We’re fresh off the back of an unforgettable weekend at Race to the Stones.
Runners and walkers this year had to contend with challenging conditions, with temperatures on the Saturday reaching 33 degrees Celsius. But with extra water stops in place and some tweaks to the event, we were able to host perhaps the most exciting edition of Race to the Stones yet.
Here’s a run-down of how the front of the race played out.
About the Route
Race to the Stones follows the ancient Ridgeway, a route used for thousands of years by travellers and herdsmen.
Joining the trail in Lewknor, the full 100k route travels west towards Goring where it dips into the Thames Valley to cross England’s longest river. It then climbs back up onto the ridge, passing along the top of Lattin Down where our halfway Basecamp provides an opportunity to rest and recover.
The route then continues west through an increasingly remote part of Southern England, passing by ancient monuments such as the Uffington White Horse and Bambury Hill Fort, before a long descent off the hill welcomes participants to the Avebury Stone Circle, a 5000-year old monument and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Barbury Castle, an ancient hill fort, welcomes runners at kilometre 90 of Race to the Stones
100k Non-Stop
The 100k Non-Stop event is the most popular package at Race to the Stones. The introduction of the new Course Record Prize Fund, which would award £1000 to any man or woman who broke one of the race’s longstanding course records, certainly attracted some fast runners to the field. But the hot weather meant that it would take a truly exceptional athlete to break the record.
Women’s Race
Multiple front-runners in the women’s race took it out the gate at quite a tempo this year, clearly targeting Sarah Morwood’s 2015 course record of 9:14. Linda Goodchild, who took first place at Race to the King just a few weeks ago, led the charge, storming through pitstop 2 at around the half marathon distance in 1:47. Hot on her heels was a chase pack consisting of Hannah Tyldesley, Helena Sexton, Fiona Cook and Jordan Foster, all of whom were less than five minutes back.
Linda Goodchild leading the race on the climb out of Goring
Over the course of the next 30k, however, the heat began to take its toll. Linda passed through the halfway Basecamp in 4:17, but a few miles later she was picked up and returned to Basecamp to call it a day.
This left the women’s race wide open, with a number of runners who had paced things a bit more conservatively in the first half finding themselves in contention for the win throughout the second half of the race. Helena Sexton, Fiona Cook and two-time winner Sophie Carter all passed through the halfway basecamp within minutes of one another. All three opted to continue, putting themselves into podium position as a result. Fifteen minutes behind them, SheRACES founder and Team GB athlete Sophie Power was running steady.
Over the course of the next few hours, Sophie Power laid down a masterclass in 100k pacing. Where others had perhaps front-loaded their efforts, Sophie seemed to get stronger as the day went on. By the 73km mark at pitstop six, Fiona Cook and Sophie Carter were level-pegging for the win, but Sophie Power was gaining on them, having closed the gap to just five minutes. Somewhere between pitstop six and the finish, she moved into first place, running the final 27km a full 17 minutes faster than anyone else.
Sophie crossed the finish line in 10:11:21 for first overall. Truly a masterful performance that sets Sophie up well for the 24-hour world championships later on this year.
Behind Sophie, Fiona Cook ran a strong final leg to take second in 10:23, with Helena Sexton moving up into third in the final leg to finish in 10:48.
With no course record broken this year, the Course Record Prize Fund for the women’s race next year rolls over to £2000. An exciting prospect and one that we hope will continue to attract some top female talent to the race.
In the age categories, Sophie Power was also our first V40, Fiona Stevens was our first V50 in 12:57, and our winning V60 was Jaine Haynes in 14:47.
Men’s Race
The men’s race in the 100k Non-Stop event saw two athletes take the lead early on.
Hugh Tibbs, who recently finished second at the South Downs Way 100, and GB 100k athlete Joe Turner ran neck-and-neck for the first few hours of the race, passing through the half marathon mark five minutes under course record pace. Just behind them, Chris Taylor and Nathan Canning were running strong in third and fourth place, with a chase pack behind consisting of Nick Hancock, Jose Cruz, and Hayden Mckenzie.
Joe Turner and Hugh Tibbs passing through Grim’s Ditch, 16km into the race
As the day progressed, Hugh and Joe played cat-and-mouse whilst the rest of the pack did their best to hold on. Hugh managed to inch ahead on the climb out of Goring and reached the halfway mark at Basecamp in an astonishing 3:39, less than two minutes in front of Joe. The next 100k runner, Nick Hancock, did not appear for over 30 minutes. Over the course of the next 25km, Hugh put the burners on, reaching the 73km mark ten minutes ahead of Joe, a gap which remained fixed until the end.
