What the Runners said...

Sri Chinmoy Running & Fitness Festival, Williamstown 2005 - 2010

2010

Thank-you for the great event on Sunday. It was well run as all Sri Chinmoy events are and the course, volunteers and facilities were excellent. - Kevin Mannix.

It was a really good event – well organized and the officials and volunteers were all friendly and so helpful - Gladys Woods

"Very, very impressed with the organisers... good spirit out there onthe course, great volunteers and nice to get freshly cooked pancakes at the finish." - Dontstop.
I was impressed by the level of organisation in general. The volunteers at the drinks stations were fantastic - really good to see smiling and encouraging folk along the way. A great atmosphere and a lot of fun. – LukeF
I was a participant in the half-marathon at Williamstown on Sunday May 30thand whilst it wasn't my first at this distance, it was my first Sri Chinmoy event and for me it was by far the most enjoyable. I'm not a huge fan of crowds and the logistics on race day, but with this event everything was so stress-free. I run purely for my own chill-out pleasure and absolutely loved the size of the event, the location and the delightful food afterwards. The apple crumble is worth it alone! The event had a wonderful, almost family atmosphere with so many people/clubs supporting each other along the course. Well done to a great event and I definitely want to do Sri Chinmoy events in the future.  From a participant, I want to thank everyone who helped out from the cooking to the drink stations and the encouragement along the way as that's what makes the event so pleasurable for us and made me think that volunteering is something I would like to do in the future. I just wanted to pass on my thanks and gratitude to all involved in the Williamstown Running Festival - Lynne.

I have done a few Sri Chinmoy events in the past, but decided to come down to compete in the Marathon. A great event, well organised and the generosity of the volunteers out and about for the day made it a very stress-free environment. Thanks - Miranda Price

"Good morning for a run. Just a few drops of rain before the start,then the Sri Chinmoy spirit took over and it was fine"- Greybeard.

The event was very well run and I would like to thank Sri Chinmoy and the helpers for their efforts! I have been involved in cycle racing for some years and many events are not organised nearly as well. - Cam Hudson

Terrific atmosphere, great Sri Chinmoy organisation... a good morning all around. - Courtneylove

Another thanks for Sri Chinmoy and the friendly volunteers for putting on a great event. - Don Bob

Thanks so much for a great event (and for the pancake, banana and pumpkin soup!).  Looking forward to participating in many more. - Colleen Miller

Thanks for a great event on Sunday. The organisation was first class, the volunteers & marshals all friendly and the food at the end was fantastic. The warm soup was wonderful for me after a long run - had two cups!! Cheers - Keith Fagg

"There was a little drizzle-but not worthy of calling rain so I'llmaintain that it never rains at Sri Chinmoy events."- Wombatouofhell

Great event as usual. - Jason M

Great effort by all volunteers, race organisers and everyone involved - and thanks again to all the support offered on course. – FitzCameron.

This was my first Half Marathon and I just wanted to drop you a note to thank you for the event it is very well run and very encouraging. Thanks again. - Dave Marks

Firstly, thank you for the excellent event that you put on last Sunday.  As a marathon competitor, I found the aid stations outstanding and the level of support from Sri Chinmoy volunteers just wonderful!  Very much appreciated especially on the later stages of the course. - Belinda

I loved this event. It was my first "small" marathon and I loved the ease of it - entry on the day, parking close the start and staying in my warm car until 1 minute before start, no congestion anywhere. I was really impressed with the organisation with all the different events going on at the same and no clashes anywhere. Heaps of aid stations with no congestion. This will definitely become a permanent fixture in my calendar. - Cjr

Very enjoyable run, though, and as usual, well organised. - Clairexx444

It still hasn't rained at a Sri Chinmoy event! I also learnt a great deal about myself not only during this marathon but also during the month as well. Not only on a running level but as a person as well. Thanks to everyone who was there on the day and I hope to see you all soon. - Dave

Another successful run at Williamstown! I do love that course, and thoroughly enjoy the event and an even bigger thank you for such a good day! - Rachel Bowerman.

