Though I have completed marathons in Ironman races I have never completed one on its own. I chose this for its unique challenge close to where I live. The race did not disppoint as a challenge, the ground was muddy, soft and in some places very wet and boggy, their were over 100 stiles to traverse and the course had a lot of climbing and descending (circa 1000 feet). It was 90% off road. This made it a great challenge and I felt I had been tested.
Added to which the camaraderie with other runners was uniquely great fun, and the navigation though difficult made it all the more challenging. A brilliant experience for any distance runner - though I would recommend it for those who have trained well