Arriving late on the Friday the GBUltras team were just getting ready to settle for the night. This did not stop them registering me on the race, doing a kit check and taking my pre race photo. They even had time for a chat before I settled for the night in a friends can which they allowed to park in the HQ carpark. 

I chose Hoka Challengers again as my race shoe as they are perfect for distance and a mixed course. Not so good in heavy mud, but I took the chance, and Tailwind as fuel with 2 packs of Shotbloks. 

We set off at 6am, it was noticeably darker then last year and extremely muddy. The course is a great layout, flatt'ish', starting with lanes and a mix of hard standing and grassed canal paths, with a lump thrown in the middle as you climb through woodlands. The course has a few fields and lanes thrown in for good measure to link everything together. This year the conditions under foot were mainly muddy, the hard standing canal section gave is a chance to pick up some speed, but some points of the muddy course were bloody hard work, to the point of me saying that I never wanted to see any more mud again, I had wet feet from mile 6, my brand spanking Hokas were unrecognisable buy the end. But saying that, the weather was kind to us all day, we had a couple of light showers and it warned up nicely, a totally different to what we were expecting and totally different to last year. 

Still, all in all a cracking day out despite the mud. If anything the mud just added the challenge. 52 miles of fun. I can't recommend the race enough. Wayne & the GBUltra team put on a brilliant event, fantastic checkpoints, well stocked and very friendly. A well marked course, with free hot drinks and free burger van at the end, it just adds to a brilliant day. Bolt on free race photographers after the race and you're onto a winner. A great start to the season. 

1st time i have done this one and 1st event I've done with GBUltras. It wont be the last. It rained lots the day & night before so we had lots of mud, more mud than was welcome, but it was what it was, and you just get on with it. The course is excellent,  not technical underfoot like some ive done and which i struggle on. Its a very nice route with lots of different terrains, enough to make it interesting. I would definitely run this route / event again. The organisation was superb, nothing was left out and nothing was too much trouble for the organisers & volunteers,  the checkpoints were excellent and enough of them. 

At the finish, yes we got a trophy and not a medal but that shouldn't matter to anyone, its the run that counts. We also got a free burger and drink and lots of cake. 

Showers available in the village hall. Whats not to like.

I cant fault this event. 

Don’t really want to have a pop at this event , the guys that run it are awesome . 

In short great registration, easy navigation , course comes up around 51.5 miles some of course quite dull but there are plenty of hills that when you get to top views are outstanding 

downside . Conditions were awful you literally struggled to walk let alone run in most places , not their fault but any enjoyment went right out window and the final 6 miles along the canal is enough to make you want to give up running ! 

Also balls up with medals apparently they got let down so we all got a crappy cheap trophy .. they may send on medals but we shall have to wait and see . 

As a footnote , The organisers have said medals will be delivered to all runners within days .. excellent communication by all the guys 

So this Sat 25th March i ran the 1st Chester Ultra. Organised by the 3 guys who are UGB. Let me start by saying the guys behind the UGB brand, Wayne, Hayden and Jonathan are probably the most down to earth, passionate and joyfully outgoing guys i have met. I started Ultras a few years ago now and these 3 guys have made the biggest impact on me not only as a runner but probably on my outlook on life as well more then any other guys i know. Ive known them from the beginning of 2016 when i signed upto the UGB 200miler (which everyone must enter by the way, great race but thats another story) with alot of races ive done once ive ran them i tend to put them to the back of my mind but with the UGB series these races, these guys, their volunteers seem to stay on my mind in my thoughts all the time.

Chester Ultra is a brilliant race. Great location. The scenery is absolutely stunning. The whole team behind the event worked tirelessly and selflessly to make sure the whole process from signing up to completing the event run as smooth as can be. Rekki runs of the course, helpful points on nutrition and kit, advice on injuries and training come at no hinderance to these guys. Rest assured if you enter any race with these guys, the UGB races then you are getting a 5star package. The level of professionalism and care are second to none so please, take it from me if you get the chance or have the urge to enter any of their races then dont hesitate, get entered and enjoy the experiance.

Couldn't ask for better. Beautiful route, first half fast and flat, second half hilly and tough. Well stocked, regular checkpoints, fab supporters/marshalls/volunteers. Recce runs and social evening in months prior, and lovely organisers who really care about the people involved in their races. 

Highly recommend - great for a first time ultra, but challenging enough for seasoned campaigners :)

This was the first ultra marathon in Chester and WOW what a great race. The organisation was tremendous, contact from the race organisers up until race day was exemplary. They ensured that everything was put in place for race day. There were 6 checkpoints throughout the course with an array of refreshments available including pineapple, oranges, crisps, nuts, juice coke , water etc absolutely brilliant. The best nutrition of the day was finishing and being advised you were entitled to something hot... superb. it was nice to have your photo taken receive medal and t shirt from the race organiser. There was something unique about this ultra and there is no way to describe it.. YOU JUST HAVE TO DO IT

Chester Ultra is a proper test, it lulls you in with a relatively gentle first half, then ruthlessly kicks your a*** the second half. It's brutal in parts, scenic, brilliantly organised and managed incredibly well on the ground. The measure for any great endurance event for me, is how quickly the miles seem to pass, despite the length of time you're out there. It's great event and race in every sense and I loved every second of it (all 32,400 of them)!