My first attempt at a Ultramarathon route and I don't think I could have chosen a better race for it. The start line was outside of Old Trafford in Manchester and then we followed the transpenine trail to Aintree, Liverpool.

The course was well marked for such a big distance, with the clever use of red and white tape meaning you got constant reassurance you were on course.

You don't get the crowd support you tend to get on road races of smaller distances, however the support between the runners, from the amazing marshalls and the public passing by is enough to keep your spirits up.

The checkpoints are great with everything you want, with special mention for the ice lollies on Spiky Island and the water spray at an unofficial checkpoint around mile 40. The whole organisation was faultless and if I do decide to do another ultra I am certainly going to turn to GBUltras first. 

Oh and the medal is beautiful and huge!!

Well organised 50 mile race with a good number of aid stations and easy navigation. Everything was professional yet relaxed and friendly - which was reassuring. There were loads of marshalls at aid stations & crossings - couldn’t ask for more. Whilst the distance was s challenge for me in the heat, I have only good memories of the day - I’d recommend the the GB Ultra team and I’m sure it’s other races are as good. This review was written for Racecheck (if it appears on letsdothisrace then they have taken it without my permission)

Completed the L2M 50 miler, my first Ultra, and was impressed with this event! From the excellent communications from the organisers via twitter and facebook in the build up to the event, to a good experience at registration where the guys take your photo at Albert Dock, they set up a good impression before you run a mile!

The 2018 Race was marred for everyone by that uncontrollable devil, the weather! It was 2 degrees at the start time, torrential rain and occasional sleet/snow, a strong cold easterly wind for the majority of the way made the conditions an endurance nightmare for entrants and volunteers. This caused a large drop out rate sadly, and large sections of the trail where turned into a mud bath or river, where even the fast folk would have had to slow down. However, i will write this review based on the things the event could control, not the elements!

The route starts at albert dock which is good, and follows the trans penine trail, which means it is pretty well signposted, the organisers also added bits of red and white tape onto trees, posts etc to let you know youre heading in the right direction. This is 95% brilliant, however i, and i spoke to a couple of others after the race, got lost a couple of times in areas where there where multiple TPT route options and no clear signage, i added over mile onto my run due to this. When you are going deep into the long territory of mileage there needs to be not even a possibility of misdirection when people are fatigued. Definitely something that could be tweeked up on, however i will note when i called Wayne, one of the race directors, he gave me good instructions to get back on track.

The route itself is quite nice. Its definitely one for beginers, its pretty flat, has a good mixture of pavement and trails, and has some nice views. I had read this was the case so wore my regular running trainers and not trail shoes, and even though the torrential rain caused quagmires in large parts this was ok.

Food stations and checkpoints are evenly spread, manned by really helpful volunteers who in this years case deserved medals for braving the elements. These guys helped me out when my hands where so cold i couldnt unzip my rucksack! The food on offer was generally good - fruit, flapjacks, biscuits, pizza, sandwiches, sweets, although on 2 of the 8 stations there where only sweets and biscuits which wasnt the best.

The finishing area is good, good facilities to get showered and changed, they give you a drink and burger afterwards too which is very well recieved! You get an awesome medal and t-shirt for completing too, and another t-shirt will be coming out in the post im led to believe.

Overall, these guys did a bloody good job at organising a great event, i enjoyed it, but i would have loved it if it wasnt for battling the horrendous weather! My only gripe about the event is pretty much everyone i spoke to wondered why it wasnt held on the bank holiday sunday instead of Easter Monday? Seems very odd when many people need the next day off work for recovery and just having a 4 day bank holiday!

L2M Ultra - where do I begin?

I entered this race on a whim about 9 months ago.

I'm not really an Ultra runner so the thought of running 50miles was absolutly crazy!

Registration was simple. Organisers GB Ultras are friendly, helpful and sympathetic to runners by allowing deferals or transfers.

I wish others had that same attitude.

Registration was simple enough, with plenty of pre-race emails and information on the website.

Race numbers were collection only. There was an option to collect day before or on the day.

There was mandetory kit check which all runners had to have.

