Entered this race for the first time in 2017 having only done road 10k races in the past.

The race was easy to get to (follow signs to Denbies!) and the parking was in the field where the race started so it was nice and easy to walk to the start.

The weather this year was fantastic so the Surrey Hills were shown off in their best light.  The route itself was fantastic, up through the vineyard and around the hills before coming back to the finish.  There were a couple of places where I had to walk due to the steepness but other than that it was a good route to run.

On the 10k there is only one water station so make sure you bring your own drinks to carry.

Overall it was a really enjoyable race with great support from the marshalls.  I will defnitely be back next year and just need to decide if I do the 10k or the half

The Half - first time runner of the Half which follows the last 21km of the 40km & 60km  course. This means that the water/aid stations are incredible. Full spreads including crisps, cheese, sausage rolls, water melon and much more. Not that I ate any of it on the Half but it was there should you have been so inclined. 

In terms of the route it was quite simply spectacular. As you summit Holmberry hill and later Leith Hill the views are simply astounding. So much so I even stopped to take a photo which I can't say I've ever done on a road race before! The terrain is mostly good footpaths, a fair amount of which are through beautiful woodland, but there are some steep ascents and decents that need attention and I was very happy I was in trail shoes rather than road runners.

The only slight negative would be that the start of the Half course is very congested as the first few hundred meters are on a narrow footpath with fences either side. This means it's single file and to make it worse there is a style. However it very quickly opens up and is a tiny price to pay for such a spectacular route. Overall it can't have slowed me down by more than a couple of minutes anyway which on a course like this is nothing.

Overall it was probably the friendliest race I've ever done, ended up having good chats with 5 or 6 people along the way. Probably because it's not a race where you'll get PB's so it take the pressure off and everyone just enjoys it. Well signed, great atmosphere and a stunningly beautiful course... couldn't ask for anything more! 

This was my first time at Surrey hills challenge, I did the 60k Ultra.

Registration: This was done online, updates were regular before the event with adequate information.

Race morning: The 60k race (event) set off from Haslemere, pre race briefing was good and we were taken to the start, race start time 06:00

The Route: The course for the 60k was quite simply put, Stunning :) if you enjoy running long distance & enjoy trail running then you can't go wrong with this event. Don't get me wrong it's no walk in the park, it's a course that packs a brutal punch, but the scenery along the way is breathtaking at times. The course was well signed but be sure to keep your head up on the down hills (yes we had so much fun descending we missed a sign) if trail running is your thing, do it.

Aid stations: The variety of food and drink at the stations was fantastic, sweets crisps sausage rolls sandwiches cheese fruit, it was all there. The volunteers running the stations could not have been more helpful, Thank you guys.

The finish: This was at Denby wine estate, Dorking. It's a fabulous setting for the finish and everyone was lovely. 

Positives: Great route, stunning scenery, excellent feed stations, well marked course.

Negatives: I think for a race/event it is quite expensive, for the money I'd have hoped for a t-shirt as part of the cost, not extra. I feel transport should be provided from the finish back to the start, even if it's an added optional extra.

All in all this was a fantastic event, the course was great, staff were lovely and I had an excellent day, as I said previously, if you enjoy long distance and running trails you will not be disappointed.

A really friendly, well organised event. I ran the 10k last year and had a great time, so decided to enter this year for the same distance. Different course this time - last year was the 5k course twice; this year we have our 'own' route. I hadn't been to Denbies before and the surroundings are stunning. Beautiful route, with views to enjoy while you concentrate on breathing (It's called Surrey Hills Challenge for a reason, lol!). Small point, but less good this year was the absence of km markers round the course (I find them helpful), which we had last year, and a couple of occasions when the direction arrows weren't completely obvious, in terms of where they were placed and where they were pointing. I ended up falling into pace with three other runners so followed them when I wasn't sure, but if I'd been on my own I'd have been a bit confused. Other than that, though, a fab run with an ace atmosphere throughout. And once finished, the option to have a massage with the brilliant Pace Therapies was very welcome. Last year, I was First Lady home for the 10k and this year I was delighted to discover I'd retained the title! :) I'm going to have to return next year to hopefully make it a hat trick! :) Thank you very much to all the team involved with making all five distances of this year's SHC happen - an amazing feat, super event and I look forward to next time.

Great course - well signposted and easy to navigate. Marshals and other volunteers very friendly and encouraging.

And the icing on the cake for me being acheiving first female finisher for the 10k. Set myself a precedent now! 

Smils on all counts! Thank you. :-)