Race Review: Chester Ultra 50 Mile 2024

Spooning porridge into my mouth, I tried not to fall asleep in the car on the drive over to Ellesmere Port Sports Village. I saw runners with packs sitting high on shoulderblades, walking around, chatting amiably with one another, some silently eating bananas or sipping from warm, steaming flasks. 

Trackers and numbers attached to us, we wandered from the warm buzz of the building to the start line, which adorned a race track. The moon was a hazy blur in the sky above people taking pictures, stretching and zoning into the day ahead. 

As the countdown finished, we followed those ahead of us down to the canal, the sky slowly turning from black to blue. The kilometres ticked by, and I was feeling optimistic for the day. 

The Chester 50 is a 50-mile trail race organized by GB Ultras. It takes in the Sandstone Trail, Helsby Hill, Delamere Forest, and Frodsham. The wettest February on record preceded the race, which caused all the trails to turn to mud and sludge. Nevertheless, we were all prepared to take on the day and ploughed through. 

The mud attacked everyone, sloshing up towards our knees. I hummed movie soundtracks as I ran, Chicken Run being my favourite. I struggled to keep moving as my foot hit the ground and slid. I only hit the ground once, but several times, there would have been a slapstick wobble from me as I caught my balance. 

I had been told my body would tell me what I needed at checkpoints, and I found Skittles, Oreos, and potatoes were what I gravitated to. Though ginger biscuits were shoved into my pockets to eat later. 

At one point, we were wading through mud, my feet completely submerged beneath the chocolate mousse liquid style. I imagined in a semi-tired state the first runners simply floating across as I could not conceive going any faster through this section than a gentle plod. 

I wore the North Face Vectiv Infinite II, Salomon Pack and Inov-8 Performance Hybrid Jacket. The mandatory kit included a whistle, a spare base layer and a foil blanket. 

The weather stayed clear until midday, with an icy chill in the air; however, now covered in mud, we reached the halfway point in Delamere forest with hoods pulled up as the rain descended. I was still smiling, every checkpoint was stocked with goodies and the volunteers were so kind you wanted to hug them.

I was still feeling optimistic; I raised my hands and smiled at photographers as I passed. I felt like each footstep through the mud had sucked the energy from me, and I couldn’t believe we still had another marathon to go. 

The volunteers at the aid stations were incredible. They were happy, smiling, helpful faces who asked if I needed my bottle refilling, a chair, or just a positive word to keep me going. Towards the end, when I was offered a coffee, I could have cried with gratitude. The compassion I received from all the volunteers reminded me of why I love this sport.