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Maverick Jurassic Coast X-Trail 50k

Trail Ultra

Burnbake Forest Lodges, Wareham, Dorset · 17.10.2026

I signed up on the Monday before for a race on the Saturday. The 24k had sold out, and 100k felt like a stretch with no training behind it. So I entered the 50k, which turned out to be just under 52km on my watch. My season felt unfinished; duathlon and triathlon are in their off-season, and I had a score to settle with the Jurassic Coast path. I did the JurassicMan in 2022 and got lost more times than I’d like to admit.

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At a Glance

Event	Maverick Jurassic Coast X-Trail, Ultra 50km
Distance	52km official route (51.82km on Strava)
Date	17.10.2026
Location	Burnbake Forest Lodges and Campsite, Wareham, Dorset
Conditions	Sunny with clear skies
Kit Highlights	Adidas Terrex 240 trail shoes, Garmin fēnix 8, FlipBelt, no hydration vest, 200ml reusable cup

Distances

Distance	Elevation	Cut-off
52km route	+1,107m official / 1,225m on Strava	9 hours

Results

Finish Time	Age Group	Gender	Overall
05:29:41	2nd of 23 (Veteran 50 male)	38th of 241	46th of 354

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Pre-Race

Travel & Logistics

I drove down to Dorset in my beloved, fully electric BMW, and on the way down I listened to Les Baladeurs, episode 103, “L’étreinte glaciale du Yukon”. Les Baladeurs is an adventure podcast from the French media outlet Les Others. The guest is Mathieu Blanchard, a French ultra-runner who set off on the Yukon Arctic in February 2025. Listening to his endurance story on the way to my own was a good call.

Registration opened the day before the race, on Friday between 4 pm and 7 pm, when I collected my race number. Race day itself started early. The venue opened at 4:30 am for the 100k ultra runners. Parking was at Burnbake Forest Lodges and Campsite, with marshals directing cars. Clearly not all the time, as on the way out I had the pleasure of seeing a car park in front and another one behind me.

The Morning Of

Breakfast was porridge at 6:30 am. It tasted weird, and I realised it had been sitting in the cupboard for a while. Maybe I should have checked the best-before date.

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Race Narrative

The Start

The event was well organised, and the sun was out. I was the only one on the start line without a nutrition vest, and I’m sure the trail runners all thought I was a W-word. That got worse when I took off my London Marathon top and showed off my long-sleeved Ironman Tours finisher t-shirt underneath. I gave the top to a dad following his son on his bike (he kindly offered). And he gave it back to me at the end. I love British people.

Navigation: The Map That Wouldn’t Let Go

After getting lost on the JurassicMan, I was determined to be more careful. I downloaded the GPX file and started navigation as I started the run. Then I tried to switch to the pace screen, and it was impossible. Touching the screen brought up a zoom feature, and I couldn’t get out of it with the buttons. So I ran the whole race with an off-centre map, turn directions on screen, and my pace only once per kilometre. Strava’s timings may not be exact either, because it took me a while to leave navigation mode at the end.

Fuelling and Hydration

Fuelling was the part of the plan I trusted most, and the part where I broke the most rules. On paper, it was simple: 60 to 75g of carbs an hour, a gel or chew every few kilometres, topped up at the outposts. In reality, I started the day on a bowl of suspect porridge, then ran 8km on nothing.

No vest meant no bottles, no pockets stuffed with supplies, and no safety net. I had gels in my hands, a 200ml reusable cup I’d bought the day before, and a lot of faith in the aid stations. Trying something new on race day is the oldest mistake in the book, and I managed it with a cup I’d bought the day before.

At Studland, 8km in, the fuelling finally began. I filled the cup with electrolytes and found a rhythm: a gel every 5km while the pace felt good, then every 4km as the day got longer. Three packs of Precision Hydration chews were in the mix too, and they were really good. At Durlston and Renscombe I drank around 600ml, topping up for the long middle of the course.

The system held for a long time. Then came the stretch after Corfe Castle.

Going without a flask wasn’t a decision; it was an assumption. I figured the outposts would be enough and didn’t think I’d need one. The cup did the job, but a flask would have been better.

The Middle and the Hard Miles

The early kilometres were comfortable. Strava shows my splits sitting between roughly 4:51 and 5:30 per kilometre through the first 11km, before the course climbed and the pace dropped to 6:01 at 12km. The stretch between the outposts at Renscombe (30km) and Corfe Castle (45.5km) was the hardest part of the race for me. Once I reached Corfe Castle, I was struggling, and the last 7km were the hardest of the day.

Keeping the Family Posted

I didn’t plan it, but I sent photos to the family WhatsApp group as I went, so the day came with a rough timeline. The 50k started at 9:00. At 9:54, I sent a view of the sea, then a trail shot at 10:38 with “18k”. At 11:16, I sent 25 km, then at 11:27 a photo of the route printed on my forearm, with the caption “Ça pique”, which roughly means “it stings”. At 12:47, I sent a photo at 37km, and the last message came at 14:32, with a photo of the Maverick Land Rover DJ at the event village and “Et 52km …”.

Clock time	Elapsed	What I sent
09:54	54m	Photo of the sea
10:38	1h 38m	Trail photo, “18k”
11:16	2h 16m	Photo, “25k”
11:27	2h 27m	Route on my forearm, “Ça pique”
12:47	3h 47m	Photo, “37k”
14:32	5h 32m	Maverick Land Rover, “Et 52km …”

The Finish Line

I crossed the line in 5:29:41. That made me 2nd in my age group and 38th male overall out of 241, in a race I’d entered five days earlier. Not too bad for a first ultra trail.

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Mandatory Kit

I read the email but didn’t read the race guide properly. After checking the list, I was close. For the 50k, the guide asks for a waterproof jacket, a phone, 800 calories, a litre of water, a foil blanket, a self-adhering elastic bandage, a hat or buff, a reusable cup and a GPX of the route. I’d check the reusable cup, phone, water, and GPX first.

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Post-Race

Then came the part nobody puts on the medal. I refuelled with some Tenzing and walked to the car to get my Dryrobe. After that, I shuffled around the event village like a zombie until I finally got my hands on a pizza. It was well earned.

What Went Well

• Finishing 2nd in my age group, on a race I entered a week out.
• The Precision Hydration chews were really good and worked for me.
• A steady pace for the first 11km.
• Carrying gels and a cup without a vest was manageable.

What To Improve

• Check the best-before date on breakfast food before race day.
• Test the navigation and pace screens before the start, and learn how to exit zoom.
• Use a flask rather than a cup.
• Read the full race guide, not just the email.
• Plan fuelling around the aid stations on the route, not around a guess.