The Chester 100 Ultra Marathon

Bucket List – Run 100 miles in a day!

Why? – Well, the reasons that come to mind would be for the amazing experience, the tough challenge and knowing that I would become a member of an elite club that less than 0.01% of the population have joined.

An ultra marathon….any distance greater than marathon.

At 6.00am on Saturday 13^th April, I lined up to complete the Chester 100, an off-road race of approximately 104 miles with the aim to complete this in one day. A total of 190 other runners took to the start, looking to follow the canal tow paths and woodland area surrounding the town and villages of Chester, Widnes and Warrington.

With months of training in the bag, the excitement built towards the countdown of the race.  No more training, just the physical and mental challenge of completing the course within the cut off time of 32 hours.  The weather was on our side.  It was cool, cloudy with a light breeze.  

Most ultra-marathons are not about speed, they are about endurance, will power and the pure determination to finish.

Along the beautiful course would be twelve checkpoints or aid stations where the competitors could refill their water bottles and snack of both sweet and savoury snacks provided by the event team (GB Ultras).

The key to endurance events is to pace yourself in the early stages.  Too quick and you will pay the price later on. Running at a conversational pace, I managed to chat to the other runners learning their ‘why’ and the training they had completed.  This distraction saw the first marathon come and go; how hard could it be?

The first three aid stations came and went, where the terrain became more technical and the route decided to follow the water-logged fields coupled with large areas of deep mud and large mis-shaped divots.  The muddy and steep wooded sections were just as challenging making the footing both slippery and unforgiving.  Mile upon mile of challenging terrain followed by endless canal tow paths meant the mental game had begun.

Focusing on eating and drinking plenty at the aid stations, allowed my body to refuel and to complete marathon number two.  They always say a 100-mile race doesn’t really start until mile 70 as this is time when you become fatigued, the sun goes down and your nearest running buddy is somewhere in the distance, front or behind.

The majority of the 5,000 feet of elevation had been completed with a small sting in the tail to come at mile 75.  At 3.00am, having not spoken to, nor seen anyone for a couple of hours, I ventured up the last hill to a lonesome trgi point and admired a view across the Mersey.  It’s all downhill from here my subconscious was saying.  The last aid station, number twelve was a welcome site, knowing I had just over 11 miles to go.  Breaking the run down into manageable pieces make a huge difference knowing each section is a small run.

Upon reaching the finish, a local sports hall, each competitor ran a lap of the running track to eventually cross the finishing line.   There were high emotions of relief and feelings of pride on completing the 104 mile course.  The top 100 finishers were awarded with a gold buckle, something to be treasured and admired. Off the 190 starters, nearly 80 DNF’d and I managed to come home in 33rd place.

My journey wasn’t finished. 

My journey to Chester was enhanced by the complementary use of a motorhome that was parked in a local campsite!  This was situated just over a mile away and therefore, one more mile wasn’t going to hurt.  The motorhome was very kindly offered by Lowdhams of Nottingham, specialists in providing quality caravans and motorhomes.  My wife and I met them at the NEC during a trade fair and they explained they would like to support us over the weekend.  Many thanks Lowdhams.

Running over 100 miles and completing the course was a great experience.  It challenged me in numerous ways, but it was an enjoyable, challenging and emotion rollercoaster that I cannot wait to ride again!