THE countdown is on for the first ultra marathon organised by a dad-of-two from Winwick Park.

Wayne Drinkwater, 36, who completed the gruelling Marathon des Sables in May 2014 in the Sahara desert, has organised the Ultra Great Britain which is a 200 mile ultra marathon following the Trans-Pennine Trail from Southport through Warrington to Hornsea.

The race will be held on Saturday, August 20, with a number of scheduled checkpoints along the way.

Around 30 runners are expected to take part in the challenge including Lim Nghee Huat, 63, from Singapore who has raised more than £88,000 for charity Team Singapore.

George Howard from Great Britain will also be running the event after recovering from a coma to become a seasoned ultra runner following a car crash.

The 36-year-old said: "It has taken me two years to organise the event. I already have a number of entrants so far including one from Singapore."

Wayne, who organised the sold-out L2M Ultra which is also known as the Liverpool to Manchester Ultra Marathon on March 26, said: "I'm hoping Ultra Great Britain will change British running and keep people questioning their limits.

"The great news is Warrington are at the heart of L2M Ultra and part of the Ultra Great Britain route."

Runners are expected to reach Warrington between 11.30am and 2pm.

For more information visit facebook.com/UltraGreatBritain or twitter.com/UGB200.