Saturday 15th March 2025

For anyone who fancies a dip into the world of ultra-running or about to take on their first ultra event read this wonderful report written by Ian Pusey after his Centurion Hundred Hills event titled ‘Sore feet, dark times and a pity party’…….

Stonor Park, near Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire.

15th March 2025 50km (31 miles) with a 9 hour cutoff, racing in the MV60 category 🖤♥️

This is a trail ultramarathon in the Chilterns, home of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and The Vicar of Dibbley.

The route consists of two loops starting and ending at Stonor Park.

Though the name is Hundred Hills, there’s not really quite that many, nowhere near, more like 13, which is still plenty. The organisers say that there’s about 4000ft of elevation gain.

This would be my second attempt at this event, my first in 2023, ended in a DNF (did not finish) when I pulled something in my knee before 20 miles and had to drop out. I could make excuses that it was the dreadful underfoot conditions or the constant rain that day but in reality I wasn’t fit enough.

This time around I have been building up to have a crack at some 50 mile races and so I thought this would be a good final long run before those events.

Unfortunately, and, yet again, my build-up had been interrupted and the longest run I had managed in the previous 5 weeks was 18 miles.

So even this was looking dicey and I wasn’t at all sure of how it would go.

Centurion running (the organisers of this event) don’t mess about and their schedule runs like clockwork.

I arrived without incident and parked up, wandered down to registration and picked up my number and had my tracker taped to my hydration vest by the amazing Ally Whitlock, and was all done by 8:15.

Just enough time to use the facilities, stretch my legs out and get to the start for the briefing at 8:45. Good to catch up with some other runners and spotted Susie Chan, Sophie Raworth and Sarah Place who was volunteering and supporting Ben Parkes.

On the dot of 9:00, we’re off, James Elson the race director had forgotten (again) his air horn so had to emulate it through the megaphone.

The course begins along a farm track which you follow, rising gently uphill, for about 5k and this is where I made my first mistake. I’ve never been much of one for controlling my pace early on and this was no exception. I was feeling good (for now) and trotted along at what I thought was a sustainable pace. As I found out later, that was a big nope.

On this course, you’re on a real rollercoaster, both emotionally and physically. Up one minute and down the next. Literally.

If you’re going up a steep hill, you know very well that pretty soon you’ll be going down just as steeply on the other side. Extremely energy sapping.

There are 5 aid stations on this course and I’d planned to only stop at 2 as I normally would have a refill every 10 miles and this worked quite well, I went trotting by while there were lots of people stopped and that gained me time and some places.

Because of this I missed out the first aid station at Ibstone and carried on to Skirmett where I had a complete refill of fuel and water and grabbed some salted crisps to chomp on.

At this point there had been 6 major climbs and we were heading back to Stonor which doubled up as an aid station as well as the start/finish. 14.5 miles in and I was feeling okay, needed to use the facilities but was straight out again without visiting the picnic tables. Still within pace for a 7 hour finish.

The section between Stonor and Hambleden is quite challenging, there’s a monster climb out of Stonor Village and those early faster miles were beginning to tell, I was really starting to flag before we had got halfway to Hambleden but I kept plugging on and deliberately walked down the hill that ‘got’ my knee last time. I remember saying under my breath “Not this time you (something unrepeatable here)”.

I was elated to leave the Hambleden Aid station after another refill and to grab some more crisps and a sandwich or two.

a couple of miles beyond Hambleden is the longest climb of the race, starts steeply, levels off somewhat, but you’re constantly climbing, at the top I was toast.

The next couple of miles were very dark for me, they’re on tarmac roads and I’m sorry to say I didn’t run much of them, my feet were not enjoying the hard surface and my lower legs were starting to ache so badly. I was badly depressed, my feet and legs were screaming at me to stop and I kept calculating the shortest way back to the finish, Yes, that’s what I’ll do, I’ll walk to the last aid station at Bix and drop out there.

Twonk. What is all this nonsense. Your leg isn’t hanging off by a thread and you’re not injured.

It was genuinely a beautiful day for March, the sun was shining, there are signs of life all around me, spring is definitely on the way and even the wildlife was being super cute. No! you’re not giving in! Just look around at where you are and what you are doing, You GET to do this.

By the time I’d gotten over my little pity party I was off the tarmac and back on the trails approaching 25 miles, 2nd to last big climb. I’d done so much walking by now my average pace was dropping and I was now moving slower than 7 hour pace. But I was still moving.

I got to the top of the hill and as I rounded the corner I could see the final aid station at Bix, and was determined to not stop, ran straight past it, and promptly walked as I turned the corner out of sight.

Last biiiiig climb, 26 miles in, 5 to go, not as long as the one out of Hambleden but given that everything was hurting and I just wanted to stop, I just dug in and got it done, distracted myself by chatting to some other runners going the same pace as I was.

Apart from a couple of short sharp hills and one steep descent it was fairly plain sailing after and I was soon back on the farm track I’d run up some 7 hours previously.

Kept plugging on, hurty, and crossed under the finish Gantry in 7:11:51

I was 10th in my category out of 16 finishers (MV60) and 305 overall out of 402 finishers.

The winner did it in a very slick 3:42:54 (a course record) and looked fresh as a daisy in the trophy photo.

First lady finished in 4:37:00

31.15 miles on my watch with 4544 ft of elevation.

After 3 years of struggling to complete I’d done it.

Proud.

If any brave souls fancy a bash at this next year, here are the details.

https://www.centurionrunning.com/races/hundred-hills-50km-2026

Next up is the South Downs Way 50 miles on April 12th before the North Downs Way 50 mile on May 17th, all organised by Centurion Running.