Essex Way Ultra
- Total distance: 131.966 km
- Location: Epping Forest
- Race Date: 2 Jul 2027
- Finish rate: 65%
- Navigation: Partial Self-Navigation
- Nearest Station: Epping (0 km)
- Aid Stations: 5
- Night Running: 36.1% in darkness
- Pacing Complexity: Moderate (28/100)
Essex Way Ultra Overview
No overview text has been written for this race yet.
Quick Facts
- Entrance Cost: £109
- Organiser: Rocketship Events Ltd
- Start Town: Epping Forest
- Dogs Allowed: No
- Start Date: 2 Jul 2027
- End Date: 3 Jul 2027
- Start Time: 9:00 PM
- Final Cut-off: 24 hours
Navigation
- Type: Partial Self-Navigation
- Closest Train Station: Epping
- Distance from Start Line: 0 km
Eligibility
- Minimum Age: 20 years
- Gender Eligibility: All genders
- Minimum Entry Criteria: Unknown
Terrain & Elevation
The course is mainly trail (53%), with paved road (16%) making up most of the rest. The terrain is highly fragmented, switching roughly every kilometre. This demands constant mental engagement and limits the ability to build a sustained rhythm from surface consistency alone. Uphills are predominantly on trail (81% of ascending sections). Descents share the same trail surface, so careful footing on the uphills also carries through on the way down.
- Trail / Path53% · 62.1 km
- Paved Road16% · 19.2 km
- Gravel / Track16% · 18.6 km
- Grass10% · 12.1 km
- Off-road / Unknown4% · 4.9 km
- Sand1% · 0.7 km
Distance
132.5 km
Ascent
737 m
Descent
815 m
High Point
119 m
This race is essentially a long, flat stretch from start to finish.
Compared against 19 other races of a similar distance, Essex Way Ultra has more total elevation gain than 11% of them, and more elevation gain per kilometre than 11% of them — significantly flatter than typical for its distance.
Source: GPX Data
Climate
Navigation
Essex Way Ultra is partial self-navigation: some sections are marked, but runners are expected to navigate independently — with a map, compass, or GPX file — for the rest of the course.
Source: Race Website - Explicit
Aid Stations
Stations
You'll need to keep an average pace of 5.5 km/h between aid stations to make the cut offs.
Stations
| KM | Name | Gap from Prev | Cut-off | Water | Cold Food | Hot Food | Hot Drinks | Gels | Medic | WC | Bags | Crew |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28.2 | 28.2 km | 5h | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 48.3 | 20.1 km | 8h 30m | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 80.5 | 32.2 km | 14h 30m | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 95.8 | 15.3 km | 17h 15m | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 112.7 | 16.9 km | 20h 30m | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
None of the aid stations on this course are confirmed to offer vegan food, so vegan runners should plan to carry their own nutrition.
Source: Not recorded
Night Running
Essex Way Ultra starts at 21:00 local time, with sunset around 21:20. Based on the median finisher time of 20:34:52, a runner at that pace would finish around 17:34 — after dark, spending around 7h 30m (36% of their race) running in darkness and covering roughly 48.4 km of the course after sunset.
Shaded stretches are expected to be run in the dark
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