Pilgrim Challenge 2025 now open for booking!

All 2024 events open for booking!

No. of days 1 day

Distance 31 / 16 mi

Ascent gain 695 / 328 m

Accom. no

Food no

A one-day, 50km ultra raising funds for a great cause. Choose to pay for your place upfront, or bag a FREE spot if you commit to fundraise. All funds will go to Humanity Direct, a charity changing the lives of children needing medical care in developing countries.

New this year you have the option of the full 50km ultra marathon, a 25km half ultra or complete the full ultra as part of a team of up to 5 people!

If you choose to take part as a team you will be given one race number and timing chip that your team will need to get from the start to the finish. It's up to you which part of the course each team member will cover (each person can run more than one leg) but note that you can only hand over at the standard ultra checkpoints and also that it is your responsibility to transport your team members to their handover points. 

You will enter on behalf of your team and we'll ask you for the names and other basic information of your fellow team members. You can make changes to your team up until close to the event. Our usual cancellation/deferral rules apply but requesting either will be on behalf of your entire team.

Latest results

We are delighted to support SheRACES and commit to providing a great experience for female participants. Find out more

Included

  • Free parking at Dr Challoner's Grammar School
  • A fully recced and marked route to make the event special and challenging for all
  • Full medical cover throughout
  • Toilets, showers and changing facilities
  • Checkpoint food and water throughout
  • Free tea, coffee and cake at the finish
  • Prizes and trophies for overall and category winners
  • A great atmosphere and a fun, but challenging, day out
  • Action photos, free to download after the event
  • A quality finisher's medal
The winners, runners up and age group winners will receive fantastic prizes or vouchers from our sponsors.

Route

Starting and finishing at Dr Challoner's Grammar School, Amersham, the route takes in many areas of natural beauty, including the Misbourne Valley and the Chess Valley - some of the best spots in the Chiltern Hills. The route mainly follows footpaths and bridleways, with a little road section, all marked comprehensively with tape, paint and direction arrows.

We recommend you familiarise yourself with the route before the start of the race and download the GPX file or OS Maps route onto your watch or phone.

Download printable route information

Alternative ultra route map

Showing route for:

Checkpoints

#1 Great Missenden Church HP16 0BA ///agreeing.evening.reporting Grid ref: SP89980104

#2 St Mary's Church Chesham HP5 1HX ///family.direct.stud Grid ref: SP95720153

#3 Near Chenies Garden Center WD3 6EJ ///alarm.tone.during Grid ref: TQ01689791

#4 Chalfont St Giles HP8 4QF ///means.clown.zones Grid ref: SU99109359

More info...

Toilets

Near CP2 - Lowndes Park HP5 1HU ///flight.fight.total

Near CP2 - Star Yard Car Park HP5 1HR ///usual.smiles.vague

Near CP4 - Chalfont St Giles, High Street HP8 4QB ///gather.reject.wiser

Near Start/Finish - Amersham Old Town Car Park HP7 0HL ///assume.crab.debit

Checkpoints

#1 Great Missenden Church HP16 0BA ///agreeing.evening.reporting Grid ref: SP89980104

#2 St Mary's Church Chesham HP5 1HX ///family.direct.stud Grid ref: SP95720153

More info...

Toilets

Near CP2 - Lowndes Park HP5 1HU ///flight.fight.total

Near CP2 - Star Yard Car Park HP5 1HR ///usual.smiles.vague

Near Start/Finish - Amersham Old Town Car Park HP7 0HL ///assume.crab.debit

Schedule

07:00

Registration opens

08:00

Ultra start time for walkers

08:30

Ultra start time for those mostly walking, with some running

09:00

Ultra start time for runners, with some walking

09:30

Ultra start time for runners (sub 6 hours)

10:00

Half ultra mass start

14:00

Massage and refreshments available

16:00

Prize giving or when enough runners have finished

Pricing

Entry for ultra

£65

Entry for half ultra

£38

Entry for team

£95

Fundraise

FREE

The entry fee will be donated to fund a vital operation, or alternatively enter for FREE, if you commit to raise funds for Humanity Direct.

If you're fundraising book now through our system, then visit Humanity Direct's website to register yourself.

Please note: a 2.5% service charge, levied by the registration software, will be added to your total. We are using a new entry system that takes payment through the secure system Stripe. No payment information is retained by Extreme Energy, or our entry system tool.