This is a tough gruelling race so safety has to be paramount importance.

Baggage option was available, with bags transported to the finish line at Didsley sports ground, Manchester.

This race had an early start with registration opening at 4:30am and race starting at 6am.

Course was a mixture of roads, trails and canal paths. A couple of minor hills but overall, very flat. Quite scenic in places.

The weather on the day was dreadful which made some of the paths wetter and muddier than usual. Navigating the course could be a little tricky at times but overall, it wasn't too bad.

Water/feed stations were every 6miles or so. They had plenty of options to keep runners fuelled.

Marshals were absolutely amazing. Conditions were awful but these wonderful people braved the elements to make the race run smoothly.

Local support was minimal due to the nature of the course but runners were able to help and suppory each other during the race. Ultra runners are a friendly bunch.

Finishers were rewarded with a stunning medal, t-shirt and a free burger or hot dog. There was also cake and sweets.

The medal was designed in honour of runner, Stephen Carragher who was due to participate in the race but had sadly passed away.

Stephen's family also helped start the race.

What a wonderful gesture and tribute. Big respect, GB Ultras.

Post race, there were shower facilities and a pub/funtion room for runners to mingle and share stories of the day. It was a really good atmosphere.

In summary - L2M Ultra is a superb event. Perfect for those crazy enough to try ultra running and a great challenge in it's own right for more experienced athletes.

I have to mention the race marshals again. They are heroes in my eyes. Absolute legends.

Organisers, GB Ultras are friendly and flexible. Wish other organisers had that same attitude.

Thanks for a challenging but brilliant day.

Would I do this race again? 100% yes.

My first ultra. Being my first time I was a little anxious. Shouldn’t have worried. A great all round event, well organised. What stood out most to me was almost a togetherness of everyone involved, from organisers to checkpoint people too the runners. 

Register online - think it was £61 and then on the evening before race day collect numbers. Easy peasy. 

Race briefing was before the start, clear and nicely settled a few nerves. 

Feed stations are great, helpful and a great choice of food. I personally enjoyed the crepes. Really friendly.

I was most worried about navigation. But 9/10 times there’s a little bit of ticker tape waving my through. Or another runner. 

Although the weather was horrid for 8 hours, the run is mega, put together by a small team, couldn’t ask for anymore. 100% would do this race again. 

If you want to do a 50 mile ultramarathon then this is probably the ideal ract to start with. Starting from near Aintree Race Course in liverpool the course is easy to follow right through to end at Didsbury. No navigation is needed, just your supplies and the required kit that is listed on the GB ultras website.

I arrived in Aintree on the Friday evening and stayed at a nearby Premier Inn that was a 10 minute walk to the start line. You could either go to the compulsary kit check on the Friday evening or on Saturday morning before the start of the race (which would mean getting up extra early).

The race was very well organised from start to finish. The organisers and the volunteers were all very passionate about running and were really encouraging at every checkpoint, rushing around to fill your water bottles and making sure you got plenty of food for fuel. The checkpoints were very well equipped with food and drinks. 

One of the good things i remember from setting off from the start was during the race briefing runners were reminded that there were cut off times. However they stated that the main priority of the day was that they wanted everybody that could finish, to finish and if that meant extending cut off times they would. I found that to be very generous, especially as the cut off times were already generous as they were.

The course is flat and a mix of road and light trail. I was going to run in some Salomon Speedcross trail shoes but was glad i didn't. I opted for my Asics Gel Sonomas that are classed as a trail shoe but can be used on either road or trail. You could probably get away with normal road shoes if you wanted to unless the weather had been particularly bad then certain sections of the trail can get a bit muddy.

The Liverpool to Manchester Ultra is an enjoyable way to enter the world of Ultramarathons and i would recommend it instantly to anybody mad enough to want to run that distance. I am thinking of doing it again next year.

This ultra follows the Trans-Pennine trail from Liverpool to Manchester. A fantastically unique race that takes in countryside and suburban locations. 

Pretty much pancake flat with brilliant aid stations. Would love to do this again but my wife is threatening divorce because of the training