After some deliberation I have finally entered the LDWA Flower of Suffolk 100 mile walking event (which allows runners, joggers and plodders) in May 2025, and now makes this a running and cycling blog. I will document multi-day training, the recce and hopefully the event itself. It will be my 10th hundred (and 9^th LDWA 100 – there’s a cloth badge if you complete 10….).

The Flower of Suffolk is the 51^st edition of the LDWA 100, which started in 1973 and has been held continuously ever since (except for 2001 when foot and mouth closed the countryside, and 2020 when COVID-19 prevented the event taking place). Held in a different part of the country every year, it is primarily an off-road event following a route description along paths, tracks and bridleways. There are generally about 15 checkpoints with food and a ‘breakfast / kit’ stop just after half way. The event has a time limit of 48 hours. Further information on all events can be found at: 100s Archive – Route, Results and Certificate.

I don’t know why I was deliberating entering it as being local(ish) it was always a target for 2025 – I guess that training is a big commitment and it’s a long way ! But given that the oldest finisher for the Scotland event in 2024 was 81, which is absolutely incredible, in the words of Rugby referees to their TMO, “give me a reason for not doing it” [awarding the try].

Casually reviewing the results from the first event in 1973, I was very surprised to see the Sports Master from my rival school complete it in 24:30, but then if he trained like he trained his cross-country team, perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised ! But this is a fantastic effort, not just because of the time, but also the kit and equipment that was available over 50 years ago. And just like Arctic and Himalayan adventures, the achievements of yesteryear seem far more impressive……… or is it just that we are becoming softer ?

I did my first 100 in 2005. On entering the event, my mother, exasperated by my latest crazy idea, suggested that I put it back a year to think about it. I declined and finished it in 29:22. My next one, the Wessex 100 in 2009, was my fastest in 26:44, just 6 minutes faster than the Games 100 in 2012. That was my peak and in recent years I’ve been closer to 32 hours, but very lucky that I’m still able to do them and still well within the time limit of 48 hours, which of course requires some participants to go through two nights with little sleep – a tremendous feat (pun intended). For anyone who wants to know more about the experience then the book ‘Out on your Feet’ by Julie Welch documents the 2008 Yoredale 100, interspersed with personal reflections.

The Flower of Suffolk 100 starts Rushmere St Andrew, Ipswich and heads north through the Fynn Valley, to Coddenham and Helmingham Hall and on to Framlingham with its 12th century Castle. The breakfast stop is at Leiston near the Sizewell Nuclear Power Plant. The route then heads to Thorpeness and Aldeburgh on the coast before following the Sailor’s Path to Snape and then down to Orford.  Finally the route heads inland to Rendlesham Forest, Sutton Hoo and Woodbridge and along the River Deben back towards the finish in Ipswich. The route description will be published on the LDWA website at 2025 Hundred LDWA – Flower of Suffolk Hundred

(Reproduced with kind permission from the LDWA)

As well as booking the main event, it is good to book training events early, before they sell out. For me that always starts with the Winter Tanners (20 miles) in January and now includes the Punchbowl (20 miles) in February and the Coventry Way (40 miles) in April. There will be more. In addition, I plan to run the Kennet and Avon canal and recce the Flower of Suffolk route in early May as there’s nothing worse than getting lost at night, when it’s cold, wet and windy, with 50 miles still to go, believe me !

So that’s my focus for the next 5 months, after which I will be back on the bike again with a couple of tours already in the planning.