North Downs Way 100^®

Entries

Entries for 2023 will open at 1000 on Saturday 24th September 2022. 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 up to 4 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 and no entries on the day.

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.

Qualification Standard

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 race day. 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.  

Cut Offs

Runners must finish within the 30 hour time limit. There are additional cut offs at every checkpoint on route and these are listed within the aid station table.

Start/ Finish Location

Race HQ is at Farnham Leisure Centre, Dogflud Way, Farnham, GU9 7UD. The race itself starts at the trail head of the North Downs Way.

The finish is at the Julie Rose Stadium in Ashford. Please see the Course Notes Page here for full details.

Route

The race route follows the North Downs Way footpath, from Farnham in the west to Ashford in the East, for it's duration with two deviations only, to the 50 mile aid station, and the finish location.

A map of the route can be found at the bottom of this page. The distance of the route is 103 miles.

Awards

Finishers Buckle & Race Shirt to all finishers.

Finishers in under 24 hours will receive the much coveted '100 miles - One Day' buckle signifying their achievement. Finishers between 24 and 30 hours will receive '100 mile Finisher' buckles. 

Additional prizes will be awarded to 1st, 2nd and 3rd place Male and Female and all Vet Categories: MV40, MV50, MV60, MV70, FV40, FV50, FV60, FV70. 

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.

Aid Stations

There will be a minimum of 12 fully stocked aid stations along the length of the course. All aid stations will have a full selection of the usual aid station fayre and a whole lot more. At a minimum you will be able to pick up Water, Coke, Tailwind, Gu Gels, Chocolate, Crisps, Nuts, Fruit, Sandwiches, Wraps and other sweet and savoury snacks specific to that aid station. All aid stations from Knockholt onwards will have hot drinks including tea and coffee. There will be hot food available at Knockholt, Detling and the finish line.

Drop Bags

Drop Bags must be deposited at the race start before 0530 on race morning and will be accessible at various points along the course. Drop bags must NOT exceed 45cm x 25cm x 25cm in size ie. the size of a large shoe box for any one aid station - EXCEPT for the finish line bag which can be larger. They must be labelled with your name, aid station it is to go to and race number. Runners need to leave a different drop bag for each aid station, each bag will be transported to the aid station listed and then the finish line only. Drop bags will be available at the finish at noon on Sunday. Any drop bags not collected at the finish will be disposed of. 

Drop Bag Locations: 

Mile 50: Knockholt Pound
Mile 82: Detling
Mile 100: Ashford

Course Markings

The course is marked by permanent national trail marker posts which come in different forms but most commonly display the acorn which is the key symbol and guide on the North Downs Way.

In addition to the fixed markers as above, the course will also be marked with red, white and silver reflective barrier tape, Centurion marker arrows and small amounts of orange chalk paint at major junctions. It is always possible that course markers may be removed or vandalised, in which case you will need to use the National Trail marker posts as the primary guide. There are a number of road crossings to negotiate, some of them are extremely busy. The road crossings will NOT be marshalled so runners need to remain vigilant and be extremely careful, particularly late in the race when energy is lagging. 

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.

Please see the Course Notes Page here for further details.

Pacers

Runners are permitted pacers from the 50 mile point. Pacers must travel on foot only. Runners are permitted multiple pacers throughout the last 50 miles but only one may travel with the runner at any one time.

The points at which a runner may be paced/ hand over pacers are listed on the crew page here. 

Crew

Runners are allowed to have a crew. The points at which a runner may be crewed, are listed on the crew page here. Crews will not be permitted to crew for their runner at any point other than those listed. 

Medical

There will be a team of race medics available throughout the duration of the weekend including race ambulances and static medical aid stations at major aid stations and the finishing line. Many of the other aid stations will also have additional medics on hand. If you suffer an injury or accident that warrants direct medical attention and you are not able to get to an aid station, there will be a number for the medical director provided before race day. Due to the nature of the course ie. off road, the medics may take some time to reach you, or potentially be out of contact for some time tending to other runners. In an emergency please call both our medics AND 999. If you are injured but able to walk, please make your way to the nearest aid station where there will either be a medic, or the aid station captain will immediately get in touch with medical care. If you suffer a severe injury, encounter someone in serious difficulty or are in any doubt at all please call 999 for emergency ambulance services. If you come across a fallen runner please remain with them until help arrives.

Kit

80% of the course is on trail. Trail shoes are advised. There are sections of trail which can be slippery and very muddy in the wet. Please use due care and attention on steep downhill sections and particularly on the stairs at various points on the course.

There will be 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.

• Fully Charged Mobile Phone including the numbers for the Race Medic and Race Director (on the number you have given at registration)
• Water Bottles/Bladder capable of carrying a minimum of 1 litre.
• Survival Blanket: 1.4m x 2m minimum
• Waterproof Jacket: Gore-tex or similar, minimum 10000mm+ & must have sealed seams. 
• Whistle
• Headtorch or Primary Light Source Minimum 75 lumens (From Knockholt Pound Only)
• Back Up Light source - Minimum 25 Lumens (From Knockholt Pound Only)
• Long sleeved base layer or fleece top - This must be carried separately from the start and kept dry, for use only in an emergency. Starting in 2 layers is not a substitute.
• The race is cupless which means you must bring a cup with you. Soft cups are available at the store here. 

Strongly recommended but not mandatory: 

• Route Map - Should be a hard copy that you are able to navigate from and not a map on your phone
• Compass - This should be a separate physical compass and not electronic/ on your phone. 

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.