Winter Downs 100 and 200 2024: Race Preview

Less than a week out from the second edition of the Winter Downs 200 and the inaugural Winter Downs 100, excitement is reaching fever pitch!

Race week - a race which has a 96 hour cut off makes it almost a full week for the staff and volunteer team - was an incredible amount of fun in 2023 and everyone is excited to see what this years edition brings. Alongside the 200, we have added the 100 miler new for this year. Start time for the 200 remains 0800 on Wednesday 12th December, with all runners required to cross the line by 0800 on Sunday morning. The 100 starts exactly half way around the 200 mile loop, from Amberley Museum at 1400 on Wednesday. The idea being that the very front of the 200 field catches the very back of the 100 mile field. That will be an exciting time at the finish!

As usual, we have live tracking for both events. Plus a media team out on course who will be providing regular highlight videos, images and live updates on course. The best place to get those is via our instagram channel which as usual will be buzzing with activity, morning, noon and night throughout race week.

Live Tracking for the 200 can be found here

Live Tracking for the 100 can be found here

Taking a look at the race rosters for both the womens and mens events, at both distances, there are some exciting prospects at the front, but some amazing stories to follow futher back as well.

As we look at a few of the runners this year it's important to reflect on whether they are crewed or uncrewed. Whilst there is no distinction in the results, those with crew will have some obvious advantages so it's important to bear in mind! Of course runners may switch between crewed and uncrewed right up to the race itself so all of the data below is provisional.

WINTER DOWNS 200

Womens Race

Emma Stuart (Uncrewed): The Irish international has in what has been a relatively short running career, established herself as one of the top handful of British athletes at ultra trail events in recent years. Results speak for themselves. Since bursting on to the ultra scene in 2019 she has only failed to finish on the podium once and that was at the European Championships. In the UK she has already racked up wins at several of the highest profile and most difficult trail and mountain 100s - Lakeland, Arc of Attrition, UTS. Internationally she finished third at TGC and at Lavaredo, winning Tor Des Geants last year to boot. She is most recently off of a win at the Kullamannen 100 mile, a race which she ran in 16:28 for a new course record. It is fantastic to have her racing here.

Edwina Sutton (Uncrewed): Eddie was one of the founding members of our Centurion Ultra Team back in 2013. She has also been on our coaching staff for a decade is well known to all of our community both for her results and more recently for her role on the Tea and Trails Podcast. Eddie has won both the SDW50 and CW50 in the past with us. She's also finished on the podium at the British 100km champs. More recently she has focused on the longer / 200 mile distances and finished on the podium at both the Spine in 2023 and the Northern Traverse, earlier this year. 

Rachel Fawcett (Crewed): Still our Grand Slam 50 mile all-time record holder and Grand Slam 100 mile finisher, Rachel has won four Centurion events already including the Wendover Woods 100 in one of its three appearances on the calendar. This year she ran home second at UTS 100 mile. She's also won events such as the Jurassic Coast 100 mile and the East Devon Round.

Laura McGill (Crewed): Laura has three Chiltern Wonderland finishes to her name including a third, second and a sixth. She's also finished in the top ten at Thames Path 100, Autumn 100 and the South Downs Way 50, all in the last three years. 

Allie Bailey (Crewed): Allie co-hosts the Centurion Pod is also part of our Ultra Team. She has finished many of the longer, tougher ultras in the UK but stand out was her win at the South Wales 200 in 2022. She was also fifth at the Spine Summer Challenger this past June.

Mens Race

Dan Lawson (Crewed): Dan most recently won the South Downs Way 100 in what was an incredibly competitive race, given it's launch into the World Trail Majors Series. Earlier this year he also finished second at the South Downs Way 50, a race he led until a couple of k's from the finish. Our Centurion Ultra Team runner has been one of the leading lights in the sport for a very long time. Dan's back catalogue is simply too long to go into here, highlights include but are not limited to at least half a dozen Team GB 24hr vests where he has performed brilliantly and more consistently than any other including a European Champs gold in 2016. GUCR record holder. World V50 100 mile record holder with a 12:37 at our track 100 in 2023. Winner of Ultrabalaton, Ultra Trail Gobi (perhaps his most relevant finish given the format here of 200 mile plus), third at Badwater, second at Spartathlon the list just goes on and on. 

