Entries

Entries for 2025 are now open. There are three types of entry.

General Entries: These places are available on a first come, first served basis and are open now. The Entry Fee is £215 and includes all fees.

Volunteer Entries: 100 places are available to volunteers at Centurion events in 2024 who have earned a free slot. Entry fee is £0.

Elite Entries: If you are an elite athlete looking to compete in 2025 you may apply for an elite entry by emailing us here. As a guide, we welcome elite athlete applications from athletes with an ITRA Index score of 750+ (Men) and 600+ (Women). We will also consider those who don't feature on ITRA on a case by case basis.

Runners may also enter the event as part of the 100 mile Grand Slam. To take part in the Slam, runners can enter each event individually, or buy a Grand Slam ticket which gets you entry to all four 100 Mile Slam events. Information on the Grand Slam, and how to enter can be found by clicking here.

Qualification Standard

In order to enter you must have completed a minimum of a 50 mile distance race within 15hrs, between 1st January 2020 and race day. As organisers, we reserve the right to refuse anybody entry who does not meet this standard. Unqualified runners may enter but will be contacted approximately 8 weeks prior to race to verify qualification plans if they have not updated their online information by this time.

Click here to read more about what counts as a qualifier.

What do I get for my entry fee? 

12 fully stocked aid stations
A marked course
Overnight camping at the start line
Full Medical Support
Live Tracking through open tracking. Click here to see a replay of the 2024 event.
Live Race Broadcast with coverage extending throughout the 30 hours of the race. Including on course commentary, in-race highlights and webcams from every check point. Click here to see a replay of the 2024 event. 
Finish Line Hot Food and Drinks
Awards - Finishers Buckle plus all category trophies to Finishers Only

Start/ Finish Location

Registration and the race start is at Matterley Bowl. Details of how to get to the estate can be found under the travel and accom tab here.

The race finishes at Eastbourne Sports Club Athletics Track. Runners will enter the track through the gate and complete a lap of the track to finish. Runners will be permitted to run the track section with friends, family and crew accompanying them.

Start Process: Wave Start

The race will start in two waves, both on Saturday 14th June 2025.

Wave 1 will go at 0530
Wave 2 will go at 0630

Waves will be decided based on estimated finish times with the fastest runners in wave one. If you wish to run with your friends, training partner or clubmates ensure you all put the same finish time. You will not be able to change waves once they are set and published. This will be around 3 weeks before the event. You can change your estimated finish time anytime after you enter until the waves are set.

Only runners in Wave 1 will be eligible for overall awards in both the men's and women's races. Age group awards can be won from either wave.

Cut offs will remain at 30 hours for both starting waves. 

Route

The race route begins with a 4 mile loop through Matterley Estate before joining the South Downs Way as it passes through the farm. The final 96 miles remain identical to that of all previous years, following the South Downs Way National Trail for its duration, only deviating from the standard route at the points listed on the course page. 

A map of the route can be found at the bottom of this page. Please note that this does not include the first loop of the estate which is on private land. This will be clearly marked on the day.

Cut Offs

Runners must finish within a 30 hour time limit. There are strict cut offs at every aid station on route, designed with the purpose of keeping runners on course to finish within the overall time limit. The full aid station plan including cut offs on the route can be found here.

Awards

100 mile Finisher Buckle to all finishers.

Runners finishing the course in under 24 hours will receive '100 miles - One Day' buckles commemorating their achievement. 

Runners finishing between 24 and 30 hours will recieve '100 mile - Finisher' buckles.

Runners who finish 5 editions of this event will receive a 500 Mile Buckle. Runners who finish 10 editions of this event will receive a 1000 mile buckle.

The Centurion Trophy will be awarded to Mens and Womens Champions and further trophies to second and third place Male and Female. Age Category awards go to first in each group: MV40, MV50, MV60, MV70, FV40, FV50, FV60, FV70. 

Aid Stations

There will be a minimum of 12 official aid stations along the length of the course, these can be found on the aid station plan here. All aid stations carry as a minimum: Water, Coke, Tailwind, Squash, Gu Energy Gels, Chocolate, Sweets, Sandwiches, Nuts, Fruit, Wraps and other sweet and savory snacks always with both Gluten Free and Vegan options. All aid stations from Houghton onwards will have hot drinks including tea and coffee. There will be hot food available at Washington and the finish line. Soup and other hot food will be available at some aid stations across the second half of the course.

