14th June 2025

­­­South Downs Way 100 – Saturday 14^th – Sunday 15^th June 2025

Buckle up because this is a long one, but I feel that a long run deserves a long report!

Some of you may know that I DNF’d my first attempt at a 100-miler in May last year, and undeterred by this, I signed up for another on the South Downs Way for the following June. If anything, the fact that I hadn’t been able to complete the Thames Path 100 added more fuel to my fire and determination to cross the finish line this time.

I had grand plans to do plenty of base miles out on the trails of the Peak District over the winter, and then gradually increase my mileage and long runs in the few months building up to the race. However, these plans were scuppered when John ruptured his Achilles tendon in September 2024, throwing our life into complete disarray. I can’t drive so with John confined to a boot for 3 months, coupled with a very stressful time at work, and the cold and wet weather of winter, I lost a lot of motivation to even get out of the door and didn’t make it out to do those long trail runs I had planned.

Proper training began in February 2025, and I enthusiastically threw myself into it, and with the return of slightly warmer weather came the return of the long runs. A little bit too enthusiastically though because I managed to give myself shin splints from ramping up the miles and elevation too quickly. I took the usual runner’s approach of completely ignoring that slight niggle and continued to run on it thinking that I could simply ‘run it off’. Dear Reader, she didn’t ‘run it off’, instead she ran 23 miles on it after taking quite strong painkillers, and after they wore off she could barely walk.

I was signed up to do the South Downs Way 50 in April, which is the second half of the 100 mile race, but unfortunately with my injury there was just no way that was going to happen. I did eventually visit the physio who prescribed 3 whole weeks of no running! At this point I really did think that I wouldn’t be making that start line, but I set about switching to cross training in the gym (elliptical, bike, and the dreaded stair master), and plenty of strength work. Once the 3 weeks were up, I was able to start running again but only for 1 minute at a time, interspersed with 2 minutes of running. I still couldn’t imagine how this was going to translate to covering 100 miles in less than 2 months’ time.

Eventually I was able to build up the mileage and time on feet again, and my long runs became long hikes to try and lessen the impact on my shin. Fortunately, the pain never reoccurred, although I always had it in the back of my mind that it could end up starting again when I was halfway through the event.

Race day quickly came around, and we began the long journey down to Winchester where the race was to begin. We drove straight to the start area at Matterley Bowl on Friday evening as registration was open, and I was able to collect my number and race tracker. I was also able to pick up a pacing bib as I was lucky enough to have recruited Laura Mella, and Jim and Laura Rangeley to run with me throughout the night. Runners are permitted to have a pacer run with them from the 52 mile-mark, be it to help them hit a time goal they may have (such as the hallowed sub-24 hours), or like me, for safety so that they aren’t running through the night on their own. I had briefed everyone on where they were to meet me, and what they needed to do.

We then headed to Winchester to get my usual pre-ultra meal, two pizzas! We sat and ate them in front of the historic Winchester Cathedral, and for once I didn’t feel nervous about what I was about to embark upon. When I dropped out of the Thames Path 100 last year, my relationship with running had been in a bit of a strange place; I’d trained for it off the back of a block of training for Valencia marathon, and as the route was so flat, I’d done virtually all of my training along river and canal paths, which had made for quite a boring and repetitive training block, all of which had combined to make me wonder if running was even for me anymore. I think when you do something as big as a 100-mile race you need a really big reason why you’re doing it, and if you’ve lost your ‘why’ you’re probably doomed to fail from the start. However, this year, I felt in a completely different headspace, and I’d genuinely enjoyed the training this time as I’d got out onto some trails that I hadn’t run previously.

After an early night we settled down to sleep knowing that neither of us would be getting any sleep on the Saturday night. The alarm went off at 4:30am and we started to get ready. I’d prepped my bag the night before, so I didn’t have to rush in the morning, and I ate my usual race-day breakfast of overnight oats. It was soon time to leave the hotel and head off to the start line at Matterley Estate.

