100 Mile UTMB Badge
100 mile race
Runner information
Saturday 25th May 2024
MORE INFO

Schedule

Saturday May 25th, Queen Elizabeth Country Park.

11am: Registration opens

11.45am: Registration closes

12pm: Race start

10pm: Race finish (Sunday 26th)

Race start/finish location:

The race will start in Queen Elizabeth Country Park, Petersfield, PO8 0QE. There will be signs and Marshalls to direct you to race HQ. The What3Words location is https://w3w.co/sunflower.cuddled.decently

The finish will be in Helen Garden, Eastbourne, BN20 7XL.

There will be free parking available at the start (location link below) and toilets. Vehicles cannot be left here overnight unfortunately, so please use this as a drop off only. There is a café located a few hundred meters away at the Queen Elizabeth Country Park Visitor Centre with more toilets, hot drinks and food. https://w3w.co/bucket.agents.duet

There will be plenty of parking at the finish line in the nearby streets. The train station is a two mile walk from the finish line, however there will be regular shuttles to take runners from the finish line if you so choose. There will also be a large marquee, seating, toilets, along with food/drink, and music.

Aid Stations:

There will be 14 very well stocked aid stations along the route which are listed below. Aid stations will carry a wide range of food and drink and will cater for everyone's needs including vegan, vegetarian and gluten free.

Location
Amenities
Mile 8.6 - The George Pub, no cut off
No Toilets
Mile 12.26 - Stansted House, no cut off
Toilets
Mile 20.88 - West Dean, cut off 7pm
No Toilets
Mile 28.3 - East Dean Football Club, cut off 8.45pm
Toilets Available
Mile 34 - Bignor Hill, cut off 10.15pm
Toilets Available
Mile 43 - Arundel, cut off 1am
Toilets Available
Mile 51 - Findon, cut off 3.30am
Toilets & Drop Bag Option Available
Mile 57.30 - Botolphs, cut off 5.30am
No Toilets
Mile 62.72 - Saddlescombe, cut off 7.30am
Toilets Available
Mike 72.52 - Housedean, cut off 10.30am
Toilets & Drop Bag Option Available
Mile 79.60 - Southease, cut off 1pm
Toilets Available
Mile 86.60 - Alfriston, cut off 3.30pm
Toilets Available
Mile 91.33 - Jevington, cut off 5.30pm
Toilets Available
Mile 96.7 - East Dean, cut off 7.30pm
Toilets Available
  • Bananas
  • Watermelon
  • Crisps
  • High 5 energy drink and gels
  • PB, jam, cheese, marmite and, ham sandwiches
  • Homemade vegan/gluten free lemon drizzle cake
  • Skittles and jelly babies
  • Coke
  • Soreen
  • Chocolate
  • Salted nuts
  • Homemade flapjack
  • Sausage rolls
  • Water

Cut Offs

There is a time limit of 34 hours for the race, and all runners must be finished by 10pm. There are cut offs at some of the aid station locations along the route as shown in the table above. We aren't overly strict on the cut off times as we want everyone to finish, so please use these times as a rough guide. We will give you a little bit of wiggle room with these, so please don't stress too much. If you are way over the cut off time then we will have to ask you to stop. The one exception to this is the final aid station in East Dean. You will not under any circumstances be allowed to leave here after 7.30pm.

Drop Bags

Runners will have the option of leaving a drop bag at registration. These bags will be transported to the 51 (Findon) and 72.5 mile (Housedean Farm) aid stations where they will be kept safe, and ready for your collection. Please keep these bags as small as possible. Please be aware that if you would like to transfer the drop bag to the finish line after using it, then it will not be transported until after the last runner has left Housedean aid station. If you finish before this and don’t want to wait, then we can hold the bag for collection the following week or post it to you if you are willing to cover postage costs. We suggest you have some spare clothes in this bag incase of bad weather, along with any snacks/drinks you might prefer that we don't provide.

Crews

Crews will be permitted to help their runners pretty much anywhere on the route from Rowlands Castle onwards (Mile 10). Any runner caught being crewed before this point will be disqualified. Certain landowners have asked for crewing not to take part in the early stages of the race so we must abide by this. However, crews are not allowed at aid station locations or anywhere in Findon Village or anywhere near Saddlescombe Farm. There are residents living close by and we cant risk making any noise here during the night/early morning. The one exception to this is at the Arundel aid station (mile 43) where runners can pick up their pacers. We do though strongly suggest you try to bring a crew for this race.

It is however very important for the future of the race that crews behave in a sensible manner throughout. There are privately owned car parks along the route that can become overcrowded very quickly, and spectators must take it upon themselves to follow the rules of any certain car park. Not following these rules by parking on grass verges, and in places that are not official parking spaces etc just because they are there to help their runner will not go down well, and could put the future of the race in jeopardy. If a certain car park is full then please just move on to the next one. Crews must also be aware to keep noise down in all residential areas especially at night and early morning. Car lights and engines must also be kept off in these areas. Any crews not acting sensibly will result in their runner being disqualified.

