Maverick Race Reviews 75

I have run many runs with Maverick they have always been excellent. Very well run, great vibes, flexible if you need to transfer for whatever reason. An epic company putting on epic events.

These events company is amazing. I joined their South Downs Way half marathon literally 2 hours before the race started and they were so helpful. Amazing vibes and very well organised.

Really great races. Well organised, great atmosphere and reasonable price.
The sponsor, precision fuel and hydration are awesome too and give out delicious free gels

Took part in the dark castle event and must say, what a Brilliantly organised and fun event. Must be hard to put on something like that but well done.
Lovely, friendly and highly enjoyable!

Great Race - South Downs 2023. Fantastic race, great route, very well organised and easy to follow signposting. Very good fuel stations and great atmosphere all round

Have run with Maverick and also marshalled for them. Really good courses, clearly labelled with exciting and beautiful routes. I always find them easy to communicate with by email and helpful. Professional but unpretentious. Great range of merchandise at events via the Adidas link. Friendly team at races who all seem to muck in and lead by example. All good.

Very well organised from start to finish, not *too* pricey (compared to a fell race its a fortune, but I'm cheap) and a well designed route, especially the very evil bog of bogginess shoe-horned into the last mile just to break you.

Only real things that could improve these events:

1) Make it absolutely clear they are self-supported for drinks if you don't bring your own cup on the run with you. I get the environmental reasoning, but having cardboard cups is hardly going to trash the environment compared to the impact of all the cars driving to the event. I was a bit annoyed that the feed station had no option just to cool down or get a bit of refreshment from a cardboard cup of water...

2) Dump the 2nd/3rd prizes and consider adding age graded prizes. The events are already super inclusive, so why not make them inclusive regarding age grading as well? Mainly bitter because I won the M40 and didn't get anything 😁

Always excellent organisation. Creating a real sense of community. Brilliant courses, fun to run, easy to navigate. The best running event company I’ve ever used.

Well organised, great routes, popular running company. I have run with Maverick a fair few times and always enjoy the experience.
One gripe, the queue for the coffee is too long. An hour! That needs sorting. Either another coffee provider or more staff. The cakes are brilliant though.

New Forest Original 13km.

Excellent pre-race email communication.

Car parking was well organised.

The route was well thought out and landscape was fantastic to run through. All enhanced by the glorious sunshine. It was well signed and marshals were good and encouraging. Perhaps could have done with a couple more at road crossing into the campsite.

One thing that wasn't so good.

The fact that runners with dogs started at the same time as all other runners. It was a large field and for the first three to four kilometers it was annoying having to negotiate dogs and their runners, some of which were on long leads. Definitely potential for trips and collisions!

Surely it would be better to start dogs either before the main field of runners, or after? Other races I've done have done this.

One of the best trail racing organisations in the UK. The routes are well thought out, challenging and clearly marked. The only thing I dislike is the inclusion of dog runners at certain events. Running at night on the trails is difficult enough without dogs - some on extended leads and others off-leash - getting in the way. They should only be allowed during the daytime races.

I have been running races hosted by Maverick since 2017 and have loved every single one. The courses are challenging but scenic and the choice of different distances means I can chose an option appropriate to my level of fitness for that time. The best thing about the races is the atmosphere: the lovely staff and volunteers, and the stunning photos and the lovely medals and goodies at the end.

I’ve done many of their races over the years and not found any that are better organised or more fun to do. They choose picturesque but tough routes and always have great atmosphere.

Maverick dark race was absolutely brilliant, Will definitely be signing up for more races next year.

All round fantastically organised trail races in brilliant locations with great routes. Event staff and marshals are always fantastic, aid stations are well stocked, and the goodies at the end are always welcome.
Maverick have teamed up with some good product partners too, meaning you can try out shoes or headtorches or bits of equipment before you buy, which is brilliant. Can't really fault too much.
3 points I'd like to see improved though.
1 - What's the point of sending out a race brief video to watch in the 3 emails you get prior to the race and then still do a pre-event briefing? I understand people may not read their email or something may crop up on the day of the event, but is it necessary to redo the whole briefing?! Either remove it from the email and say attend pre-race brief or don't have the race brief on the day and save everyone 10 minutes of standing around getting cold, plus you can't hear it from the back of the start funnel anyway over all the excited chatter and barking dogs.
2 - give people the option of paying for a medal. I'd rather not have one and pay £3 less (or whatever it costs) or get Maverick to plant a tree or donate a meal to local homeless shelter or something, like a lot of other races are doing now.
3 - please, please, please have a separate start wave for the canicross runners 10 or 15 mins either before or after the mass start. Having done Maverick races as a dogless runner and a canicrosser, having to start at the back with a dog and then weave through a couple of hundred people is insane when your dog starts like a rocket, and having to avoid tripping over fast-moving dogs with 2m leads attached to their owners behind them when I've been a 'normal' runner is also dangerous. It seems like such a simple solution to separate them and I've seen loads of people ask for it, so can't understand why it hasn't been officially implemented yet.

Would have been 5 stars if not for those 3 things!

Did my first Maverick run last weekend after friends saying great things about them.
Maverick Dark in West Sussex, what an event. Loved the whole experience, the organisation, the people, the course and the facilities were all excellent.
I will definitely be back to another event

Just did the 50km ultra from Slindon College. Very hard course. Last hill broke me! Aid stations and volunteers were all great 😊. However the number of toilets at the start was woefully inadequate. Needed twice the number. The medal was poor. No indication of what distance you had done.

Just did the Suffolk race - my first with Maverick - and I thought it was a really well run event in a lovely area. Pre-event info was spot on, briefing was, erm, brief but everything necessary was shared. I really liked the course - good trails, really well signed. Nice friendly event vibe and event "village" and swag all spot on. I'll definitely look to do more of their events, highly recommended

I’ve done several Maverick events in the South and South-West. The communication snd professionalism of the team is excellent. I I’ve done short 11/12km distances and longer 20km plus. Every one was a great course, well marshalled, well signposted, and the organisers and marshals positive. I’ve also met some lovely fellow runners at the events. I recommend 100%.

Have done several maverick races over the last year or two. The routes and organisation are always brilliant. Would highly recommend!!