ultrachallenge.com Reviews 89

We've done quite a few events and this review is on the events as a whole.

Well organised at various locations in the country, for us a few more North of Watford would be nice as we have a lot of driving to most events.

Never any issues with the venues, always well set up and all clearly marked and well manned.

Courses always well signed although at Bath there were issues with locals removing the arrows, but marshalls were on course to make sure no-one got lost.

Lots of distance options, I'm pretty sick at the minute so we are doing shorter ones 10k 10mile 25km but there are 50k and 100k options on events for people to set their own challenge.

First one I did with two weeks notice 50k and I'm not that fit but we did it.

If your competitive there are people for you to challenge, if like us the challenge is just completing then that is fine to. Same medal and T-shirt no matter where you finish.

Good food at start, rest stops and finish line, water/food stations at 12.5km distances on longer races.

Medical assistance, trek masters all available to help before during and after events.

Competitors help each other along, very friendly bunch of people, we were doing one to prove my missus could do a marathon distance, just finished our 16th and have another bunch to do before the end of the year.

What an amazing event! So well organised, everyone was so friendly. Communication pre and during the event was excellent. The route was super well signed. The route was challenging but it made the completion even more rewarding.

Unfortunately this company is more about money making than anything else with no flex at all.
Unfortunately following a ruptured disc in my spine I am unable to complete a walk at the end of the month. I offered them medical proof in case they needed it. They said I could either cancel my place at full cost to me, or defer my place to the following year at a further cost of £30. There was no sway and their manager said simply ‘that is our stance’. They weren’t interested in trying to help at all. I find this unfortunate for both parties as we won’t use them again for organised events.

Lots of pre run communication. Great safety briefing and the route is well marked. The staff/volunteers are always so welcoming and happy. My second event this year!

Very well organised, very supportive staff and plenty of support/ care provided at each stop. The food offering was plenty but a bit of variety at the smaller stops would have been welcomed. Great information sharing before the event.

This was my 1st ever challenge and did 100km continuous. So pleased I did it with Ultra Challenge the organisation have thought of everything to make sure you can do it. The food at reststops where excellent. The trek marshalls were invaluable with their help and knowledge. The people at every rest stop were fantastic. Felt filly supported and safe. Easy to follow route markers even at night made the whole event a really positive experience

This challenge was a once in a lifetime challenge 25K it was well organised and managed well it was a great experience I enjoyed it legs were sore on the Sunday. I would recommend it

After completing several events now I feel I’m able to put a well rounded review, I can also compare to other event organisers that I’ve used & not returned to.
Ultra challenge put on a pretty impressive event, which is why they have many returning participants, they have built a fantastic, inclusive community for people to be a part of, whether you run, jog or walk these events, whether you are a solo participant or a team, it’s so lovely how much they encourage everyone to make new friends.
The events themselves, friendly & knowledgeable staff along with their volunteers are always super helpful & take very good care of us participants.
Route signage-I’m terrible with my bearings & so far I’ve never gotten lost or had any issues with the signage on events & the glow sticks through the night are a huge help for seeing where you need to go.
The rest stops are really well stocked, other than my first event (when I didn’t know what to expect), I’m able to, as a hiker, travel light, I use a runners hydration vest with pockets for my first aid kit needs & anything else, I’ve never needed to carry my own snacks as we’ve been well provided for.
The finish line has always been pretty awesome, even when finishing in the very early hours.
I love that the bling has the distance on the medal ribbons, when they go on the hanger at home it’s not just the medal on show.
My only critique would be that the hot meals could do with a little rethink, they are edible but not always enjoyable-but it’s completely understandable that there is only so much that can be done in the middle of a field.

Looking forward to many more challenges with ultra challenge in the future.

I walked the 25km Thames Bridges Trek on Saturday and found it a very well run event. The route was excellent, well marked and extremely well marshalled. The staff at the start, halfway at the Oval and at the end were extremely good, friendly and courteous.

I would highly recommend you participate in their challenges which will enable you to maintain your fitness!

If your looking for a race and a PB maybe look at another event. This is a challange and a very inclusive one at that !!
Several distance options and as you say run jog walk. No pressure !
It was way to book. Easy to receive updates about the event and easy to register on the day.
I’ve never been to an event where the toilets are well stocked with loo paper and so clean. Thank you toilet attendants.
The food was amazing with lots of it at every stop and lots of choice.
The route was well marked. Just one small area that was hard to navigate due to the mist coming off the river in the early hours of the morning. Personally I didn’t come across any Marshals whilst on the route but the emergency number was given and on the app if needed
For me it wasn’t about the Strava or the Kudos it was about achieving something i had always wanted to do, raise some money for charity and I felt in every way in safe hands.
My only tip would be to the organisers please provide hot chocolate or peppermint tea for those finishing in the early hours.
100k continuous and I loved every moment.
Thank you

I cannot praise the team at Action Challenge highly enough. From the time of booking and dealing with my enquiries to the event itself. It was my first event with this company but I shall certainly look for my next challenge. Thank you to everyone at Action Challenge for making what was a difficult challenge so much easier by taking all the stress out of it

Have done quite a few of these events now and love them. I have done other events that cost the same and don’t cater for hikers which these do.