Just wanted to say what a fantastic day our team from Ballarat had at the Williamstown run on May 30.  This was my first attempt at the half marathon.  Thanks again for a well organised event.  Regards, Kay Hutchinson (520)

Thanks for a great day and well organized run on Sunday. - Bernadette Briglia

Thank you.  I forgot to tell you how much I enjoyed the race and the atmosphere and will definitely be back. Cheers, - Kimbra

2008

I just would like to thank everyone involved in the successful running festival held at Williamstown on Sunday, 25th May. I was overwhelmed with everyone's warmth, friendliness and encouragement. Although I didn't run my best marathon time, it really didn't matter as I was made to feel very proud of my effort for just participating. Then to top it off, I was awarded 1st place in my age group and was made to feel very special by the organisers there. Once again, it was a well organised event from Sri Chinmoy and I look forward to many more runs with you. Many hugs and thanks .... Nicky

Just wanted to send a note to say thanks and well done on one of Melbourne Best Value for Money Fun Run. Seemed like a huge crowd this morning which you coped with very well and a great friendly atmosphere. Keep up the great work and look forward to my next event with you in July. Regards
Phil

Congratulations on a great event on Sunday at Williamstown, been in lots of fun runs now and we rated it second only to the Run for the
Kids. Well done again though on a great morning of running. Regards Sid Jage

Hello Sri Chinmoy,

Well done on a thoroughly enjoyable event yesterday morning. The course was terrific and allowed me to significantly improve on my previous result. Speaking of results, it's superb to see them available today, that's excellent. Thanks again for an excellent day. I look forward to the next local event. Kind regards, Tim

The race was great and the people were great. I will be doing more races run by you guys, as I found the atmosphere fantastic. Thanks again. Nicky

And a sample of comments from Coolrunning

It was great day. I particularly liked the apple crumble - especially with copious quantities of maple syrup on it! - J.

I thought it was perfect this morning when they quietly let us all know that we didn't need to stress out if we were still standing in a queue - the race wouldn't start without us. For that, the pancakes and everything else - thank you Sri Chinmoy!-Grey Beard

Food at the end was fantastic-Grat

Gotta hand it to those gentle people from Sri Chinmoy - they sure know how to run a nice friendly community event. Sri Chinmoy runs = peaceful good feelings.- Aura111

2007

To the fabulous organisers of Sunday's event,

Your event on Sunday was great. So well organised, great course, beautiful beachfront, loads of water stations, friendly faces, and a fantastic breaky. I am excited for the next Sri Chinmoy event i can enter, i will definitely be back for another of your races.

Thank you very much for such a great Sunday morning,

Bec

Hiya!

I just wanted to send a quick email to say.. congratulations on a great event. At 38yo I'm a beginner at competing. Taking baby steps at the moment, and with a little bit of running riding and cycling things are looking good. I am not one for running, but together with my personal trainer I was fit enough and comfortable enough to do my first ever fun run (albeit 4km).

I have attended and supported friends of mine in other running and triathlon events, and have seen a lot of the organisation they put in.. but I have to say you guys ROCK!!!..

Top quality, the food, the facilities were excellent. Keep up the great work, and looking forward to my next one...

Regards

Stan

To whom it may concern:

My son is aged 14, and I am aged 42 and we have been doing fun runs together now for 5 years . We have done YMCA runs (sun rise series), raced the Echuca Paddle Steamer, run the Olympic Dream & Start to Finish runs, but found we needed to do more runs.

In reading Runners World we found Sri Chinmoy had fun runs. We entered our 1st run at Williamstown in 2005 and found that Sri Chinmoy have the best run events, their friendly volunteers encourage all competitors, no waiting around for awards, very well organised events with great courses to run.
Once again thank you for your great events and we look forward to entering your next event for us .... keep up the great work.

Thanks

Greg
PS : The Pancakes are the best

As a first time Marathon Runner I wanted to pass on my thanks to all those involved with the Williamstown Fitness Festival.

I had run with Sri Chinmoy for the first time in 2006 at the Marybyrnong Fun Run and knew from that experience that this was the ideal group to tackle my fist Marathon.

The course was well laid out and sign posted. Those at the checkpoints, crossings, manning drink stations were wonderful. I can't count the number of times I received encouragement as I ran. It made the difference for sure.

