event Director

1/11/2015 09:43:50 pm

Thank you Becca, we are really grateful for your feedback and glad you enjoyed Dark Run 5k! Dogs at running events are always a difficult subject and I very much see both sides of this particular issue, as it's also something we see regularly at Telford parkrun. I fully understand that some people run with their dogs regularly and that they're very much a part of the family (we have a dog too). The other side of the coin is that not everyone likes dogs, or they may just feel intimidated by them. Dark Run 5k is an inclusive event and we made it clear from the start that we welcome everyone... but this is a subject that needs to be addressed. My personal opinion is that I would much rather see children have fun at Halloween in a safe, comfortable environment, than dogs having a bit of exercise. I will discuss this with the team and review our dog policy before next year. Thank you again for highlighting this.

Colette

1/11/2015 08:58:17 pm

Really good event great medal ! And great goody bag and water bottle loads of marshalling which was brilliant to make sure everyone was safe ! And best part of it all was the Marshall giving out sweets and chocolate during the run brilliant and will defo be returning next year such good atmosphere

Chris Richards - Event Director

1/11/2015 09:47:00 pm

Thank you so much for your great feedback Colette, we really appreciate your comments! Fingers crossed we get to do it all again next year, thanks again!

Lizzy Hughed

1/11/2015 09:08:16 pm

Great event really enjoyed it! Very well organised!
The only improvement I would like to see for next year is km markers so you know how far you have run/walked.
The Marshall's were fab supporting us and the sweets were a welcome treat! I disagree about dogs, not fair to ban them as we walked with my friends dog and he didn't bark he was very well behaved..In fact apart from a few seconds at the start I don't recall hearing dogs bark!

Chris Richards -Event Director

2/11/2015 10:10:06 am

Hi Lizzy! Thank you so much for your kind words, we really appreciate your feedback. Kilometre markers are something we can definitely look to provide, if we are able to do this again next year. I will pass on your thanks to the Marshals who gave out sweets... this is something we thought about doing at the very last minute. Some of the Marshals brought along their own sweets which is great, but I think next year I will provide sweets and encourage children to bring a little bag to put them in (it was a nice touch).

Dogs at running events are always a difficult subject and I very much see both sides of this particular issue, as it's also something we see regularly at Telford parkrun. I fully understand that some people run with their dogs regularly and that they're very much a part of the family (we have a large/friendly dog too). The other side of the coin is that not everyone likes dogs, or they may just feel intimidated by them. Dark Run 5k is an inclusive event and we made it clear from the start that we welcome everyone... but this is a subject that needs to be addressed. My personal opinion is that I would much rather see children have fun at Halloween in a safe, comfortable environment, than dogs having a bit of exercise. I will discuss this with the team and review our dog policy before next year.

Chris James link

1/11/2015 09:14:04 pm

It was amazing. Only one issue , when I was collecting my glow stick, there was a man stinking of alcohol asking for a glow stick and he wouldn't go until he got one. Felt a bit isolated and dark for the girls there.

Chris Richards - Event Director

2/11/2015 10:20:30 am

Hi Chris! Thank you so much for your lovely feedback, we really appreciate it. This is an issue that sadly I wasn't aware of and I can only apologise that you had to witness this idiot. Unfortunately with our event being held in a public place, on a Saturday evening, there is always going to be scope for anti-social behaviour. Had I witnessed this, I would have dealt with it there and then. From what I can ascertain, this took place whilst we had a minor casualty to deal with at the finish line. Prior to our event we also liaise with West Mercia Police, to ensure that this kind of thing is avoided. As you can imagine, they are pretty busy on a Saturday night so don't have the resources to physically attend the event.

Therefore my plan of action in future will be as follows: I will ensure that we have an event security plan in place and that all volunteers are fully briefed on the 'actions on' in the event of anti-social behaviour. Volunteers should never be afraid to report incidents such as this, by calling 101. As I did this year, I will continue to monitor all areas of the start/finish myself. I will also investigate the possibility of providing event security, to deal with any such incidents.

Thank you for highlighting this and I'm really glad that you enjoyed the event, despite these clowns (with nothing better to do) hanging around near the finish.

Best wishes.

Lorna Patterson

1/11/2015 09:22:16 pm

It was my first time running dark run and I absolutely loved it would definitely do it again next year

Chris Richards - Event Director

2/11/2015 10:22:55 am

Hi Lorna!

Thank you so much for your lovely feedback, we are really glad you enjoyed our event and hope to see you again in future!

Best wishes.

I-Cheng Austen

1/11/2015 09:46:39 pm

We had a really excellent time and would definitely do it again and recommend it to others. Well organised, great goodie bag and a really top quality medal. The sweets en route were fun and motivating for my five-year-old daughter although I think the energy bars could be left out in future as you need to dispose of the wrappers and I saw a few on the ground. I would agree with what others have said about the dogs as my daughter was also scared of them as they barked and ran past us. I also think there were a few long stretches that could have done with being broken up by marshalls as it would have been unnerving to be on your own during that stretch (my sister-in-law was and felt a bit uncomfortable at one stage). Otherwise, what a great event and what a fantastic cause. Well done to a the organisers and volunteers on the night and a big thank you from us ☺

Chris Richards - Event Director

2/11/2015 10:34:38 am

Thank you so much for your lovely feedback, all of our volunteers really appreciate it!

