To leave feedback, click the comments link at the very bottom (way down). You do not need to register with blogger to post a comment. You also do not have to be a RMEC member. We want every one's input.
How was the start? Did you like the course? Did packet pickup go okay? Did you like the awards? Was there enough food and drink? Was the course marked clearly? Did it get too crowded? Could we handle more runners? Did you like the shirt? Did you like the registration process?
Anything that was important to you, is important to us. We can only get better if we know what we did well, and where we need to improve.
Thank you!
Michael Forrester & Scott Wingfield
Thank you RMEC and volunteers for a smooth and seemingly well organized race experience. I'm sure alot of work went on in advance to ensure such a great innaugural race and I do appreciate your efforts! Nice course, very beautiful and just enough variation in the terrain/scenery to keep it interesting. I hope the Ford's Colony race becomes a "regular" here, and, at least from where I was, the course could handle another handful of runners if more interest is generated for next year's race....there will be a next year, right?
ReplyDeleteThe race went great from packet pick-up through the awards I thought it went very smoothly. All the hard work you put into it really paid off into a top class race. From my position on the course, I think it could handle more runners. I was concerned about the merge point for the 10k/5k but the runners were attentive and moved over so I never felt like I had to "manuever" through people. Course was beautiful with the change in surface a plus. Great job to all the volunteers that helped pull it off!!
ReplyDeleteMany thanks to the volunteers, organizers, and sponsors and congrats to all the runners ! I had a great time and particularly enjoyed the scenery....the course has really blossomed ! I thought the whole event was very well-organized and I saw lots of smiling faces. I am looking forward to next year !
ReplyDeleteI ran the 10K and I was very pleased with the entire event. RMEC did a wonderful job with organizing it and I think the race could easily handle more runners. Thank you to all the volunteers & Ford's Colony for allowing the race to be a big success!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! A terrific event. Well, planned and well executed.
ReplyDeleteI was a volunteer and especially appreciated the thought and preparations made to tell me individually exactly what I would do, when I needed to do it AND how it should be done.
Glad the race committee was careful not to have too many runner as congestion could have been a problem, but the number of runners could have doubled and everything would have been fine.
Nice shirts!
Maybe too many age group categories . . . but I guess it was nice for those who go recognition.
Post-race food was great!
Nice course to run, very pretty. Just no crowd support.
Should have put pins in packets.
Great for our community, Thank you all for putting this event on and working so hard to make it a success.
great run and congrats to those and you know who you are who volunteered and those who organized this fine event. I agree with Arthur, the course is so beautiful now!
ReplyDeleteI felt a little bunched at first then everyone thinned out nicely so more runners could be added for next years event.
I felt really bad on this run today( nauseated from the heat I guess) and needed more water than was out there, I felt they were a little too far apart, I only heard this comment from one other person, so maybe that was just us.
I didnt have a chance to stay afterwards but what I saw in the post race area was great!!
The shirts are nice!! Good choice of colors, Im tired of plain white!!!
Michael and Scott, you guys planned a nice race!!! Im anxious to run Medoc now!!!
I did hear that people came last night to Davenport at 730 and no one was there. Wasn't the time supposed to be until 8pm?
I had a great time. I've never run in a race before so I didn't know what to expect. From what I could tell, everything was very well organized. Love the shirt and enjoyed the post-race food and awards. The course is beautiful and it's a great place to run. I didn't think it was too crowded. After hole #1, it thinned out nicely and I think more runners could be easily handled. Thanks to everyone who organized, volunteered and sponsored.
ReplyDeletefantastic job!
ReplyDeletei have been so busy this week i didn't even look at the blog at all. i was sorry i missed the call for help on stuffing and course set up.
the course obviously was beautiful! i consider it a tough course as road races go since it basically rolled continually, but that's fine. combined with the heat though it was extra tough. i hope this will be an eagerly anticipated annual event, in which case i would love to see it at 7:00 a.m.
i think you could handle twice the runners easily (parking might be an issue). it would be necessary to switch the stagger which would alleviate crowding at the merge to the end. i understand the reasoning on the 10k going out first so the 5k didn't have to wait. crowding WAS NOT BAD, but it might be with more runners.
great:
volunteers
course
food
awards
shirt
not so:
wish there had been sports drink on course
bottled water ran out at finish long before food was gone
brent b
Thanks for a great race. It takes a lot of effort and preparation months in advance to produce the caliber of event that we enjoyed today. I am very proud to tell people we have a race like this in Rocky Mount.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciated the wave start format. That was so nice, no tripping, dodging, and being boxed in.
The top 4 in the 5k really fed off each other the entire race. I don't know that I will ever be a participant in a more exciting race right down to the finish. What a race!
Runner Dude
Great Race, beautiful location and very well organized. I hope it becomes a regular. Was my 1st 10k and the course was good. Good job in getting the results so quickly. Enjoyed the post race food and awards ceremony. Great job to everyone that participated.
