Does anybody know what the fastest course is in the UK. I'm thinking in terms of profile predominantly. One that is flat and/or has some nice downhill sections that aren't too steep. Thinking of running a half marathon later in the year or early next year and want a nice fast circuit to target a sub 1:20.

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Running Goals for 2010
1. Sub 5 minute mile
2. Sub 17 5k (Done in 16:57)
3. Sub 35 10k
4. Sub 1:20 half marathon

I read somewhere that Edinburgh was a fast 1/2 and full course.

O.

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Looking at top UK Half Mara times from last year, Newcastle-South Shields seemed to have been very popular amongst the quick times, so could well be worth taking a look, also a number of very quick times ran at Glasgow...

Check out Ranking List for the best of 2008

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www.richardsimkiss.co.uk
'The minimum requirement to achieve something is to believe that it's possible'

Bideford is completely flat, except for one brief incline.

suprised with glasgow as I heard you started up hill! I guess what goes up, must come down.....

O.

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It's a difficult one to judge. I've seen lists based on times, but these can be quite skewed. For example, Great North Run ranks high for finish time, but that's because you get a lot of elite athletes running it. For non-elites, it's not a good course for a PB because it's so crowded and I don't think the profile is that great. I'm asking for people with personal experience of a super fast course. It may be some minor little race somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Some gem that isn't too well known might be a great course.

Owain, Edinburgh is a fast one. That's the only one I've raced and got my 1:23 on, but I'm sure there must be an even faster course somewhere, because there are some slight inclines on the Edinburgh route near the end. I want flat as a pancake but with some nice down hills.

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Running Goals for 2010
1. Sub 5 minute mile
2. Sub 17 5k (Done in 16:57)
3. Sub 35 10k
4. Sub 1:20 half marathon

Based on number of runners in the rankings, Bath is the commonest race for fast times, then Newcastle and Reading are almost equal 2nd.

Cardiff is pretty flat and is in October so usually get good weather for a quick time.

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I run because I don't have to.

Apart from the hill at the start, Glasgow is fairly flat.

The Balloch to Clydebank half is an extremely fast course - its usually held the first week in March. Alloa may be a bit closer to you though, JB, so you might like to consider that too.

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Sub 1:50 half and sub-4 hour marathon (Thanks, Badz)

the birmingham one this oct should be pretty quick.. its a new route this year decided for the world champs which looks a lot flatter

http://www.birminghamhalfmarathon.com/raceinfo

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Kenilworth Runners | Doing hill sessions makes you a better person!
Challenged by RichardSimkiss: Sub 40min 10k by the end of 2010

Running is like mouthwash; if you can feel the burn, it's working.

Does this mean I can choose a route with some nice downhills to get closer to my one mile challenge?

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My Running Blog -

Challenge 1: set by Ray/d87heaven - Run a sub 50 10k - The Timeless Challenge

Challenge 2: set by Richard Simkiss - Run a sub 6 minute mile by July 2010

Is this really the way to target PBs though?
Its clear from your times that you have the ability to go go sub 1h20 on ANY course - just concentrate on the training instead of scouring the country for the 'easiest' course you can find

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Personal '2009' Goal 1 - sub-40 10K | status:39:12 at Carouges 10K - 26/09/09
Personal '2009' Goal 2 - sub-1h30 Half | status: no 'halfs' ran so far in 2009 (well ever in fact )
Personal '2010' Goal - sub-3Hr Marathon - Edinburgh 2010 | status: HELP!
RF Challenge - sub-37 10K & sub 1H27 Half before my inaugural marathon (Edinburgh 2010) (Grant) | status:in progress

Would say Alloa is a tough 1/2, you are climbing for quite a bit of the time and then the run along the foot of the hills with a head wind is tough, throw in the hills near the end and I would say there are faster courses out there.
Still a good race though and hope to do it again next year

O.

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You are of course right. It does seem like semi-cheating by just looking for an easy course, but then again a PB is a PB as long as it is a recognised race abiding by national race rules. I wouldn't, for instance, run a course that was entirely down hill. But for PBs I think it is ok to look for something as flat as possible, because it means your ability will determine your time and not the course. My current half pb was a fast course in that it was relatively flat. Don't think I could have run that time on a course with lots of undulations.

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Running Goals for 2010
1. Sub 5 minute mile
2. Sub 17 5k (Done in 16:57)
3. Sub 35 10k
4. Sub 1:20 half marathon

Jedburgh half is supposed to be mostly flat and not far from you! Might fit in with your timescale too. Jedburgh Half Marathon