The Run Sandringham Half Marathon organised by Good Running Events takes place in the grounds of the Sandringham Estate on a meandering trail run through the woodlands and paths surrounding the royal residence.
I have personal beef with this race, last year the race took place at the start of a heatwave, leaving me a red-faced mess by the end of the race with a personal worst performance and a pledge never to enter this one again. This year was the opposite, rain in the days leading up to the race left the course muddy and soft which considering the majority of it takes place on dirt track instead of hardpack or tarmac meant that runners who hadn’t packed trail shoes were left slipping and sliding. Within the first half an hour of the starting pistol the heavens opened with reckless abandon causing some to seek shelter under trees and others to grit their teeth and push through it. Mercifully the rain didn’t last long but left the conditions humid and muggy for the remainder of the race.
The actual organisation of the race was excellent, the race village had ample facilities for the runners including toilets, food and merchant stalls, plenty of marshals and water stops.
The Medal
The medal is a decent size and weight, made of cast metal depicting 2 people running past the Estate house with the race name below them and surrounded with leaves. detailing is provided by royal blue enamel and an oxide finish to darken the background slightly in the detail of the house. There is also an iTab insert on the back.
There is nothing on the medal that displays the date of the race or the distance. which is an improvement on last year, where the same medal was given to all distances and displayed all distances on the medal, However this is the same situation, which cheapens the award factor a bit.
| Weight | 60g |
| Dimensions | 68mm dia. |
| Material | Metal and enamel |
The ribbon is high quality with soft and silky, and an improvement on last year by adding the same leaves that appear on the medal in a slightly lighter blue to the background, the name and date of the race are in white as well as the race and organisers logos.
Overall I rate this medal 6/10
The size, weight and quality of this medal are good, but the lack of date and distance on the medal itself cheapen the overall effect, if they provided a distance pin badge the score would be improved but you can tell this was done as a cost cutting measure which is not appreciated by participants.