Brad

Thank you for another great Sri Chinmoy event. See you at another one soon.

Sue

PS. Your pancakes are becoming very popular.

Dear Race Team,

Loved the event last weekend, was very well organised and a magnificent course.

Regards,
Shelli

Hey Folks,

I started running about 6 months ago and the event last Sunday was my first running event with Sri Chinmoy. I found the event extremely well organised. All the helpers/staff were understanding, thoughtful and helpful.

Well done!

I look forward to attending more of you races.

Emma

Hi All,

This is the second race I have done in Melbourne with Sri Chinmoy + I have done some of your triathlons in Canberra.

Another awesome effort by everyone on Sunday – thanks so much. Everyone is always really nice and encouraging and I think this rubs of on the entrants, as everyone is usually really encouraging to everyone.

Thanks again.

Chris

Thanks for putting us on the front page of this flyer, I think our pink singlet made us stand out a little. There were a team of seven women who ran the half marathon and apart from me no one had completed one before but with a lot of dedication, determination and training we all completed it successfully. The girls were all thrilled with themselves and with our average being 40 I think it was a brilliant effort, proving its never too late to start running.

Well done, might see you next year.

Regards

Michelle

Hi there,

Just a quick note to say thanks for the great organisation of the run on the 27th. It was a big day for me as I had never quite got to 10km before, (I really wanted a medal to show everyone I'd done it!!-maybe Ill have to pick up my speed next time - i think i was almost last!). I love the way in which your volunteers are earnestly encouraging at each point of the race. it really helps. The pancakes are great as well.

Thanks again,

Sara

I thought the organisers and volunteers did a fabulous job and will certainly be looking out for more Sri Chinmoy races in the future.

Casie

It really is a beautiful place to run. I love looking out to the sea and the Breakfast looked very well presented afterwards. I was very grateful I got out of bed after all.

Wombatoutofhell

Another great Sri Chinmoy event. In one sense I'm a happy camper, got a pb, 93:43, but couldn't break the 90 min barrier.

Superjacent

Well done to the organisers and volunteers - that was a great event.

Mick

Sri Chinmoy always do a great job and I love the social aspect of catching up with friends old and new at the events.

Courtlylove

My first Sri Chinmoy event was a pretty good one. They do a great job with the marking of the course, directing traffic and drink and food stations as well.

FIT PT

Made the pre-dawn trip down from the hills yesterday morning after scraping the ice off the windscreen, first decent frost for the year. As the sun rose, it was obvious there would not be a cloud in the sky, perfectly dialled up weather by the Sri Chinmoys.

Well done again Sri Chinmoy on the great organisation and a well run event. Will be back next year..... again.

Chilliman

2006

I have been a participant in quite a few of your events over the past few years and I have always found the enjoyment factor even better because of the beautiful nature of your volunteer staff.  Today I ran the half marathon and struggled a bit but every time I went through a drink station or past one of your road volunteers there was always encouragement.  It's not just the encouragement though - it's the grace with which it's given.  Thank you so much - I look forward to seeing you all again at another of your events in the near future. Kindest Regards

Christine Scott

Another perfect Sri Chinmoy day - I hope the 'professional' event organisers come and see how they do it. Started on time - clear markings - fantastic food and drinks, great finish line. Wonderful - the organisers should be extremely proud.

Slim DJ

Yesterday was the first time that I have run a Sri Chinmoy event. I would like to congratulate the organisers for the event. Great support from officials on the course, plenty of drink stations, lots of signage with km's positions, and also everyone having a great time. Well Done!!! See you at your next event. Kind Regards,

Adam Heathcote

I wanted to pass on my thanks for another spectacular event. I have run in many different locations and cities and your event is one of the very best. This was my 9th marathon overall and I couldn't have hoped for a better day out. I particularly wanted to say thanks to the volunteers for their smiling faces and words of encouragement all along the course. You should all be commended on a fantastic effort. Again many thanks and I can't wait till next year.

