By Joel Eaton
The South Downs Way 50 is organised by Centurion Running, who host a number of highly regarded ultra-distance races across the South East of England. Having been long enchanted with the idea of running ultras, far more than I have ever enjoyed actually running them, all I really wanted from this race was to enjoy a day out on the South Downs while getting in some serious training miles.
I arrived at the start in Worthing in good time for the kit check that precedes the race. These events require that you carry quite the haul of gear as when you’re out for long distances between aid stations, the weather can turn and issues can also arise from bad navigation or darkness.
Thankfully, there was barely a cloud in the sky all day and despite the mandatory waterproof and warm clothing, I could have done with remembering sun cream. Still, the race worked wonders for the tan.
The race begins with a long climb up to Cissbury Ring, then another climb to Chanctonbury Ring, before following the South Downs Way all the way to Eastbourne. After Chanctonbury, I knew the route had a long stretch of flat and downhill so I began to pick up the pace, and started to relax and enjoy the stunning views of the South Downs basking in the morning sun.
Ultra-races seem to generate a real sense of camaraderie between runners. There’s no elbow jabbing and little sense of the serious competition that you might find in a city 10k, and because you’re out there for so long, you naturally get chatting to people as you run with them.
11 miles in, at the first aid station, I started to worry that my legs were feeling too stiff already. This was temporarily forgotten as I gorged on the range of food on offer – one of the best things about ultra-races is the food at the aid stations: sandwiches, crisps, cakes, fruit, sausage rolls, cups of flat coke, and more. It’s like stopping at a kids’ party and there’s every possibility that I ate my entry fee’s worth in food thus breaking even – success!
Although my legs felt stiff, I didn’t feel tired and got into a consistent rhythm where I crept up through the field for the rest of the day. As the sun burnt my skin, it was a real treat to enjoy the picturesque half of the South Downs Way on such a stunning spring day.
After the last two big climbs, out of Alfriston and Jevington, the route dropped down into Eastbourne and finished with a lap around a running track, which I graced with an obligatory, but probably very slow, sprint finish.
With a complimentary cup of tea and hot dog at the end, I was elated. Surely, I’d no longer just broken even but I’d made a profit – try doing that at a city road race.
Joel finished 30th overall in a time of 8:22:56. (Apparently moving time was under 7:47 as Joel spent at least 35 minutes relaxing at the aid stations – eating mostly! Ed.)