So, it’s the night before the FoS 100. I’m a bit apprehensive, which is perhaps nervous energy until I get started and the miles ‘to go’ are ticking down but quite looking forward to it. Since my last 100 I have bought a new backpack which at 550g is 300g lighter than my old one, which always seemed a bit heavy. I’ve been packing ‘on and off’ during the day. It’s ironic; the less you take the more thought that needs to go into it. There is a mandatory kit list and at least one kit check on route, so it’s important to have everything. I have weighed my pack and will be carrying 4.75kg, which is 0.25kg lighter then previous events.  

I have been keeping a beady eye on the weather which after weeks of hot ‘n’ dry is becoming more changeable, with light rain / showers. I may be lucky and miss the rain with a 12:00 noon start, unlike Wales in 2013 when it rained heavily for the first 20 hours and I was splashing through puddles.

I have also eased off on the training; more of a cliff edge rather than a taper, having only run once since I completed the recce which will be 16 days before the event. I have also tried to take it easy this week.

Thinking about strategy there is a need to be disciplined as some of the checkpoints are within 4 miles of each other. I need to run / jog / walk and eat through some of them rather than succumb to the temptation of a chair (how ever uncomfortable). Every 12-15 minutes rest is equivalent of 1 mile lost. I have also a identified a need to remain positive for the full duration of the event which is sometimes easier said than done. And of course, I signed up voluntarily and no one has made me do it.

The big day had arrived. A 12:00 noon start had given me a leisurely drive over to the start in Ipswich where I arrived just as the 10:00 am wave was departing. There are three starts depending on pace and checkpoint opening times. It was a grey day and still a bit muggy after overnight rain.

After having @ 450 nervous and expectant competitors milling around previously, the registration area in the Sports Hall had probably regained some normality as I checked in for the event, got my tally card and tracker (to provide live tracking) and caught up with a few old friends. I was now set. Everything in the run up to the event had gone well: training, food, kit selection and rest, so I was just eager to get started.

Twenty-eight of us set off at 12:00 noon for 7.3 miles to the first checkpoint, a gazebo on Barnham Green where we needed to drop a raffle ticket (the same as our number to record our time – a raffle has the impression of being random, but it seemed to work ok). I grabbed some food which I ate while walking. By this time, I had got talking to Alan who had not only completed the 215 mile Trans Scotland event in 96 hours, he had also done a parkrun before the FoS100. I was momentarily jealous as that was something I had been contemplating but had decided against (I was worried about regretting the decision in the last quarter – more on Alan later.) I was also talking to Max Cole, whose late father, Roger, used to hold the record for the greatest number of LDWA 100 completions at 41 (this had since been extended by Leonard Fallick to 42 who would increase it to 43 this weekend). For these and many others, the 100 has become an annual reunion; a set date in the calendar, a target to aim for and I’m slowly getting drawn into it after doing three of the last four.

The running was going well, and the miles were ticking by nicely. By Checkpoint 2, I had started catching and overtaking some of the 10am starters and got ahead of a group not only to avoid queueing for check in, but also for the kit check. I picked a ping-pong ball out of a bag, with ‘gloves’ written on it promptly showed my gloves. “There may be another kit check later….”.

During the recce there had been four sections where I had got lost. The Route Description (RD) had been tweaked, but for added reassurance I was keen to ‘buddy up’ with someone navigating by GPS to ensure that the worst didn’t happen. The first of these was at about 36 miles just as the daylight was fading. Having left Kettleburgh Village Hall, I was conscious of someone running @ 30m behind me and slowing if I slowed. Let’s call them the ‘leech’ (more on leeches later). Perhaps they were unsure of the route too ? Luckily there were walkers ahead I could see and hence I avoided getting lost. I went through Moat House Barn @ 8pm and then completed 43 miles at Stratford St Andrew at 9:20pm. Given the grey skies, it was time for the torch.

Running at night is always slower. However, despite having recce’d the route, it wasn’t always familiar to me needing a quick check against the RD (with the risk of tripping) or reassurance from torchlights or reflectors in the distance.

The first target for all participants is to get to the Breakfast Stop, where a ‘drop bag’ can be left for a change of kit, additional food and a place to leave any unwanted items. Being over 50 miles, it also qualifies all arrivals for the following year’s 100. I made to Alde Valley School at 52.8 miles just before midnight, having completed 99,000 steps. Forty-five minutes later, after cereal and toast, a wash and new running kit I emerged refreshed and soon got into a steady plod across to Thorpeness and down to Aldeburgh. Leaving Aldeburgh, the route headed westwards to Snape during which the first glimmers of daylight were witnessed @ 3:30am and I turned my torch off at 4:15am. I was really pleased to have recce’d this wonderful section as it was all obscured at night (FoS100 Recce Day 3 – Andy’s Running and Cycling Tours). (A downside of recceeing the route is knowing about the boring or difficult sections still to come).

Unfortunately, more frequent toilet stops at checkpoints were becoming a concern. I knew that there was a problem on the 8.5 miles from Sudbourne to Butley when I needed to dash into the bushes. I had eaten something that disagreed with me. Food and energy are critical on an event like this, and I was low on both. While I was able to resume eating, my muscles were tired from a lack of glucose and hence the running decreased and the walking increased to full time for the remaining 30 miles – mental torture for a runner.

But we all have a choice and mine was to carry on. The sun was shining, the scenery was great, and I knew (most of) the route. Some music also perked me up. I also changed my strategy to eat on the go and minimise time at checkpoints. And despite a few heavy showers and gusty winds that successfully got me through Hollesley (this time avoiding the open prison), Shottisham and Sutton Hoo to Woodbridge Sea Scout Hut @ 94 miles. Just 7.8 miles to go (yes, this 100 was 101.8 miles (or 102.3 miles in the results) which is an extra 30 minutes of walking) and given my impaired performance both physically and mentally I was starting to regret not have recce’d the route to the finish. However, Vanessa was also on her way there and had a GPS, so I metaphorically, clung to her like a leech (what goes around comes around) to finish in 28:16, 32nd overall, after 205,000 steps. While it was faster than anticipated (allowing for it being a flattish course with just 3,578 feet of ascent) it felt like an opportunity missed but as the 2026 event is located in Kent, Sussex and Surrey, I’ll be back. 2026 Hundred LDWA – Hunnypot Hundred 2026

In relation others, first home was Terry Brewster in 20:28, with Mr and Mrs Walbridge in 2nd and 3rd an hour later. Max finished 4th in 23:37, ‘parkrun’ Alan completed it in 27:03 and Leonard scraped inside the 48-hour cut off with 47:47 for his 43rd completion.

And finally, just a big thank you for the LDWA volunteers who made this happen from the route setting to the checkpoints, the catering, the logistics, our old friend health and safety and much much more. Hundreds generally take about 4 years to organise and it’s not until you get involved do you realise what it actually takes, which is why I have volunteered to support at the Marshals Event in early May in 2026. I’ve got so much out of the LDWA, it’s time to put back.

So that marks a pause in my long distance running for the year while I get back into the cycling for a UK tour at the end of June.