Email us on info@xnrg.co.uk if you have any questions about your options.

If for some reason you are not able to make the event you have entered. The XNRG refund policy is that we will give you 70% refund of your entry fee up to 1 month before the start date of the event. You also have the option (1 month before the date of the event) to get a 100% transfer credit to another one of the other Humanity Direct 1 day events, or you can donate your entry fee to the charity. All entry fee money goes directly to the charity and directly to helping children with life changing operations. These options you can execute on your Ultrabritain entry page.

After this time we are sorry there will be no refunds or transfers to future events. Refunds will be to your booking credit card.

Race-day Preparation

Kit List

The only compulsory kit is a fully charged mobile phone and a minimum 500ml of water, but it's worth taking a look at our recommended kit list.

Other equipment may be made compulsory by the race director depending on the weather.

Medical

The event is supported by our course manager and his experienced on-course crew to ensure you have a great event. A fully qualified medical crew will also be there to give first aid and manage any serious medical problems in cooperation with the emergency services. We strongly recommend taking a moment to read our medical page before booking.

FAQ

We've answered a range of common questions in our FAQ. For other questions, say hello on info@xnrg.co.uk.

Briefing

Please watch the Race Director's briefing ready for race day.

Registration

Please register and pick up your timing chip from:

More Information

Join us for the first in our XNRG charity single-day series for 2024. Within a stone's throw of London, you'll race across the glorious Chilterns - all fully supported and with bags of XNRG encouragement and atmosphere. It's ideal for anyone wanting to 'step up' to covering an ultra distance, as well as being great training for multi-stage events. And it's all for a good cause.

how it works

It's simple. The entry fee is donated to Humanity Direct, OR, if you prefer, you can enter for FREE and start a fundraising page instead to raise as much as you can (minimum donation: £65/£95 for teams). 100% of donations go towards children's operations and medical care in developing countries through Humanity Direct.

You can also opt-in to receive a quality finisher's t-shirt for an extra £5.

Why we do it

In 2019, Humanity Direct raised £24,000 through the three XNRG Humanity Direct Ultras, funding life-saving and life-changing operations for 35 children. We're hoping to raise even more in 2024!
 

“The support we’ve had from XNRG has been phenomenal. Thanks to you we’ve rolled out a vital eye-testing programme for children in rural Uganda with over 600 children receiving free glasses so far. Your donations and dedication have also helped us continue to provide life-saving and life-changing surgery for children whose families are live on less than a $1 a day and who would never be able to afford the medical care they need.  XNRG ultras truly do change lives!"

- Nick Swift, Humanity Direct’s Founder

 

Entries

Entries will close one week before the event (or when full). A waitlist option will be available if the event becomes fully booked.

Navigation and Support

The event is supported by our course manager and his experienced on-course crew to ensure you have a great event. A fully qualified medical crew will also be there to give first aid and manage any serious medical problems in cooperation with the emergency services.

Aid stations

There will be checkpoints at regular intervals, fully stocked with water, and sweet and savoury food to keep you fuelled. There are four checkpoints for the ultra distance and two for the half ultra.

Due to the risk of cross-contamination, we can't provide checkpoint food to suit all dietary requirements. If you require special food or snacks to suit any allergies or vegetarian/vegan diets, please bring your own. Put them in containers, marked with your name and checkpoint number and give them to the checkpoint teams at the start of the race.

Trees Not Tees

Event T-shirts are no longer included in the cost. The cost of T-shirts goes to Trees not Tees and a tree will be planted instead. You have the option of purchasing a T-shirt when entering the event, if you'd like one.

For more details visit their website - https://treesnottees.com/

Reviews

A big thank you to everyone at XNRG and Humanity direct for a wonderful day yesterday, you even sorted the weather!! It was a beautiful route and really well organised and signed. Thanks to all the volunteers and everyone who made it possible.

I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed my first ultra on Saturday! Wasn’t quite prepared for the mud... but at least the weather was lovely! I particularly enjoyed how kind and supportive everybody was, and the great spirit everybody had throughout the whole day.

A big thank you for another great event.
Great organising, great support, fab checkpoints with picnics, love the course (if a bit muddy).
I love the atmosphere of your events, both the participants, crew and supporters.

We can't wait to see you there! Questions? Say hello on info@xnrg.co.uk

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