This was my first time racing one of the Iznik Ultra Festival races. There were distances of 160k, 90k, 55k, 35k and 20k with a 5k fun run on the Sunday. My friend and I opted for the 20k. As is often the case with overseas races, from memory the entry fee was very reasonable/cheap compared to UK races, although of course you’ve got to get to Turkey! I paid 100 Turkish Lira (£13) because I booked early but the price increased as time went on. The race organisation was very good, with pre-registration the day before to do kit check, numbers and T-shirt collection and a pasta party for those who wanted. This is where they also booked you onto a bus to the start line for race day, as the race is linear. There was also a mini “expo” with a few stalls in case you’d forgotten any kit. The ultra runners set off at 7pm on the Friday so it was fun to see them start their race. The other distances of race set off at different times on Saturday, with the 20k not starting until 2.30pm, which felt a little odd and was a bit tricky to know what to do with meals. It was really nice to be able to see our friends who were doing longer distances off on their minibuses to the start, though. Bag drop was easy - you took your bag on the bus to the start line and bags were then transported to the bag drop room at the finish. It was a freezing, windy day but luckily there was an indoor space for us to wait which had toilets (albeit “Turkish” toilets). The race was very well marked although there were no marshals along the route, so I’m not sure what would happen if you were in trouble. The route is very beautiful, up hills with lake views and through olive groves. The one food station on the 20k route was incredibly well stocked and friendly people helping. The local people in the village were out to cheer us, despite the horrible weather. The last bit of the race is through the village of Iznik and locals and runners who had finished cheered us in, which was wonderful. The medal has a disc of the local famous pottery so is a lovely memento. Food was provided afterwards, although we didn’t stay for any because we were cold so wanted to head to our hotel to shower and change straight away. Collection from bag drop was very easy. At the end you were given a bottle of water and your medal. The T-shirts are good quality tech T-shirts. We had poor weather this year (rain, wind and hail!) which is unusual for this race and obviously can’t be helped! Previous years have been warm and sunny. It’s very straightforward to get a ferry then minibus from Istanbul to Iznik and food and accommodation is cheap (we paid 110 Turkish Lira (£15) per person per night for sharing a twin room in a motel, which was basic but clean, with a plentiful buffet breakfast included and was a short walk from the finish line. The food in the motel restaurant in the evening was delicious (not included in the price of the room). All in all a brilliant experience!