As we arrived, there was a real buzz of excitement in the air; the faster runners had already been set off in wave 1 at 5:30am, and those like me in wave 2 were starting to make their way towards the start area. The first few miles involve running a couple of laps of Matterley Bowl, before joining the South Downs Way proper and heading off towards the finish line in Eastbourne. The Wave 1 runners were making their way round the Matterley loops as the Wave 2 runners deposited their drop bags and nervously waited for our 6:30am start time.

Before we knew it, the time had come for us to start, and off we went for the start of our epic adventure. The skies were grey, and drizzle filled the air for the first couple of hours of the race, but the clouds soon gave way to blue skies and sunshine. The first aid station was at the 11-mile mark, and I managed to get in and out of it in a couple of minutes making sure that I had my flasks ready to fill up as I went in, and grabbing a few bits to eat, mostly crisps and a couple of sandwiches. I felt great in the first 20-something miles, walking the uphill sections and running the downhills. The scenery is absolutely stunning on the South Downs, with rolling hills as far as the eye can see, and I was having a great time, feeling like I could really do it this time.

The next aid station was at the Queen Elizabeth Country Park after 23 miles, and this was also the first crew point, where John met me with a selection of sweets and savoury goods, and he also topped me up with more High-5 carb drink. It really gave me a boost seeing John, and he told me that I was doing great and to keep going. Little did I know that I was running at sub-24-hour pace at this point! I knew I was doing well but I hadn’t realised I was doing that well! However, I didn’t think that I’d be able to keep that pace up until the end.

It was around the 30-mile mark that I started to hit a low point. The fatigue started to creep up on me, and the realisation that I would feel like this for another 70 miles really started to get into my head.  The scenery had started to be quite samey and a bit enclosed with not a lot to look at to distract me from the fatigue. However, I had to remind myself that these low moments won’t last, and after around an hour, the scenery started to open back up again, and I started to feel a bit better. I knew an aid station was coming up at mile 36 and this further helped to boost my spirits.

The South Downs lie on a chalk ridge but is also dotted with large chunks of flint often sticking out of the chalk. This can sometimes make for a bit of an uncomfortable footing, and it also makes me quite nervous when running downhill. I do have a tendency to fall, and this was no exception! I’d already had a couple of near-misses, tripping but not totally falling over. But with nearly half a mile to go before getting to the aid station, I think I stopped concentrating, I tripped and I fell really hard. I felt the left-side of my head hit the floor and my initial worry was that I’d broken my sunglasses! Luckily, they weren’t, and I got up and dusted myself off. A couple of other runners who had seen me fall asked if I was ok, and I insisted I was fine and I would just carry on. However, I looked down and it seemed like I’d done myself a bit of damage rather than the sunglasses. Blood was now running down my left arm and hand, I’d skinned my shoulder, and I’d ripped my shorts and scratched my leg quite badly. I then noticed that the middle finger on my right hand was now pointing 45 degrees in the wrong direction, and I’d dislocated it in the fall! After my initial exclamation of ‘argh! My finger!’ I had no choice but to quickly pop it back in again! Amazingly it didn’t hurt to do it. A lovely woman who had seen me fall asked if I needed any paracetamol, and despite my protestations that I was fine, she insisted I take some as I’d be in a bit of shock, but once the adrenaline wore off, I’d be in a lot of pain, but if I took the paracetamol they’d kick in by the time that happened. I’m so grateful that she helped me, and it really demonstrated the spirit of ultra running and everyone looking out for each other. She suggested I get my poles out to give me a bit of help, and once I did, they didn’t go back in for the rest of the race.

After that I was much more nervous and tentative with my running, especially descending the hills. The next scheduled aid station was at mile 45, but when I was within half a mile of that distance, John messaged me to let me know that it was in fact at mile 48, and at the pace I was going at that point, that was going to take the best part of an hour! I’d really been looking forward to seeing him at the aid station and my mood took a bit of a dip. I chatted to a fellow runner and asked them if they knew that the aid station was further away than advertised and he said that he did think that was the case as he’d done a couple of other races in the area and didn’t think that it would be possible to have an aid station at the 45-mile point. We chatted a little longer and he asked me if I was familiar with the area, and I said I wasn’t as I live in Sheffield. His reply? “You’re joking, I live in Crosspool!”. Proof if ever it was needed that you can’t go anywhere without meeting a fellow Sheffielder!