Thanks also for the really helpful points you have raised. We are really proud of the medals, they are one of our biggest expenses... but definitely have an impact. The are ordered four months before the event and are custom made overseas, this is one of the reasons why we cannot exceed our limited number of entries.

Thanks for the feedback about the sweets, I will pass that on to John and Margaret. We thought about handing out sweets very late on in the organising process and I fully agree... it was a nice touch! I will try and provide buckets of sweets (without wrappers) in future and encourage children to bring a little bag too. Kind of trick or treating on the move!

I really appreciate your feedback about the longer stretches of the course too. You probably noticed that each Marshal position consisted of a male and a female (always two people). For this reason we needed to find 45 volunteers this year, which is no small task. Rather annoyingly, we were let down by five people on the night so were running short of help. In future I will try and bump up the number of volunteers and ensure that those longer stretches are broken up as suggested.

Dogs at running events are always a difficult subject and I very much see both sides of this particular issue, as it's also something we see regularly at Telford parkrun. I fully understand that some people run with their dogs regularly and that they're very much a part of the family (we have a large/friendly dog too). The other side of the coin is that not everyone likes dogs, or they may just feel intimidated by them. Dark Run 5k is an inclusive event and we made it clear from the start that we welcome everyone... but this is a subject that needs to be addressed. My personal opinion is that I would much rather see children have fun at Halloween in a safe, comfortable environment, than dogs having a bit of exercise. I will discuss this with the team and review our dog policy before next year.

Thank you so much again for your kind words, we really do appreciate it!

Best wishes.

Rebecca Harley

1/11/2015 10:20:38 pm

Sorry something I have just thought of which i know means more man power but really the section where there are a lot of steps to the right (almost a bit like an ampitheatre) really needs taping off. In the dark one slip and someone could do themselves a serious injury

Chris Richards - Event Director

2/11/2015 10:38:15 am

Hi Rebecca!

Thank you for highlighting this, we will do our best to address this issue in future.

Best wishes.

Leigh Preece

1/11/2015 10:23:07 pm

Was a great event and the first I've done and didn't feel left out.
The marshals/volunteers were great and helped us along the route, encouraging us along - just found the end a little distracting as we nearly headed to the wrong part of the park.
Only thing, as others mentioned - would be nice to be given the medal as soon as finished out of the bag to give a little sense of achievement :-)

Chris Richards - Event Director

2/11/2015 10:41:08 am

Hi Leigh!

Thanks ever so much for your great feedback, we really appreciate it. I will look to simplify the finish area next year, as well as handing out medals/goody bags shortly after participants cross the line. Thanks ever so much for highlighting these issues and helping us to improve!

Best wishes.

Alison Harper

1/11/2015 10:58:51 pm

Great well organised event. Fantastic atmosphere. Good run for all age groups.

Chris Richards - Event Director

2/11/2015 10:43:19 am

Hi Alison!

Thank you so much for your lovely feedback, I will ensure it is passed on to our wonderful volunteers.

Thanks again and best wishes.

Nicola Reid

2/11/2015 07:39:30 am

Fabulous evening, very well organised, well marshalled and lots of support. Would love Darkrun 2016

Chris Richards - Event Director

2/11/2015 10:45:26 am

Hi Nicola!

Thank you ever so much for your great feedback, we will do our very best to find enough sponsorship/volunteers to do it all again in 2016!

Best wishes and thanks again.

Lisa Thacker

2/11/2015 07:18:41 pm

Loved the event and very well organised. The atmosphere was fantastic and the marshals were brilliant. Others have suggested km markers and we would have found this helpful too. We thought we were much further round the course than we were!! Well done Chris and all organisers and volunteers, you did Telford proud 👍🏻

Dawn Huphries

2/11/2015 07:42:21 pm

A big thank you to all the marshals volunteers and event organisers. I took my daughter and her friend, we all loved the event, really well organised, they loved the warm up, fantastic atmosphere, we will be back again next year. I agree if the medal could have been given out separately over the finish line that would have been good, but other than that we loved it... Well done for a superb event.

Donna Hesbrook -Edwards

3/11/2015 07:41:01 pm

Hi, the dark run was great. First time I had ran in the dark and really enjoyed it. Great marshalls, great quality medal, great goody bag - perhaps the medal could have been handed out separately rather than being in the bag. Sweets were a nice touch but i didn't see them until I ran past. Never mind! KM marking would be good as i was really disoriented around the route but had my Garmin watch on so knew how far id ran, but alot of people wouldn't have this. Didn't mind the dogs, never heard any barking to be honest and the 2 huskies that ran past me looked great with their lights on. Brilliant. Great work xx

Theresa

5/11/2015 07:48:51 pm

What a great evening, so pleased my sister and brother in law booked our tickets ... Would definitely do it again ... Great atmosphere ... Thank you to everyone who gave up their time for such a great cause Thank you

Tony Dunning

5/11/2015 07:56:38 pm

Big thumbs up for the organisers of this multi faceted event 👍
The organisation and commitment was epic, to deliver this standard of run in the dark is very impressive indeed.

I'm so proud to say "I was there" and took part in the event, cheers to Anytime Fitness Telford thanks for giving me "a nudge" in the right direction !

Please post your feedback and reviews of Dark Run 5k (2015) below:

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