ReplyDeleteThis is James Martin from Bethel. I am very grateful to your club for the fantastic job y'all did yesterday. It is not easy to put one of these races together. I hope the other sponsors read all the comments, I am grateful to them also for supporting this race. My experience was that the whole race evolution went really, really well, from on-line registration, to packet pickup, and the race was smooth start to finish. The course was beautiful and very tame (nice rolling terrain, no big hills). I have not run a race in almost 30 years, and technology has made a lot of things easier. I think you have room at the start, and on the course, to increase the number of runners a bit. I did not hit any bottle necks or tight spots. Your club is filled with really nice, patient, enthusiastic people. The food and drinks at the end of the race seemed pretty generous to me. You kept everything moving quickly and efficiently, even through the awards ceremony. The t-shirt and grab bag was fun. My wife has never seen a race before, and she was amazed that the whole event went so quickly and smoothly. You have wet my interest in running some more races. I will recommend this race to other runners I know. Well done folks! Keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteGreat event. Congrats to the guys that put it together. FC should pay for the exposure..........LOL.
ReplyDeleteThis was my first race and I am so glad I did it! The course was beautiful and the terrain was nicely rolling to keep me occuppied. I especially liked the age group awards since I got one and did not expect anything on my first race except to finish. The only negative I can say is I was at Davenport on Friday at 7:30pm along with several other people and no one was there for the packet pickup. Great job and thank you so much for the opportunity. I know a lot of time and effort went into this!
ReplyDeleteThanks to Michael, Scott and all the volunteers for putting on a great race. Loved the course and think you could easily handle more runners if parking will allow. The entire process (registration, packet pickup, etc.) went very smoothly. Next year please have temperture about 15 degress cooler!
ReplyDeleteThanks to Michael, Scott and all the volunteers for a great race. It was very well organized and smoothly executed. My only complaint was the weather!! I would say if next year is as hot and humid a third water stop would help.
ReplyDeleteThanks guys for all your hard work!!
Great race!! Lots of attention to detail, i.e., trash cans on course, prerace info, finish line emcee & etc. Nice medals, shirts and food. Hope this becomes a regular!
ReplyDeleteOne suggestion: Be nice to see a few more volunteers/medical personnel patroling course during run in the event of runner injury or medical emergency.
Larry M.
Keep the comments coming!
ReplyDeleteA few responses:
* REGARDING FORD'S COLONY:
Tracy, I know you were kidding, but it reminded me to let everyone know about how helpful they were. Damon at FC held off all tee times until 9:30 for us. They also provided all tables, ice, coolers, PA system, tent usage, indoor bathrooms and more. Without FC, this race would have been far more costly. Damon, also was there at 8:00 pm helping us set up the clubhouse, and there at 5:00 am icing down drinks, and bringing us a stapler in total darkness when ours stopped working on the course. These guys were GREAT to work with.
* REGARDING SPORTS DRINK
Good feedback Brent. This may be possible next year. When we pitched this idea to FC, we tried to address all potential problems to ensure them we would not have any negative impact on the course. We told them we would only have water on the course so we would not attract ants or bees. Now that we have held a successful event, this might be possible for 2009.
* REGARDING POST RACE WATER
We did briefly run out of water at the end of the event. FC loaned us water on the spot, and we also bought two more cases. That being said, we should have prepared better. We did not anticipate so many people drinking who did not run. Next year we will have more fluids, and also a cooler of iced water so people can refill their bottles.
* REGARDING PACKET PICKUP:
We apologize to any runners who came by Davenport after 7:30 pm. In all of our original materials we stated 8:00 pm was the cut off. Once we found out the dealership closed at 7:00 we tried to communicate this to everyone, but this was too late to reach everyone. This was OUR error, and it will be corrected in 2009. Again our apologies.
Please continue to comment. We are looking for feedback from everyone. Fast, Slow, Runners, Walkers, etc. Everyone's opinions matter, and it will make for a better race in 2009.
I have some that have been emailed that I will post shortly. I will keep these as anonymous post, but still wanted to share the feedback.
I just wanted you to know I thought the entire event was well planned and our group had a great time
ReplyDeletethanks
Great job of organizing. Good number of people and a most interesting, enjoyable course. One of the most difficult days to run in a long time for me personally and it showed in my poor 10K time.
ReplyDeleteLoved the format and Ford's Colony was much more attractive than I anticipated. Good to see all the Friends there.
A few issues here, but the first being THANK YOU so very much for an excellent run. The logistics of the run was so perfectly orchestrated that everything fell into place without a hitch (as viewed by a runner). The running trail was perfect as well. Some people complained about the hills, but when I reminded them of the inclines and declines at the Boston Marathon, they understood how important these little hills were. Personally, I loved the whole trail- well with the exception of the pine cones in that little spot where we cut the paved corner right there at the starting point. The runners were more focused on get some distance vice having to worry about stepping on a pine cone and twisting an ankle. My only suggestion would be to check those paths at the last minute prior to the race, so the runners don’t have that worry. Those areas later in the race that may or may not have pinecones on the track are not as important as the runner now has time to focus on his/her own foot placement.