As I headed to the halfway point, the route follows the Downs up and over the rolling hills. From mile 52, I was able to have a pacer running with me, and it was here that Laura Mella joined me, and it was only three miles later that we arrived at Washington aid station, a little over halfway at 55 miles. I had a drop-bag here where I was able to get some warmer clothes, a change of socks, and some pasta and tomato sauce. It sounds basic but it was exactly what I wanted and needed at that point; so much so that I had two servings. The aid station was set up in a village hall and the whole thing was set up like a military operation. Everyone was trying to eat, change into warmer clothes and restock their packs as quickly and efficiently as possible so that they could get back on the move.

We headed out of the aid station and back onto the trail. The next few miles were all uphill, until it was all the way back down again almost to sea-level by the time we got to the next aid station at Botolphs. By now the light was beginning to fade, and experiencing the sun set across the Downs was a really special moment. However once darkness drew in around us, combined with the relentless-ness of the hills, I was starting to have another low moment. By this point as well, my feet had swollen up so much, and I was rapidly developing painful blisters all over my feet, to the point that I couldn’t bear to run for even short spells anymore. I’d been doing so well for time, and that was slowly being eroded by the fact that all I could manage now was a fast hike. I barely remember saying a word for the last hour or so with Laura, I just got my head down and marched on.

I was also looking forward to the pacer changeover at Devils Dyke at mile 66 too. Not that I didn’t want to run with Laura anymore, but more that in my mind that would be a ‘section’ ticked off in my head. It’s easier to deal with these long races by mentally breaking it down into chunks rather than thinking about the whole distance, otherwise it feels far too overwhelming. We met John, Laura, and Jim at around 11pm, and I confessed to John I was having a bit of a wobble. He reassured me I was doing really well; I ‘only’ had another 34 miles to go, and I had plenty of time to do it in, but it felt like I still had so much to do at that point, and my legs and feet were in so much pain.

Jim and I set off and running with someone else did lift my mood. We soon hit the next aid station, and I changed into some warmer clothes which definitely helped. So much of these longer events, particularly those which go into the night and beyond is about so much more than running; they’re also about managing multiple elements such as staying on top of your nutrition and keeping warm in the night (or as cool as you can in the day if it’s hot). If you can keep on top of those things, that’s half the battle. All you must do then is think about constantly moving forward towards the finish line.

I had recced the last 30 miles of the course a couple of weeks earlier, and as we headed towards the section that I was familiar with I started to feel a bit more at ease as I knew what was coming. There were fewer hard packed trails and more of it was on grass which made me feel slightly less nervous when descending and being scared of falling and knocking my finger again. However one thing that did make me nervous was the amount of cows that we had to pass which were casually hanging out in fields we had to travel through IN THE DARK. I was so terrified, especially because by this point there was no way I could run away from them if they’d started charging! But there was no need to worry because they must be so used to people walking past them that they were the most nonchalant cows I’ve ever seen. At one point Jim and I even passed one laid on its side, fast asleep and fully snoring!

Housedean Farm aid station at mile 77 was in a large out-building, with camping chairs laid out, and I’ve never been so pleased to sit down in my whole life! I was conscious of the saying “beware the chair!”, a warning to not sit down for too long otherwise you’ll seize up and it’ll be that much harder to get going again, but at that point in time it was absolute bliss to sit down for a few moments. Jim got me a coffee, and a couple of things to eat, and before long it was time to head off again. Some people were asleep on the floor as we left but I can genuinely say I never felt like I needed to sleep at any point during the race; I felt fatigued, yes, but never sleepy. I don’t know if it’s because I kept eating and moving, and so never gave myself a chance to feel like I could fall asleep.

Not long after leaving Housedean, the first glimmers of daylight started to lighten up the sky. It wasn’t long past 3am, and as we were only a week away from midsummer it was only properly dark for a few hours. And by around 3:30am, all the skylarks around us burst into life and their beautiful song filled the air. We marched on for several more hours; I still couldn’t run but despite that I still felt like I was moving pretty well. The pain in my quads felt unbearable at times, they were so sore from the constant up or down hills, but I had to simply keep moving forward if I wanted to finish and get my hands on that coveted finishers buckle.

