Running GP at Goodwood Motor Circuit – December

I undertook the 50k Ultra at Goodwood Motor Circuit hosted by Runthrough and it was an excellent event. The parking was easy to find, fully marshalled throughout and plenty of water throughout the route. The staff were all friendly and make me feel welcome. The medal was nice as well. Only thing I'd change is to have a bit more fuel at an aid station. They bought bananas out after I'd done 7 laps of the track and bananas are a perfect "slow-release" fuel so to have had them earlier on as well, would have been even better. But no, nothing to fault and I'd definitely sign up to do this event again

What a great day! Running the actual Goodwood race circuit is pretty cool, lovely even surface, reasonably flat and the small plans and helicopters flying in and out from the centre of the track is an added bonus. Plenty of friendly marshalls to cheer you on and the very fun and enthusiastic co-ordinator on the mic at the start of each lap really helped keep everyone going. Only criticism would be that there aren’t a lot of places to get anything to eat once inside the event; and having to keep track of your own laps, there’s no counters, only quite random mileage signs dotted around. It’s 11 laps for a marathon which sounds easy to count but when you’re totally exhausted it’s very easy to loose track - case in point, I ended up running 12! 🤦‍♀️

This was my first official event (aside from ParkRuns) and it was all very well organised, good signage, quick pack collection and kind faces when I had a stupid question. From a purely selfish POV the only very minor thing was considering the 10k group was apparently the biggest, there don’t seem to be as many pictures of it as the other coloured numbers but that’s only a thing because I was faster than I had anticipated and my family didn’t make it back in time to watch me cross the finish line (young children hiding from the weather in the car). It was very cold and windy but running a relatively flat track was a lovely change from my usual route at home! Nice group warm-ups were a good start to the run too. Thank you so much from this newbie!

This is the 3rd time in 2021 I have marathoned it at Goodwood. Plusses: Easy and free parking Lots of 'proper' toilets - no portaloos Experienced and friendly organisers. On course 'marshalls' /encouragers a mixed bunch but ok Vendors: coffee to tee-shirts Goodwood 'Stadium' is made for large numbers of people. So having running events is square pegs/square holes No tree - roots, no rabbit holes, no brambles, no irritating cyclists, no unexpected 3feet deep puddles... NO CARS/TRACTORS/ MOTORCYCLES! It is a road marathon. Each lap has a couple of inclines: not hills! A few undulations are better than completely flat - take my word for that. Definite chance of PB, if you make this event a focus. I ran my PB here in April 2021 Easy to 'dump' your ill thought out running wear choices - rucksack, donkey jacket, trackie bottoms etc beside the track and pick them up later. Perfect - good solid and wide, non potholed surface. Safe for wheelchair athletes, those requiring someone to run with them etc Cons: 11 laps... ELEVEN! Not much to distract you, it's a motor racing circuit - practicality and safety first. Tho when everyone 5k>marathon are on the track there are more distractions The North wind can be chilly, in December it can definitely hinder one's progress - it blows on the up inclines rather than the down(!). I recommend layer or layers that are easy to carry: jackets that squeeze into your pocket or rucksack /bum bag - remember once you are in your stride you'll be 20°f hotter. Nowhere - trees, barns, hedges, shop doorways, open car windows 😀 to pee in if necessary. One has to go off the track to find loos. 1 water stop at the beginning of each lap - however, do we need more? No Haribo, whatever, available - just bottled water. No changing or shower facilities

Highly Recommended COVID Safe Event. Excellent fun, very well organised COVID safe event, which was inclusive for all abilities. On a minor note, results do not appear on Power of 10 (presumably due to the COVID restrictions of the race/staggered starts?). Regardless of this, after such a long period of not competing, it felt so good to race again! I would highly recommend this venue for a race!

Good location, but organisation on the day needs a polish. As you would expect from a run planned at a destination deliberately designed to host events, there are lots of positives associated with running around the Goodwood Motor Racing Circuit. It is easy to get to, has plenty of parking, albeit in a field for those who arrive a bit later, just about enough toilet blocks (although there is a bit of queuing just before the more popular events, like the 10k), and some modest shelter from the rain (if not the wind) for any supporters. Another coffee shop would not have gone amiss however, as the queues were pretty long. The course itself is a decent running surface and while the repeated laps (1.25 laps for 5k, 2.5 for 10k, 5.25 for half-marathon and 11.5 for full marathon) might be a bit boring, the staggered starts (marathoners start at 0900, 20-milers at 0930, HM-ers at 1000, 10k'ers at 1030, 5k'ers at 1100) means that there is always a mixed ability crowd on the circuit. While this is good for plodders like me, it does make it more tricky for the faster athletes, who have to thread their way through a different crowd each lap, although they also have a fresh batch of 'pacers' so it probably balances out! As you would expect from a motor circuit with an airfield in the middle, the track is very flat and exposed to the wind and rain so it is better to start wearing an extra layer / hat / gloves on a cold day as you always have the option of ditching clothing as you run past the start line on each circuit. The GP events team is a well-recognised name for running events, so their website is clear and registration is easy. The medals are bespoke and 'bling' enough to make your running friends jealous, so that's always a win. Track-side entertainment was provided by a steel-drummer, who raised morale on a chilly into-wind stretch! A minor point was that the organisation on the day was a bit sporadic, so while there were coordinated warm-ups for the marathon, 20-miler and 10k races, the race marshal seemed distracted at the start of the half-marathon and the warm-up disappeared, and while there was water on every lap, the food (bananas and flap-jacks, no gels) only appeared on the final lap of the half-marathon. If food was there before it was well-hidden and not being offered to runners, and I could have done with a gel boost at an earlier stage in the race (if only to counter the wind-chill). All-in-all though, a decent event, with a cracking T-shirt, medal and snacks at the end. Just make sure your supporters wrap-up warmly!

Well organised event. Luckily the rain stayed away.. might not have been so good as very exposed course, but nice and flat. Well organised although having surname initials above registration tables would have helped people queue up in the right place! Bigger t-shirts would be great. Loudspeaker organiser and staff really nice and everyone was helpful. Car parking excellent. Shame there was an extra 300m run as some people were just over their PBs! Overall, really good, well attended and would sign up again.

Running Grand Prix 10k. Goodwood is always a superb venue to race at, especially at this time of year as the grounds are decorated beautifully. This race is fun, fast and flat, a great place to set a PB! This event had lots of different distances taking place but the organisation accounts for this and makes every runner ready to finish their event. The huge perks of this race includes 1. free photographs 2. a runners village 3. bag drop off 4. Loads of pot race snacks. The medal is awesome also. If you want to read my more extensive review go check it out at: https://twentyodd.com/2019/09/24/running-grand-prix-10k/ As always thank you 'Find A Race' for making the discovery of these events so easy!