Drop Bags

Drop Bags must be deposited at the race start either on the Friday evening or Saturday morning during the hours of registration. Drop bags must NOT exceed 45cm x 25cm x 25cm in size ie. the size of a large shoe box for any one aid station. They must be labelled with your name, aid station it is to go to and race number. Drop bags will be accessible at the following points and will be available for collection between 0800 and 1230 at the finish line. Drop bags must be collected by 1230, any left over at this time will be disposed of. Runners need to leave a different drop bag for each aid station, each bag will be transported to the aid station listed and then the finish. Finish line bags will be taken directly to the finish only. 

• Mile 54: Washington
• Mile 76: Housedean
• Finish: Eastbourne

Course Markings

Detailed course notes can be found on this page.

The course is marked by South Downs Way marker posts which come in different forms but always displaying the acorn which is the key symbol and guide on this route as with all National Trails. 

In addition to the fixed markers as above, the course will also be marked with our pink tyvek ribbons and pink Centurion arrows. There are a number of road crossings to negotiate, some of them are extremely busy. It is the responsibility of the runner to negotiate all road crossings safely.

It is ultimately the runners responsibility to navigate the course successfully, with or without course markings. We strongly recommend that you take the time to recce the route before race day, download the GPX available at the foot of this page and carry a map with you on race day. The Harveys South Downs Way map is an excellent guide. 

Pacers

Runners are permitted pacers from Kithust Hill Crew Point (mile 50). Pacers must travel on foot only. Runners are permitted multiple pacers throughout the last 50 miles but only one may travel with the runner at any one time. The exception to this is the finishing lap of the track where a runner may be joined by as many friends and family as they wish. 

Pacers must always wear a Pacer Race bib. This will be handed out at race registration. Each pacer must transfer that bib from one to the next if there are any handovers.

The points at which a runner may be paced/ hand over pacers are listed on the crew page here. 

Crew

Runners are allowed to have one crew vehicle out on course. The points at which a runner may be crewed are listed on the crew instructions page here. Crews will not be permitted to access their runner at any point other than those listed. 

One Crew Pass per runner will be handed out at registration and crews will not be able to access locations without displaying the crew pass in the vehicle window.

Medical

There will be a dedicated team of race medics available throughout the duration of the weekend including static first aid teams, rapid response cars and a race ambulance. If you suffer an injury or accident that warrants direct medical attention, the medics will be on hand to provide you with exactly that. Contact numbers and full details of what to do in an emergency will be given to you in the pre race information packs and again at race registration. Due to the nature of the course ie. some remote and far from roads, the medics may take some time to reach you, or potentially be out of contact tending to other runners. In those instances you should contact the emergency services on 999. If you are injured but able to walk, please make your way to the nearest aid station where there will either be a medic, or an aid station captain will immediately get in touch with medical care should you require it/ arrange for transport out. If you suffer a severe injury or encounter someone in serious difficulty please call 999 for emergency ambulance services.

Kit

85% of the course is on trail, therefore trail shoes are advised. There are sections of trail which can become very muddy in wet conditions. The South Downs Way paths are formed of chalk and are composed of significant sections of exposed and slippery chalk bed and rocks. These sections can be technical in both the dry and the wet. The ridge is very exposed and in wind and rain runners can become cold quickly. It is essential to carry the items below in light of that. There will be kit checks prior during and after the race. With the exception of lights which only need to be carried from Washington onwards, runners must carry the following mandatory equipment at all times. A time penalty of one hour will be imposed for any item found to be missing at any point on course. Please refer to this page for explanations on the inclusion of the below items.  

There are many options regards kit for fulfilling these requirements and those of other events. We stock what we believe to be the best options at our online store available by clicking here under the Mandatory Gear Section. Please ask us if you have any questions.

• Fully Charged Mobile Phone including the numbers for the Race Medic and Race Director (on the number you have given at registration)
• Water Bottles/Bladder capable of carrying a minimum of 1 litre.
• Survival Blanket or Bag
• Waterproof Jacket: Gore-tex or similar, minimum 10000mm+ & must have sealed seams. 
• Whistle
• Headtorch or Primary Light Source - Minimum 100 Lumens (Required from Washington only)
• Back Up Light source - Minimum 100 Lumens (Required from Washington only)
• Long sleeved base layer or fleece top - This must be carried separately from the start and kept dry, for use only in an emergency. Starting in 2 layers is not a substitute.
• Cup or Mug

The video below takes you through the mandatory gear for the race and gives some tips and advice on how to pack your race vest and drop bag.