ReplyDeleteCONGRATULATIONS to all race participants! And a giant THANK YOU to the race directors, race committee, RMEC, Ford's Colony, volunteers, and the sponsors. What a fun event! And one that we can be so proud of in our own community.
ReplyDeleteI loved it (except for the humidity). I had the rare privilege to see first-hand the many hours and detailed planning (within a short timeframe) that went into this and it definitely paid off. If I had it to do over, I would have carried my own fluids because of the humid conditions. I was just not thinking. The water stations were well managed and there was plenty of water there. It was just not enough for me personally in the hot conditions. There was plenty of room on the course and I never felt crowded from beginning to end. I think more runners could be accommodated. At many points on the course, you could see runners far ahead and behind you because of the way it wound around the golf course. It was very scenic with lots of gradual ups and downs but nothing steep.
Afterwards, I would have preferred the fluids to be right there at the finish (perhaps someone handing out water bottles to you after the chips were removed). But it was okay to have them under the tent. The post-race food was plentiful. Who doesn't like Chik-fil-A minis, muffins, and chocolate chip cookies? Yum Yum!
The timing worked well too. Results were posted by lunch time. You can't beat that for promptness.
Next year, maybe a kid's race could be added. I hope this becomes an annual event.
FORD'S COLONY RACES ROCK!!!
Michael and FC,
ReplyDeleteThe last comment posted under my name was actually by my husband who WAS KIDDING. I dont want everyone to think that I didnt appreciate everything that was done in order to pull this race off. I again thank everyone for their hard work, ignore his comment!!!!
TRACY H
No worries Tracy! I knew the comment was made in jest.
ReplyDeleteIt just reminded me to point out the things they did to help, becuase I forgot to say this before the awards.
What an awesome race. If some people didn't know it, I don't think we could have ever convinced them that this was the first race that RMEC ever put on.
ReplyDeleteI think everything went off flawlessly. I was very impressed with the organization of it all and how smoothly everything went.
The food and drinks at the end were great.
I believe we could have handled more runners.
Thank you to Davenport Honda and Ford's Colony for sponsoring and allowing RMEC to put this together here in Rocky Mount. Thanks to all of the other sponsors as well.
My hat's off to Michael, Scott, and all the rest of the RMEC members and others who volunteered their time to make this a "First Class Event". I look forward to more of them in the future.
You guys did a great job with the race this past weekend. The event was alot of fun! Thanks for all of the effort you put into it.
ReplyDeleteWhat a
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome event. Well planned and executed. Thanks to all who helped put this event together. Course was well marked and easy to maneuver. I also agree that it could handle more runners. I have heard nothing but positive remarks. Looking forward to many more great Rocky Mount races!
ReplyDeleteVery impressed with the super human guy who road his bike to race, placed in his age group and road off (before awards) to finish his workout. Who knew the ghost of Mark Allen past would show up in Rocky Mount?
ReplyDeleteGo Cliff Go!
ReplyDeleteAnd did you happen to notice the really cool bike he was riding?! If so, please let him know how great he looked on it. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI can't say anything more than has already been said. Great race! Many thanks to all the hard working folks.
ReplyDeleteKinnie
Nice race. Enjoyed it alot. Could have doubled the number of runners. I'll be there next year.
ReplyDeleteWould have been nice if we could have recycled all those plastic bottles.
The race certainly seemed well attended and managed for a first time race. I do, however, have a few ideas for improvement. First of all the velcro chip bands literally "cut" into the skin of many runners. I would advise using the neoprene straps triathletes use to put their chips on during a "tri". Also, 1 more water station on a day as humid as Saturday would have been nice. The food choices and availabilty after the race were good except not having enough of an electrolyte beverage for the slower runners and walkers. Overall the organizers did a very nice job!
ReplyDeleteTwo comments i have seen that i agree with:
ReplyDelete1) one more water station would have been nice
2) would have been nice to be able to recycle all the bottles
Thanks for a great race! Course was beautiful! Timing for the corrals was well done and having the results so quickly was great. With the weather being so warm it would have been great to have an additional water stop. Post race "spread" was great! Lots of variety..but needed more sports drinks available. Overall, excellent!
ReplyDeleteIt was great! (Except for the heat and humidity.) Thanks for organizing this event Michael!
ReplyDeleteElaine
Responded just after the race, but not on this spot. Thought the race was well run, water stops handled well, and an absolutely beautiful course. While the heat and humidity were oppressive, thought the whole race went great. Liked the prompt posting of the results as well.
ReplyDeleteSuggestion: The timer bands were abrasive. Several folks had cuts and abrasions from the Velcro. Suggest they change to neoprene.
Andy