2016 SDW50 Preview

Well, here we are. The 2016 season is here! And to kick it all off we have our biggest starting field to date with an expected 400 runners converging on Worthing College this coming Saturday 9th April ready to run the 50 miles to Eastbourne. 

For many, this will be their first foray in to ultrarunning. But there are an equal number of highly experienced guys and girls too. With a team of over 100 volunteers out on course getting them there when times get rough.

As is tradition with our events, I've put together a quick snap shot of those who will be looking to push the front end of the field. Please do comment if something is incorrect or somebody is missing. We'd love to know!

WOMEN 

We're really excited to welcome a deep women's field to this event. 

Jess Gray: Jess burst on to the Centurion scene when she took home 2nd overall/ 1st lady at the 2015 NDW50. Jess has racked up a fine string of results since starting in 2014 with wins at Royal Parks 50km, the Chiltern 50km from XNRG and last year the Ridgeway 86 in a superb 14:17 good for second overall. She will have her sights on a solid performance here ahead of the SDW100 in June. A third at the season opener Country to Capital will have no doubt fired her up even more for this one. 

Amelia Watts: Amelia placed a superb 5th at the 2013 Marathon Des Sables and later that year went on to record wins at UTSW60 and Dusk Til Dawn 50. In 2015 she finished 4th at Race to the Stones and finished UTMB in a time of 33:28 good enough for 18th overall.  

Claire Shelley: Our 2012 SDW100 champion, Claire recently lowered her marathon PB to 3:04 with a stellar run at Seville in February. Claire's experience is huge, with a string of ultra finishes behind her and wins at races as prestigious as GUCR and the Oner. One thing is for sure, she will run her own race. 

Linn Erixon Sahlstrom: Linn has some strong finishes behind her over recent years, culminating in a couple of wins in 2015, at the Imber Ultra and at Endurancelife CTS Sussex. She's run under 8 hours for 50 before and will no doubt be looking to do the same again.

Susie Casebourne: Susie is a veteran of many Centurion events and over the years has clocked up wins at Caesars Camp 50 and has two previous SDW50's to her name including a 2nd in 2013.

MEN

The men's field looks wide open with no clear superfast runners as we've had in the past (Mark Perkins, Paul Navesey, Victor Mound are the previous winners). Certainly it makes for a very interesting race and possibly one that will come down to the wire. No doubt there are a couple of speedsters lurking that I've missed however....

Nick Greene: Nick has started 2016 well with a sub 6 at Country to Capital and a win at the Peddars Way 47 miler two weeks later. Nick has been a feature at Centurion events on both sides of the fence for many years. He has 3 SDW100 finishes including a 17:57 for 10th in 2014. In 2015 he went better at the TP100 and came in 2nd with a time of 16:52. Along with super finishes at classics like Leadville, Highland Fling and the Ridgeway, Nick also has a best at the SDW50 of 7:03 and will certainly be looking to run under 7 this time out. 

Ollie Sinclair: Ollie has a deep ultra background, with a career in Ironman before that. He has been a feature on the UK scene for a number of years and in his time has won and held records at some classic races such as Hardmoors 55 and Caesars Camp 50. He'll be looking for a strong outing here after a solid 2015 including a hard earned slog of a finish at the NDW100. He knows how to tough it out!

Warwick Gooch: Warwick has featured in previews a few times and rightly so. His experience over recent years has racked up, with a Centurion Grand Slam in 2014 in a stellar time including 2 Top 10s. With a GUCR finish and a solid Autumn 100 in 2015 he'll be looking to get 2016 off to a flier.

Wyclef Forbes: Wyclef ran home for 2nd at the 2014 Race to the Stones in 9:06, and has second places to his name at Marlborough Downland and Endurancelife CTS Anglesey.