SWEEPER BUS

There will be a sweeper bus in operation to collect you if you cannot continue, but there is often a long waiting time for this, and there is only so much we can do to support runners in this situation. It is essentially the runner’s responsibility to plan ahead in the situation they do have to drop out of the race, to arrange support and transport to get home. Our main priority when runners drop out is with runners still in the race. We will do what we can to help but, please plan ahead for this by arranging your own transport or bringing money for local transport/taxi. The sweeper bus will only be able to take you to nearby aid stations, local transport locations etc. It will not be able to take you to the finish line unless you decide to drop out very late into the race.

Pacers

Runners will be allowed a pacer from the 43 mile aid station at Arundel onwards. This is the only aid station location that your pacer can meet you at. After this, pacers can join their runners anywhere along the remainder of the route, but not at aid station locations, and nowhere in Findon Village or anywhere near Saddlescombe Farm in general. Pacers are more than welcome to enter and use aid stations with their runners but in terms of noise and parking, they must not turn up at these locations to meet and wait for them. Landowners will not allow this, so please get your pacer to meet you somewhere else on the route. Pacers must also be aware to keep noise down in residential areas especially at night, and early morning. Car lights must also be kept off in these areas during these times..

Spectators

Spectators are very welcome to come along and support their runners throughout the day. It is however very important for the future of the race that they behave in a sensible manner throughout. There are privately owned car parks along the route that can become overcrowded very quickly and spectators must take it upon themselves to follow the rules of any certain car park. Not following these rules by parking on grass verges and in places that are not official parking spaces etc just because they are there to watch the race will not go down well, and could put the future of the race in jeopardy. If a certain car park is full then please just move on to the next one.

Spectators must also be aware to keep noise down in residential areas especially at night, and early morning. Car lights and engines must also be kept off in these areas during these times. The only places we ask spectators not to attend is aid station locations. This is by request of the landowners and it is very important to respect this.

Finish Line Bags

Runners will also have the option of leaving a finish line bag at registration. This is limited to one bag per runner. The bag will be transported to the finish line area safe and ready for your collection. Please ensure the bag is clearly marked with your name and bib number.

Mandatory Kit

The course is predominantly on easy going trails with small road sections as well. At the time of year, the race takes place, the ground should be dry and hard. We therefore suggest that both road running and light trail shoes are suitable.

Runners must carry the following equipment with them at all-times and will be disqualified for failing kit checks. Inspections will take place at any time during and after the race.

  • Fully charged mobile phone including the numbers for the Race Medic, Event Control and Race Director which will be available at registration.
  • Foil blanket/survival blanket
  • Hydration system capable of holding one litre of liquid.
  • Whistle
  • Headlamp (minimum of 75 lumens) and also a backup headlamp.
  • Warm gloves
  • Warm hat
  • Spare long sleeved base layer top
  • Waterproof jacket with taped/sealed seams and a hood
  • Bank card/cash
  • A high visibility item that can be seen at night. This is essentially so you are visible to drivers when running during darkness nearby roads or crossing them. There are various things such as high vis hats, waist belts, certain running tops etc that are all acceptable. A good example of this would be something you can strap around your arm or ankle.
  • The route downloaded to a GPS device or mobile (While this is not mandatory, it is strongly recommended, and ideally, runners should always have this on them during a race of this nature)

It is not mandatory, but we do suggest you bring a foldable cup to drink from as the race will be cup less.

Route Markers and Navigation

The route will combine three different trails through the South Downs National Park. The Staunton Way, The Monarchs Way and, The South Downs Way. All three of these routes are signposted with their own unique symbols. The route will be well marked mainly with UK Ultra signs throughout. There are a few small sections that come off these three main trails during the event, again, these will be well signed. A map and compass are not necessary at this event although, it is never a bad idea.

Even though the course will be thoroughly marked, it is the runner’s responsibility to navigate it successfully. We do however suggest you try and recce the route as much as possible, and STRONGLY suggest you download the GPX file onto your GPS/handheld device. Unfortunately, sometimes markers do get removed by members of the public or turned in the opposite direction.

Even though we will mark the route as thoroughly as possible, please don't rely on this. Having the GPX downloaded will save you a lot of hassle in this situation as it is very accurate, and you can easily navigate the route with this alone if markers are tampered with. This doesn't happen very often however, all it takes is for one marker to be removed to send you in the wrong direction.

Medical

There will be an experienced team of race medics available to runners before, during and after the event including first aid teams, response cars and ambulances. There is the possibility due to some locations on the course that the medical team might take some time to reach you. In this situation you should call 999.

Shuttle Bus

There will be a coach service in operation on the morning of the race, travelling from Eastbourne to Queen Elizabeth Country Park. Any entrants staying in Eastbourne before the event will be able to choose this option, along with any local-residents. The coach will depart from the Langham Hotel on the seafront at 8.30am. It is a 2 hour drive, and places can be booked during the checkout process or here:

https://ukultra.eventrac.co.uk/e/south-downs-10150/products

There will also be a small shuttle service available after the race at the finish line in Eastbourne, which will transport all entrants that wish to use it, to the local train station and nearby hotels. This is free of charge and will depart every 30 mins.