We were soon in full daylight again and approaching the next changeover point, where Laura would take me home for the final 14 miles. We met them in the car park for Firle Beacon, and this really felt like a milestone. I’d gone through the night and come out of the other side, and now I was on the home straight.

The scenery at this point is so beautiful, with rolling hills as far as the eye can see, and it was a special moment to be there for the sunrise and early morning sun. Laura’s ‘relentless optimism’ (as Jim put it) really gave me a lift and although I don’t think I was the best company at this point, I was more than happy for Laura to keep chatting and keep me going. There were now only two aid stations, and two climbs left to go which felt so significant. We were soon at Alfriston which is the quaintest little village, and the aid station was in a lovely church hall. I had a cup of tomato soup, and it tasted like heaven in a cup! Just what I needed! The penultimate climb came almost straight after the aid station, and I knew this was a big one, but the best way to tackle it was to get my head down and keep moving. We soon encountered yet more cows, and this time it was calves, which made me nervous yet again in case their mums weren’t happy with us, but they were mostly just curious as to who all these people were passing through their field first thing in the morning.

A couple more hours and we had made it to the final checkpoint at Jevington, only 5 more miles left! As we left the village we noticed a small blue plaque noting Jevington as the birthplace of Banoffi Pie, which was invented there in 1972! I could’ve done with a slice to get me up the final climb! Before we knew it we were at the trig point at the top of the hill, looking down over Eastbourne. I had watched several videos of the race before I’d run it and knew that if I made it here then I would definitely finish. I felt really emotional; I was so close to completing my goal! The only thing left to tackle was the Gulley of Doom! A narrow, chalk gulley which can get rather greasy when wet, and I was so paranoid about slipping on. We took it steady, but several other runners came flying past us. I don’t know where they got their energy or confidence from 97 miles into the race!

With only a mile and a half to go, the route leaves the South Downs Way, and it’s a rather boring section to get to the race end at Eastbourne College. As we rounded the corner, and people started to clap us I could feel tears starting to prick my eyes, and a lump starting to form in my throat. I could soon see John, Jim, Laura, and her husband Pete, all cheering and clapping for me. The final 400m of the race is a lap of the track, and I was able to summon up the energy to run the whole lap. John joined me and Laura for the lap, something he’d wanted to be able to do when he’d started his return to running programme after his injury.

I couldn’t believe that I was finally crossing that finish line after all that time thinking about it and even thinking I wouldn’t be on the start line a couple of months ago. I had tears in my eyes as I was handed my buckle, I had finally done it, I was a Centurion! We all celebrated with a glass of fizz, and I basked in the glory of my achievement in the sunshine at the side of the track.

I have to take this moment to thank my pacers, Laura, Jim, and Laura, I genuinely couldn’t have done it without you, you kept me going through the tough times, held numerous gates open for me, and kept me fed and watered at the aid stations. Words can’t express how grateful I am that you travelled all that way down south to help me achieve my dream. And special thanks of course go to John, the one who kept it all together and organised us all. You drove me out to the Peaks so that I could do my long training runs, you reassured me when I was injured, you crewed me on the day, and drove all the pacers to all of the meeting points. To say I am grateful is an understatement; none of it would have happened if it wasn’t for you, and your logistics expertise, and unwavering support.

I’d also like to thank everyone who sent me messages of support, who congratulated me afterwards, and tracked me on the day; to know that you were watching my little dot move along the route means a huge amount. I feel honoured to be part of such a wonderful, supportive club.

********************

Since 2024 the SDW100 has been part of the World Trail Majors, which has meant it has attracted a number of elite ultra runners over the last couple of years. The favourable weather conditions on the day meant that both the men’s and women’s course records were broken – the men’s by Mark Darbyshire who knocked 21 mins off the previous record, finishing in 13h 42m (Mark holds the course record at a number of ultra marathon events), and the women’s by this year’s Winter Spine winner, Lucy Gossage in 16h 30m.

I completed the race in 27h 51m, and the full results are linked below

Strider result