The events are well managed and the team are super friendly no matter what their role. Love that they have medics at every stop and have seen them out on bikes too when location permits.

The pitstops are well stocked and the medals are great quality.

I have made great friends doing these events and love the community on social media

My first ever Ultra.
I thought all the marshals were excellent, extremely helpful, interactive, just all thoroughly nice people.
I enjoyed the day far more than the night time, I found this extremely testing! This was due to the dark, cold, mist and not being able to see any landmarks! However this is not you fault, this is all part of the challenge.
It just meant I had to dig exceptionally deep to finish and one that I am proud to have completed. I didn't help myself by pushing an actual porcelain toilet around the whole course, as if it wasn't challenging enough!! You live and learn!!
Thank you for a fabulous experience

If you are a runner out for a PB or podium finish then beware this might not be the event organiser for you!

They advertise "chip timing" but in fact use a manual barcode scanning system which means you scan in to the start pen which starts the timer but then you wait for 15 minutes to be briefed. This means when you cross the start line you already have plenty of time on the clock which then interferes with the tracking system as this will show a massively reduced pace between the start and the first check point. It also interferes with your overall finish "chip" time (in my case, by 13 minutes!). The results are apparently adjusted to reflect the wave time some days later but you will not know your place until this has been done.

You have to carry a lanyard and manually scan in to check points rather than running over a chip timing mat which again wastes time, especially if there are others queuing. The lanyard was also very annoying to carry if you like to travel light without something flailing round your neck.

There are very few marshals on course so you rely on following the little pink arrows (which sometimes go missing) and need to double check the route on your phone as you run to avoid getting lost.

There are no prizes or special medals for the winners and the commentators at the end do not seem to notice when the leaders come home which is deflating if you raced your way to a podium spot.

There are also a lot of walkers, which is fantastic but it means you are likely to be running on your own most of the way with very few marshals to cheer you on.

For runners there are much better organised events, with well marshaled routes and accurate timing which cost much less. I was left wondering quite what I paid £120 for as I left with a t-shirt, a buff, a medal (which didn't even specify the distance) and I only consumed one flapjack on route! Their target audience is walkers who aren't in a rush and have time to enjoy the aid stations and are happy to check the route on a map or walk with one of their volunteers guiding the way.

Amazing, Exhilarating!
It was my first Ultra March and its worth every penny. The team was well organized, polite and courteous. The route was well signposted, you wouldn't get lost even if you try. There was ample food on the rest stations, which were well spaced out. The atmosphere was just marvelous, the route picturesque with adrenaline inducing inclines and declines....

I have been using Action Challenge since September 2017 for all of my long distance walking challenges.
Their communications are good leading up to events and their customer helpline team are knowledgeable and friendly.
As with most things, you pay for what you want and for me it’s worth paying that little bit more to know that I’ve got the support of trek masters, medics and ground crew for support and they feed you really well too!
Lovely medals, finishers t-shirts and buffs are also included within the fee.

Just got to say how blown away we were by the Ultra Challenge. I have done my fair share of events but this was my first organised by Ultra Challenge. Just brilliant!! the aid stations were well stocked, (great for vegans also) each and every volunteer was amazing, happy and helpful, the lunch was so yummy, we felt so spoilt and looked after. Really enjoyed our day 10/10. Highly recommend and will definitely be back! Thank you to each and every one of you who gave your time to make this happen.

To be honest with u all , ive now done 48 challenges so that says alot about there professionalism and dedication to make us the challengers have a rewarding and enjoyable challenge ,rest stops , food ,all catered for , in the most professional way , i cant thank action challenge enough ,

I signed up for the Cotswold Challenge as a walker although,having done a number of half-marathons, was familiar with events of this type. This was, by some way, the best I've ever done. The pre-event information was unbeatable and the organisation on the day outstanding. From parking the car to getting to the finish line, everything worked really well - superb waymarking, extensive refreshment areas and the unfailingly charming people staffing the walk made it a great experience. Highly recommended. Thank you!

Outstanding organisation.
Great rest stops with excellent facilities and supplies.
Friendly, supportive staff.
I'm definitely coming back for another event and would recommend these events to people of all abilities.