We may be back in the office here at Threshold HQ, but after an incredible weekend at Race to the King, our hearts and minds are still out there on the South Downs.
From the front of the pack to the back, we witnessed countless acts of resilience and grit, not to mention kindness and camaraderie.
Here’s a run-down of how the various events unfolded at Race to the King 2025.
Coastal 50k
The Coastal 50k departs the Race to the King basecamp at West Dean Gardens via the Centurion Way, a rail trail heading down the hill towards Chichester. It then skirts the edge of Chichester Harbour, offering plenty of incredible views of the open water and farmland, before passing through the ancient fishing village of Bosham. Around the 30k mark, the route begins to climb back onto the South Downs via a couple of hills, before triumphantly returning to West Dean for the finish.
Designed to cater to first-timers looking for a largely flat, scenic ultramarathon, the Coastal 50k nonetheless attracts some seriously impressive athletes seeking a fast 50k time, and this year was no different.
Women’s Race
Leading from the off, Kyra Wilder stormed through the 27k mark on the Coastal 50k in around 2:19, having built a 5-minute lead on her nearest competitor. She ended up growing that lead over the course of the more challenging subsequent 23k, finishing strong in 4:56:58 to take home the lead. Kyra was also our first V40 female.
Behind Kyra, Lily Murphy held off a strong chase pack to take home second place in 5:17:39, whilst Jessica Webb did a brilliant job holding onto third place, running 5:22:13, just 37 seconds ahead of Maria Chalcraft in 4th.
First V50 went to Jo Payze, who actually ran our second fastest time of the day (5:12:59) but did not start in the racing wave. Our winning V60 woman was Jana Marshall whose time of 06:28:14 was good enough to hold off some strong competition. Our fastest V70+ woman was Maria Emmerson, who ran an incredible 07:49:55.
Men’s Race
Coming off the back of a 2:39 marathon at Manchester, Danny Mackney’s road running pedigree served him well as he passed through the 27km mark in a frankly absurd 1:45:24 elapsed. It is a testament to the challenging second half of this course that he took almost two hours to cover the final 23km of the race, but nevertheless, his astonishing finish time of 3:36:49 is a new course record for the Coastal 50k.
Behind Danny, Bryan Wilkins, who finished third at Race to the Stones 100k in 2024, ran a strong race to take home second place and first V40 in 3:48:08. Third place went to Callum Anderson, who ran a strong 4:01:39.
First V50 was Andy Day in 04:29:11, and Daniel Allen was our winning V60 in a time of 6:18:53. Dave Lane, our only V70+ male this year, ran 8:55:31.
Final Finisher
Our final finisher in this year’s Coastal 50k was our very own Ultra 50:50 Challenger Aliyah Umm Raiyaan, who walked the whole way and crossed her finish line in 14:43:17. A massive well done to Aliyah and all of the Ultra 50:50 Challengers from the team here at Threshold!
Castle 50k
Taking in over 1000m of elevation gain (and measuring closer to 53km), the Castle 50k is a real step-up in terms of challenge. Heading out of West Dean via the New Lipchis Way, it joins the South Downs Way National Trail all the way to Arundel, completing a loop near Arundel Castle before returning via the Monarch’s Way.
Women’s Race
Katie Heron put down a commanding performance in the women’s race, reaching the 23km pitstop in 2:06, just ahead of course record pace. Katie closed strong to finish first in 5:22:08, taking 11 minutes off the course record for the Castle 50k.
Behind Katie, Victoria Brown had a five-minute lead on Emily Rose by halfway through the race, but Emily put down a strong second half to close the gap before the finish. In the end, the two crossed the line side-by-side, with Katie finishing just one second ahead of Emily in 5:39:41. Victoria was also the first V40 woman.
Our winning V50 woman was Zandra Ives in 7:40:21, whilst Michele Ribaudo won the V60 category in 8:13:01.
Men’s Race
In the men’s race, a solid ‘peloton’ ran almost stride-for-stride along the first half of the route. James Burrows, who last year came third at the Coastal 50k, was the first to reach the 23km pitstop in 1:57, but he was not alone. Within the next five minutes, another five runners arrived at the pitstop, including Dean Harrison and Benedict O’Connell, who arrived within seven seconds of one another.
Over the next 30km, Dean and Benedict pulled away from the rest of the field, moving into first and second place respectively. Dean in particular managed to really put down a shift, eventually finishing in 4:53:40, some 16 minutes ahead of Benedict, who still ran a solid 5:09:49. Dean was also our first V40. In third place, Lewis Robling ran 5:14:32, holding off fourth place Jim Hardwick by less than two minutes!
First V50 was Tuyen Doan in 5:17:15, Dave Cox was our first V60 in 8:51:48, and Bryan Darney was the fastest of our three V70+ men this year, running a brilliant 8:18:56.
Final Finishers
Laura Hardy and Jo Venables were our final Castle 50k finishers, crossing the line together in 16:49.
100k
Consisting of both 50k loops back-to-back, the 100k event at Race to the King is a challenge not to be underestimated. Initially completing the flatter, more runnable Coastal Loop, 100k participants must then head out onto the more challenging Castle Loop before returning to the finish at West Dean for the final time.
Women’s Race
Linda Goodchild led the women’s 100k from the off, building up a seven minute lead by the 27k mark which only continued to grow over time. By the 73km pitstop, she was 36 minutes ahead of her nearest competitor, and she went on to finish strong in 10:43:50.
Behind Linda, last year’s winner and course record holder Sophie Carter ran a solid race throughout, but suffered a fall towards the end which resulted in her significantly slowing down in the final miles of the race. Despite this setback, Sophie managed to hold onto second place and first V40, running 12:01:27, just ahead of third place Phoebe Miles, who managed 12:04:39 to round out the podium at her first 100k race.
Our winning V50 female in the 100k was Debbie Newson (16:48:14), whilst our sole V60 finisher Patricia Poulton ran 20:32:02.
Men’s Race
In the men’s race, Robert Burbridge led the charge for the first seven hours of running, passing through the halfway mark in 4:08, a time that would have earned him fourth place in the Coastal 50k. Ultimately, though, it was a masterful run from Sergio Torija which stole the show. Sergio was in 61st place overall at the 27km pitstop, almost an hour behind Robert. By the halfway mark, he had crept into third and was only 19 minutes back, and by the time he reached 73km he was just four minutes behind the lead.
Sergio eventually finished in 9:45:50, 25 minutes in the lead – a true testament to the power of good pacing. Robert Burbridge ran 10:10:24 for second, whilst Andy Quicke of Black Trail Runners finished third overall and first V40 male in 10:41:33.
Ben Morris was the winning V50 in 12:15:07, and Paul Coates ran 15:12:34 to win the V60 category. We had two V70+ men start the 100k this year, both of whom finished: David Kilby ran 21:41:23 to win the category.
Final Finishers
Crossing the finish line together after 26 hours, 42 minutes, Gijs Van Pamelen and Victoria Wright were our final finishers at Race to the King 2025, bringing the event to a close for another year.
Thank you to everyone who joined us – whether you finished or not, you are all heroes in our eyes!
2026 Early Bird Entries On Sale Now
Interested in taking on Race to the King next year? A limited number of Early Bird entries are available now – hurry though, as when they’re gone, they’re gone!
