This was my first 50 mile race and I chose a Centurion event following loads of brilliant reviews from Twitter on their different races. I opted for Wendover Woods as it is a lapped event, 5 laps of 10 miles held entirely within the woods. Centurion events are popular so keep an eye on their website for when entries open. Leading up to the event you receive plenty of runners briefings and final instructions including the list of mandatory kit which is standard for these type of events. Whistle, foil blanket, waterproof, head torch etc. Logistics on race morning were simple, free parking and a large tent for registration, refreshments and bag drop. This also acted as the finish line check point for each lap. The 10 mile lap is a truly unique course, very little flat and you are either running downhill or trying to run up it. It is all set in the woods mainly on trail, we were very lucky with a cold, bright but dry day. This made conditions underfoot pretty comfortable. There are several very tough climbs per lap including “the snake” and “gnarking around” which you will need to walk, there are also some tough downhill sections that require lots of concentration. Approx halfway around the lap is a brilliant aid station stocked with plenty of food and water, as the laps go by this becomes more and more special. A great team of marshals and a brilliantly marked route make the course very easy to follow even in the dark. At the end of each lap the marshals ask if you want your kit bag which they get ready for you if you want it, change of clothes, pick up head torch, top up food etc. This is one big plus of this event for a first 50 miler, the access to your stuff every lap. It was great to see some familiar faces at the race, I had the chance to run most of lap 3 with Chris Randal and ran some of lap 5 with Spencer Milberry. The race started at 8am so on a sunny day in November the first 3 laps were in good light, approx half way through lap 4 we lost the light and the rest of the lap and all of lap 5 were in darkness guided by our head torches. I met lots of lovely runners on route and at the aid stations, at approx halfway I found myself running with Matt and we ended up getting each other through the last 2 laps and finished together. This is a tough course. Usually the Centurion 50 mile races have a cut off at 13 hours, this one has a limit of 15 hours. Total elevation for the race comes in at approx 10,000 feet. Including stops at the aid stations I finished just inside 13 hours which I was pleased with. The race has quite a high % of DNF’s. It was also brilliant to witness Stuart Leaney fly passed me at the end of lap 2 on his way to smashing his own course record in around 7hrs 20 minutes! The finish area is great, bag drop and changing plus plenty of food available. We also received our brilliant medals and t-shirts before posing for some finishers photos. Overall I absolutely loved this event, the organisation and team were brilliant. We were lucky with the weather and the course is super tough but quite special. I would highly recommend this event to anyone looking for a testing 50 mile race.