Robert Virgona

I wanted to say how much I enjoyed the course for the run last Sunday.
It really was delightful. Thank you and the organisers for the delicious food you provided and all the hard work involved. See you at the next run. Kind regards

Judy Wines

This was the first Sri Chinmoy event that I have attended and I must say that I was very impressed! It was well organised and the pancakes were superb.  Thanks to the volunteers for doing such a great job. I'll definitely be coming back for more. - Beki

Well done to everyone, I was very impressed with my first Sri Chinmoy event - great stuff and thanks to the organisers and volunteers!

Michael

What a glorious day. Perfect weather and the Sri Chinmoy people always put on a good event. Thanks to all the marshals and attendants

Morley

This is the biggest event on the Sri Chinmoy calendar & a real Melbourne favourite. What a terrific day (& the weather [Big Grin] ) they always put on

Stu Mac

Sri Chinmoy are renowned for putting on great events, and Sundays' was no exception. Plenty of aid stations, staffed with encouraging volunteers; accurate kilometre markings, a great finish-line atmosphere inside the stadium; and of course the post-race pancakes and apple crumble, all made for a great day. Well done!

David Criniti - Male Marathon Winner 2006 (2.41:33)

2005

Congratulations on a great day. I absolutely loved the new course. I did the 10k course. Everyone I talked to also were impressed. The pancakes as usual were fabulous. I heard very favourable comments on the marshalling on the courses. Thank you for a fantasic day.

Sue Nixon

Thank you very much for a great event. Perfect weather, perfect organisation, much improved race course, friendly helpers, great post-run catering. And compared with other events a reasonable entry fee which doesn't make one feel ripped off. Well done. I'll be back next year!

Thomas

A great event, first time on this event for me - a great course, really scenic, drink tables were good, friendly helpers, the whole event was well organised and great location and facilities - and pancakes at the end were the best! Thanks

Glen Stander

I would like to congratulate each and every one of your team for staging a fantastic event. This has to certainly go down as one of my best races on a fantastic course (ran a pb!). The services on offer were fantastic with the great massages and wonderful food on offer post race! Your events keep getting better and better which will keep me coming back! Keep up the fantastic work!

Nick Iliopoulos

Thanks you to all of the race officials, marshals, drinks people, caterers and the wonderful "Touch of Health" massage staff. As usuall you put on a terrific turn and I promise that injuries permitting I will be back again next year. I didn't PB but enjoyed the whole race from the band at the beginning to the terrific breakfast afterwards. Your organisation is an example to other race organisers of how things should be done. Keep up the terrific work. I look forward to seeing you with my kids at the next race at Como Landing.

Duncan Richardson

Myself & son have done a few of your races over the past few years, with Cameron winning a few underage races and this time an open event. I always talk highly of your organised races and there is no doubt that the Willi event is one of the best.
I hadn't completed the Half since 2000 and this years course was a vast improvement and one that you should fight to keep. Congratulations to the organisers and a big thank you to the volunteers.

My only comment regarding improvements would be the km signage, the HM we had km markers up to 10 and then 15, I think every km would have been great, but this is minor, and if you can 'bottle' the weather, keep it for next year...

Regards

Stuart & Cameron Macaulay

Overall, a great event, well organised and very warm and caring group of people running the event - I will be back for pancakes.

Eat Em

Great day, very well organised and the friendliest, most encouraging marshalls and drinks station helpers I've come across. My only complaint would be the lack of markers in the second half of the half.

Courlylove

The Sri Chimnoy chaps have done it again, taking good care of all the runners & getting most things pretty right. Their help would be appreciated down @ The Great Ocean Road next year.

LostBoy

I ran the half marathon and had a fantastic day. The event was so well organised with plenty of delicious food at the end. One request, please, please provide many more kilometre signs for the half marathoners. Let me reiterate however what a great day my son and I had - please keep that weather for next year!!!

Mark

A well organised event by the Sri Chinmoy Team made this a fantastic event that I am looking forward to already next year. Enjoyed the Applecrumble, pancake, soup, pancake and banana, yes in that order.

Chilliman

It is worth going to these runs for the post race feed alone, they always do a fantastic job.

Fish

As usual, a great event with terrific organisation and value for money. The volunteers, as at all Sri Chinmoy runs, were very helpful and encouraging. The 10km course was very fast and picturesque, probably one of the best around at the moment. Let’s hope you can secure it again next year.

Congratulations,

Ian.