Tristan Stephenson (Crewed): Centurion Ultra Team runner Tristan won our Thames Path 100 in 2022 in 13:59, narrowly missing out on the course record. A year when he also finished second at the Arc of Attrition in what was then a second fastest ever time. Last year he finished on the podium at the Dragons Back and set a 50 mile age cat British record of 5:54 at our Track 100.

Peter Windross (Uncrewed): Champion of the SDW100 in 2021, Pete has also won the Autumn 100 (sub 14 hours) and the Thames Path 100. Four time Grand Slam finisher, Peter is one of our most decorated runners both in terms of finishes but more so top tens, podiums and wins.  This will be his first 200 miler.

Scott Newburn (Crewed): Scott was third at the Northern Traverse in 2022, a race that runs past his front door at the New Ing Lodge on the edge of the Lake District in Shap. His pedigree over tough mountain and trail races is fine. Seventh at the Arc of Attrition, second at Wendover Woods 50, fourth at Lakes in a Day and two solid Lakeland finishes. This year he also finished the Paddy Buckley Round in under 24 hours.

Nick Smith (Crewed): Nick has proved he can run well on any kind of surface and after his DNF here last year, having led the race early on, will be hungry to get it right this time. Last year he ran 14:06 for 100 miles on the track. But his past trail results include a second at Wendover Woods 50, a win at the Robin Hood 100 and a sixth at NDW50 amongst many more.

Martin Wilson (Uncrewed): Second at Lakeland 100 in 2023 in a fine time under 22 hours, a race he has finished five years in a row. Recorded 237km over 24 hours on the track in 2023 also.

SPECIAL INTEREST

John Fanshawe (Uncrewed): At 78, John will be aiming to become a two time finisher here having made it across the line uncrewed in 95:15 last year. Listen to a podcast recapping his 2023 race here.

WINTER DOWNS 100

Womens Race:

Laura Watts (Crewed): Three consecutive Badwater finishes in the last three years she has also peppered in lots of other long, hard races. Wins at Leeds to Liverpool Canal Race and Kennett and Avon Canal Race over 130 and 145 miles respectively being highlights, she has also had strong finishes at events such as Spartathlon, NDW100, Daytona 100 and Keys 100. 

Emma Nicholls (Uncrewed): Winner of the North Coast 110km this year, she has won or placed on the podium at several difficult coastal ultras in recent years including Arc 50, South West Traverse Extreme (90 miles) and the Atlantic Coast 40 mile. 8th at the Autumn 100 in 2023. 

Vanessa Kellie (Uncrewed): 5th at the Cotswold Way Century, third at Wild Horse 200 - South Wales in 2022 and eighth at the Summer Spine Race are stand out results from a consistent performer.

Kasia Atmaca (Crewed): Kasia was fourth at the TP100 this year and was first lady at the Longbridge Backyard Ultra back in January. 

Mens Race: 

Geoff Cheshire (Uncrewed): Geoff's back catalogue at Centurion events is really impressive. Whilst he has suffered set backs with the occasional drop or finish behind his potential, he has enjoyed incredible success too. He has won the Thames Path 100, Autumn 100 (13:58 course record) - both in 2023 - and the Chiltern Wonderland 50. Finished on the podium in addition at the NDW100 twice. Top ten at Lakeland in 2023, he has won lots of other shorter but competitive ultras too including Race to the stones. 

Howard Dracup: Howard has placed third at both the Spine Winter Challenger South and North in recent years. He set the Steve Parr round record in 2020 (subsequently broken) - over 115 miles of rough Lakeland Ground. He was also 17th at Swiss Peaks 360 last year.

Mark Perkins (Crewed): The one the only, Mark remains our all time South Downs Way 100 record holder with his 14:03 from 2024 lasting now over a decade. At that time Mark was together with Dan Lawson, arguably the best in the land. He ran a hair over 12 hours for 100 miles on the track at Crawley. And he won Berlin 100 in 13 hours too. After a long lay off with a persistent injury he is slowly working his way back in to the sport again and the last thing we want to do is put pressure back on him. But after winning the Ring of Fire this summer he has proven he really is back again.

Ben Carroll (Uncrewed): An excellent 248km at Crawley 24hr last year. Has also finished 7th at the GUCR.

Ben Hall (Crewed): Two excellent runs this year so far have resulted in a third at the NDW50 and a second at the CW50.