Hugh reached the finish line in 7:41:56, slicing 11 minutes off the course record in extremely unfavourable conditions. A massive congratulations to him, and to Joe, whose time of 7:53:34 is the third fastest we’ve ever seen at Race to the Stones.
In third place, Nick Hancock crossed the line in 9:08:42. Nick’s performance was a testament to the power of pacing a consistent race throughout to cruise onto the podium in style. Nick was also our first V40.
Our winning V50 man was Steven Pennington in 11:07, the V60 win went to Richard Moore in 15:14, and our fastest of two V70 men this year was Alan Cox in 20:28.
Day One – Thames Valley 50k
Starting in Lewknor on Saturday morning, the Thames Valley 50k follows the first half of the full 100k route towards Basecamp. With a few sharp climbs as well as some flatter running along the Thames, it’s a great debut ultra but also a popular option for experienced runners looking to crack their PB.
Women’s Race
In the women’s race Izzy Mckeeman led from the off, passing through the halfway mark with a three-minute lead over Charlotte Satchwell in second place. This lead only grew as the race progressed, with Izzy ultimately finishing first in 5:01:05. Charlotte finished second in 5:09:36, whilst third place went to Charlotte Lea less than two minutes back in 5:11:25.
Our winning V40 was Sarah Sawyer in 5:18, and Sarah Harries finished as first V50 in 5:50. Our first V60 was Carrie Caruthers, who finished in 6:52 almost three hours ahead of the competition.
Men’s Race
William Collie led the men’s 50k from gun to tape, passing through the 21km mark in 1:35, a full ten minutes ahead of his nearest competitor. He ultimately finished in an impressive 3:49:19 to take the win. Behind him, Edward Robson, William Goldberg, and Douglas Heynderickx all passed through the 21km mark within five minutes of one another, but in the subsequent 29km their positions flipped, with Douglas finishing in second place in 4:22 and William taking third by two minutes in 4:29.
Our winning V40 was Jamie Harvie in 4:51, Andy Monro was the first V50 in 4:32, and Andy Monro was the first of 16 V60 men with a solid time of 5:37. Mal Smith was the winning V70 in 10:16.
Day Two – Ridgeline 50k
Sticking to higher ground throughout, the Ridgeline 50k showcases some of the Ridgeway’s finest terrain, passing through a remote, isolated corner of Southern England. This year due to heat the race start was moved back to 5am to allow runners to take advantage of the cooler morning temperatures.
Women’s Race
Zara Culican led the charge in the women’s race, running a solid and controlled 4:41:03 to take the win. Behind her was a close-fought battle for second place – Carole Roberts reached the 23km mark 15 minutes ahead of Martha Pierce, but Martha put down a quick second half to close the gap to less than two minutes by the finish line. Ultimately Carole held her position to finish second in 5:06:45, with Martha rounding out the podium in 5:08:31.
Our winning V40 was Kathryn Walls in 5:52, and Dianne Sullivan ran 5:55 to win the V50 category. Kate Carroll was the first V60 in 6:07, and Christine Hewitt was the first of two V70+ women this year, running a brilliant 10:02.
Men’s Race
In the men’s race our very own Marketing Manager Ed Scott led from the start, passing through the 23km mark in 1:46:54, just over two minutes ahead of Alex Tilley in second. Ed held strong for the remainder of the race to widen the gap to 18 minutes, finishing in 4:13:29 to take the win. Alex ran 4:31 for second overall and first V40, with Jon Atkins rounding out the podium in 4:37 for third.
First V50 was Alexei Poliakov who ran 4:37:51, Colin Edwards was the first V60 in 6:36, and our winning V70+ was Joe Edmundson who ran 7:55.
100k Over Two Days
Consisting of both 50ks back-to-back with an overnight break in between, the 100k Over Two Days package saw the following podium finishes, based on cumulative time:
Women’s Race
- Holly Weir (V40) – 11:49:01
- Lesley Malloch (V50) – 12:24:11
- Jess Atkinson – 13:04:37
The first V60 was Cath White in 15:56.
Men’s Race
- Ben Troughton (V40) – 11:49:00
- James Mclanders – 11:58:57
- Sam Gubbins – 12:40:22
The winning V50 was Graham Atkinson in 13:16, and the first V60 was David Smart in 15:35.
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