South Downs Way 100 2025 Womens Race Preview

The 2025 South Downs Way 100 is upon us and we are delighted to welcome what is one of if not the largest 100 mile field in a UK event together with the deepest competition. As part of the World Trail Majors Series, the event has attracted some of the best in domestic as well as international competition and will make for some great spectating for all. 

In the build up to South Downs Way 100 & 50km Race Weekend we will be previewing the leading contenders for the top spots in four separate posts. Our first focuses on the Elite Womens field for the SDW100. The full entrants list can be found here. 

Stay tuned to the website and our YouTube channel in the lead up for race day for links to the live broadcast, tracking and results:

Claire Bannwarth (ITRA Rank: 719): One of the most prolific racers over the last several years in terms of sheer quantity. But is seemingly able to recover fast to record incredible results time after time and most often in the realm of the super long. It is honestly simply impossible to list her achievements even going back 24 months but some of her main highlights of recent years have been a third at Tor Des Geants, two wins at the Spine Race, a win at TransGranCanaria 360, a win at Tahoe 200 just a week after finishing fifth at Hardrock and a Backyard PB of 82 hours or over 400km. These barely scratch the surface of this incredibly French athlete.

Julia Davis (ITRA Rank: 672): Julia is one of our Centurion Coaches and we are incredibly blessed to have her on the team. As an athlete she is a Team GB 100km and Trail Team runner from as recently as December 2024 where she finished fourteenth at the 100km World Championships in India. The South Downs are not her regular training ground but she will have fond memories of the trail, having run and set the existing course record of 6:54 at the South Downs Way 50 back in 2019. She has had many other top results on the trail over the last six years at all distances. With a marathon PB of 2:39, a time she ran in both 2016 and 2017, her speed on what is truly a runners course will stand her in great stead. 

Julia Davis winning the 2019 South Downs Way 50

Lucy Gossage (ITRA Rank: 669): Lucy is one of the UKs greatest ever Triathletes, with 14 wins over the Ironman distance amongst many other successes over other distances. Since she turned her hand to ultras she has unsuprisingly also found massive success, bettering her 2024 Spine Race third place with a win at the iconic event this past January. She has also just set a new course record at the Lap. In 2024 she also took home second at the Lakeland 100, coming home under the magic 24 hour mark. 

Lucy Gossage winning this years Spine Race (Credit: Adam Wild Aperture/ The Spine Race)

Nicole Frisby (ITRA Rank: 621): Nicole has had a tremendous spring, coming home second at our Hundred Hills 50km, before running a 2:56 at the London Marathon. Prior to 2025, some of her best results include a seventh at Lakeland 50, eighth at UTS50km and a win at the 2024 Serpent Trail 50km.

Nicole Frisby

Georgia Campbell (ITRA Rank: 615): Georgia's background is much more in the realm of shorter, faster racing but since she's turned to ultras she has gone from strength to strength. Two solid finishes at the Highland Fling helped her develop and take home third at the Lakes Traverse in awful conditions last year. That followed a win at the Harrogate Hustle Ultra a couple of months prior. 

Karla Borland (ITRA Rank: 604): Karla ran home the winner in a competitive field at the Hundred Hills 50km earlier this year. The sub 3 hour marathoner is also at home over longer distances on the road - she landed on the podium at the 2023 ACP 100km running for Northern Ireland. This will be her first 100 miler.

Karla Borland winner of this years' Hundred Hills 50km

Anastasia Hounslow (ITRA Rank: 600): The Liss runner has four ultras under her belt with four top tens to show for it. Two of those were wins at the Serpent Trail 100km which covers similar ground to this course. 

Anna Brown (ITRA Rank: 551): Thames Path 100 champion last year, Anna previously had a number of top results at this distance. In 2022 she had to miss out on the Thames Path as part of our Grand Slam quest but went on to finish this event in eleventh place, before running home second at the NDW100 and fourth at the Autumn 100. This year she is already off to a flier taking home the win at the inaugurual London 100km by Camino last month. 

Jennie Dunkley (ITRA Rank: 529): Jennie takes this event on as race two in her Grand Slam of 100s quest for this year. She is off to quite the start, with a win at the Thames Path last month. She is no stranger to the distance or this trail. She ran the race back in 2022 finishing fourteenth, but has since kicked on, running home fifth at the 2023 Autumn 100 before her move up to the top step of the podium at the TP100. On the road her best marathon is a 3:06 at London. 

Jennie Dunkley winner of the 2025 Thames Path 100