Runners will depart from Goring at 0900 on Saturday 14th October and make their way to Little Wittenham on the first out and back section on the Thames Path. On returning to Goring, runners will be faced with the more challenging but beautiful second spur of the course, out to Swyncombe Farm on the Ridgeway before returning to Goring a second time. Spur three takes runners west on the Ridgeway to Chain Hill before returning to Goring for the final leg on the Thames Path to Reading and return for their 100 mile finish.
The difficulty of this race should not be underestimated. During a dry spell the route is flat, fast and picturesque presenting ideal conditions for a trail 100. However, runners will also be faced with up to 13 hours of darkness and the possibility of low temperatures and wet and windy conditions. Conditions underfoot can vary dramatically.
As with all Centurion events, runners will be fully supported by 16 well stocked aid stations , full medical support and course markings in addition to the pre-existing National Trail waymarkers. Race held under full UK Athletics Permit granted through the TRA (Permit Number 5399).
Distance
100mi
161KMs
Elevation
5000ft
1500m
Cut-off
28hours
Entry Fee
£215
Date
14 Oct 2023 09:00
Course Marked
YES
Medical Support
YES
No. of Starters
250
Avg Temp.
11C
51.8F
Avg Rainfall.
61mm
2inches
Avg Humidity
35%
# of Aid Stations
16
Location
EU / UK / ENGLAND / SOUTH-EAST
Terrain
20% road / 80% trail
Entries for the event open on Saturday 19th November 2022 at 1000.
Places are available on a first come, first served basis. Entrants must meet the minimum qualification standard below in order to apply. Qualifiers will be checked six weeks from race day - if you have not updated your registration with a valid qualifier by that point or have not met the criteria, you will be contacted and potentially removed from the start list.
There will be no waiting list for this event.
Exceptions to the above are:
Those who volunteered over 10 hours of service to the race in 2022 and are therefore guaranteed 2023 entry. These will be confirmed prior to general entries opening.
The entry fee is £215.
In order to start the race, you must have completed a minimum of a 50 mile distance race within 15hrs, between 1st January 2019 and the 2023 race date. As organisers, we reserve the right to refuse anybody entry who does not meet this standard. Unqualified runners may enter but should they not complete a qualifer within the requisite time frame, they will not be permitted to start. There are further conditions to what may be used as a qualifier.
Click here to read more about what counts as a qualifier.
Runners must finish within a 28 hour time limit. There are additional cut offs at every aid station as listed in the aid station table.
Registration, Race Start, Race Finish and Race HQ is at Goring Village Hall, High Street, Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, RG8 9AG.
The route is a series of 4 separate 25 mile out and back sections using both the Thames Path and Ridgeway trails which converge at Goring & Streatley. Each section will start and finish in Goring & Streatley but will be run on a different stretch of one of the above trails. The course will be run in the following order.
Spur 1: (Thames Path): Streatley to Little Wittenham and return
Spur 2: (Ridgeway): Streatley to Swyncombe Farm and return
Spur 3: (Ridgeway): Streatley to Chain Hill and return
Spur 4: (Thames Path): Streatley to Reading and return
Total: Distance 100 miles.
A map of the route can be found at the bottom of this page.
All finishers will receive a Centurion 100 mile finishers belt buckle. Finishers in under 24 hours will receive a special '100 miles - One Day' Buckle.
Finishers between 24 and 28 hours will receive '100 mile Finisher' buckles.
Male and Female winners will be awarded the Centurion Trophy as well as additional prizes. Those finishing the Grand Slam will be given special awards on completion of the race.
Further Prizes will be awarded to 2nd and 3rd Placed Male and Female. Age Group Prizes will be awarded for 1st Male and Female Vet 40, 50, 60 and 70.
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.
There will be 16 fully stocked aid stations along the length of the course. A list of the aid stations and all relevant details, can be found here. Aid stations carry as a minimum: Water, Coke/ Pepsi, Tailwind, chocolate, sweets, nuts, fruit, crisps, a limited number of GU energy gel packets, sandwiches and other sweet and savoury snacks. All of the aid stations on legs 2, 3 and 4 will have hot drinks. Hot food will be available at Goring.
Drop Bags can be accessed at Goring at mile 25, 50, 75 and 100 miles. Drop bags must be under THIRTY litres in size. This size limit will be strictly enforced!
The course is marked by national trail marker posts which come in different forms but most commonly display the acorn which is the key symbol and guide on both the Thames Path and the Ridgeway.
In addition to the National Trail markers, the course will also be marked with Centurion branded reflective ribbons and marker arrows. There are a number of road crossings to negotiate, some of them are extremely busy. The road crossings are NOT marshalled. Please be extremely careful when you are crossing roads of any nature.
It is ultimately the runners responsibility to navigate the course successfully, with or without course markings. If you are in any doubt we strongly recommend that you take the time to recce the route before race day.
Pacers are permitted from Mile 75 (Leg Four only). Pacers may join a runner only at Mile 75 and must cover the entire of the 25 miles (Leg Four) with their runner. Pacer handovers are not permitted anywhere other than HQ at Goring.
Crews are not permitted at this race due to the size of the aid station locations and pressure on the local community. This rule has been in place since 2017.
There will be a dedicated team of race medics available throughout the duration of the weekend. 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 are available in the information packs and will be re-iterated in pre-race mail outs and at race registration. Due to the nature of the course ie. some off road, the medics may take some time to reach you, or potentially be out of contact tending to other runners. A level of self sufficiency is absolutely critical in such situations.
The majority of the course is on trail. Trail shoes are advised especially given the time of year. There are sections of trail which can become very muddy or flooded in wet conditions.
There will be random kit checks prior, during and after the race. 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.
Strongly recommended but not mandatory:
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.