 |
| The Centurion South Downs Way 100 at CP 11 at night – pic by Lee-Stuart Evans |
A runner is asking for a mixture of 30% coke and 70% water and reaching for some watermelon, in seats nearby sit pacer runners waiting like an expectant parent for their runner to arrive. It’s 11pm and people talk in hushed voices so the local area is respected, but it feels the hushed tones are more out of respect for the runners themselves.
This is checkpoint 11 on the Centurion South Downs Way 100 mile race. This is a microcosm of the entire race and by accident where I spent 3 hours last weekend. I came to realise that everything that makes this celebration of long distance running the cult event that it is can be found here in a small farm near Southease……84 miles in to a 100 mile race.
….which just happens to be near where Banoffee Pie was invented.
 |
| Centurion South Downs Way 100 Review |
The Centurion 100 mile races are nearly at their decade anniversary. They are the brainchild of ultra runner James Elson who has created four 100 races that are the highlight or goal of many UK ultra runners each year. You can find out much more information here
 |
| The team of expert volunteers staffing CP 11 at the Centurion South Downs Way 100 |
What makes Centurion stand out from most UK Ultras stems from a feeling of community and the vision of the founder. Most people working these events are volunteers who are awarded with a free place on a future event for their efforts. This means that runners arriving at the 13 or so aid stations set up in the Centurion races find them staffed by very very experienced ultra runners. Instead of someone holding out a water cup and shouting ‘ you’ve got this’ you have a group of people rallying round a runner who have a total understanding of the likely needs of each runner at that point.
I arrived 3 hours early to CP 11 to be a pacer (more about this later) as a result of some bad Vordermaths (more about this important type of maths later as well) At first glance you’d be mistaken for thinking you’ve stumbled into a kids tea party at night. Party food , sausage rolls, crisps , salty snacks , chocolate and coke all jostle on the table for runners to take. Many runners have been running for anything up to 18 hours or more so can find even simple tasks like taking a bottle out of their race vest and putting it back in full a cumbersome task. Some are amazingly fresh, others not so much.
I watched as headtorches appeared in the distance and revealed the next ‘customer ‘. One guy wanted an exact mix of coke and water for his bottles, others arrive dazed and say they don’t want anything but can be easily cajoled into having their bottles filled and to take some snacks with them despite feeling nauseous. A guy who was showing signs of heat exhaustion got cooled down with water poured over him and a soaked T Shirt. His swollen hands hinted he may have taken too much salt so it was suggested he try just water for the next 7 miles and see if he felt better. One person asked for mint tea to settle his stomach. The forte here is the volunteers. They know what the runner needs more than the runner and have enough knowledge to be assertive enough to make sure they get it. This makes a huge difference and is why the drop out rate is relatively low for a race with 100 miles over 12,000 ft of ascent on a very humid UK summer day.
 |
| A pacer waits at CP11 for his runner on the Centurion South Downs Way 100 |
There are also a few tempting chairs like the Sirens of Ultra Running. These come with an unwritten warning , sit in a chair for too long and you are unlikely to get up again. Use at your own risk.
Dotted round the checkpoint are fresh looking runners with no race number. These are the pacers. After 50 miles you are allowed to be accompanied by a runner to help you along during the race. For a marathon these would be experts in their field getting the speed correct within a second to get a runner across the line at their chosen time. At an event like this a pacer has a very different role, Like the experts at the aid stations the pacers remind the runners to eat and drink regularly, enjoy 2 hour arguments about forcing a runner to eat a cheese sandwich (its like negotiating with a grumpy 5 year old) and keep them motivated to keep the pressure on, don’t walk too much , keep moving, lets powerwalk the hills and run the downhill sections.
Pacers will also have a constant demand for mental arithmetic I call ‘Vordermaths’. This is required to continually reassure the runner they wont miss the next cutoff time. They may ask this question every 30 seconds or so. Vordermaths comes from watching Carol Vorderman combine all sorts of numbers to always get the number solution she wanted on countdown. This skill is very useful in ultras to reassure runners, who ofetn use the same numbers as you to always come up with a solution that proves categorically they absolutely will not make the next cut off….. when its obvious they will.
Having a grumpy moment ? rant at the pacer . Fed up with feeling the next checkpoint is further by 50 metres than expected? … that’s the pacers fault too. Its what the pacer is there for. When pacing I usually drift away from the runner in the last few metres before the finish and stay out of their finish photo. This is their race. Their medal, their time. I always feel great joy seeing people finish knowing I played a small part in making their race slightly more enjoyable.
The pacers waiting for their runner to arrive remind me of an expectant parent. I’m one of them..I’ve had an update via text that my runner Allie Bailey should arrive around 1am.
 |
| Hot drinks off a camping stove at Checkpoint 11 on the Centurion South Downs Way 100 |
Years ago on a night dive in Egypt I got taught a very valuable lesson. Many divers charge about on night dives trying to find fish ( many are sleeping) . As a result they don’t spend too much time in any one place and don’t see much. By simply hanging in one place for an hour at night and waiting everything comes to you. The noctural fish are curious of your lights and come past. Checkpoint 11 reminded me of a night dive. I saw every species drift by and as a result got a perfect microcosm of the race as a whole.
 |
| Running past the birthplace of Banoffie Pie on the Centurion South Downs Way 100 |
As the time wore on familiar faces came out of the dark, I saw Lee Kemp pacing someone for a 21 hour finish , my good friend David Harvey came through looking sweaty and hot but determined, Jason McCardle himself a race director for Sussex Trail Events came through looking strong at 12.30am. Henry Church said hi. Lots of smiles and a hug and they were off again. Centurion events seem to have only one degree of separation at most. If I haven’t met someone before chances are we both have multiple mutual friends. Its also possible that an unusually large number of runners are recruitment consultants, a theory put forward at CP11 with no facts to back it up. I learn’t that we would run past the place Banoffie Pie was invented later that night. This pleased me.
The checkpoint even had ‘spectators’ wrapped up in blankets waiting to cheer on family members as they ran through. For many people this will be their first 100 mile race and its amazing to see so many friends and family staying up through the night to see them at various CPs and the finish.
All runners ask the same question before they leave . ‘How far to the next one ?’
The reply is 7.5 miles , which at that stage in the race might as well be a continent away. Breaking down a race of this distance into stages is how you don’t quit thinking about 100 miles. When I was there not one runner did or had dropped out of the race.
Around 1am one of the dazzling headtorches was my runner ! Lorna Spayne had paced Allie from the 52 mile mark to 84 miles and handed her over for me to ‘park the bus’ . With just 16 miles left to go I checked Allie had everything she needed and we waved goodbye to CP11.
 |
| Allie Bailey watching the sunrise and moon set on the Centurion South Downs Way 100 2018 |
Allie asked me how far to the next CP as we climbed the steep hill out of Southease.
‘about 7.5 miles’
She went on to beat her Autumn 100 time by 9 mins, on a course with 7000 ft more of elevation.
I had a really nice hot dog at the end and a bit of a sit down, but no Banoffee Pie.
You can find out more about Centurions races and how to volunteer here
I wrote about my race in the Autumn 100 here
Find out more about Allie Bailey and her incredible runs here