The Unknown | My First 100 Mile Ultramarathon | South Downs Way 100

The South Downs Way 100 is a 100 mile foot race with 12,700ft of elevation gain. It follows the chalky trails of the South Downs Way, a national trail in the south of England that runs from Winchester to Eastbourne. I set out to complete the race as my first 100 mile ultra.
Find out more about the race here: www.centurionrunning.com/
Strava Activity: strava.app.link/HE9e2pHoGAb
Thumbnail Photo by Pierre Papet @further.run on Instagram
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00:00 - Start
01:21 - 10 Miles - Goals
05:07 - 25 Miles - Keeping Cool
06:00 - 30 Miles - A Big Hill
06:27 - 35 Miles - Cocking
07:51 - 41 Miles - One Step at a Time
08:18 - 45 Miles - Houghton Farm
09:41 - 51 Miles - Kithurst Hill
10:47 - 56 Miles - View to Brighton
12:47 - 65 Miles - Devil's Dyke
13:07 - 67 Miles - A Second Wind?
15:02 - 70 Miles - Clayton Windmills
16:17 - 78 Miles - Into the Night
17:00 - 97 Miles - The Lights of Eastbourne
18:14 - The Finish Line
Social media:
Instagram: / timeonfeetruns
Strava: / strava
Thumbnails and logo: carla_anna_art?...
All Music: Epidemic Sounds
#centurionrunning #ultramarathon #100miles

[@IanMcalpine-ep9fc]

Great video. Got my first 100 miler in September so it was good to watch your journey and get a feel for what i might expect on the day. Cheers 👍🏻

[@markg99]

I sat down in front of the big telly to watch the Controlled Fade, as Ben took many steps into the unknown. What an incredible performance. To finish in that time and position on your first 100, on a red hot day speaks volumes for your preparedness and spirit. Congratulations mate. Can't wait to see what you get up to in future 👍🏻🏃‍♂️💪🙂

[@timeonfeet]

Cheers Mark! And good to hear you watched it on the big telly 😃 I tend to do the same so the audio quality is better. Really happy with how it all went and I'll probably do another... At some point!

[@conradburdekin722]

Absolutely loved watching this 😊

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks for watching Conrad, glad you enjoyed it 👍

[@jassaljs]

Wow! An amazing feet! Have been motivated to attempt a 70km on my 70th birthday 🦾

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks 👍 Great idea for the birthday challenge, perfect way to celebrate 😃

[@BenNotley]

My goodness! What can I say!? Absolutely awe-inspiring mate! You absolutely nailed it Ben! Huge kudos to you on an absolutely incredible performance mate! 👏🏅 I would like to say a huge thank you for being so inspiring to me mate! Really incredible stuff! Shout out to all the legends that helped you along the way! 👏

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks so much Ben 👍 was really pleased with how it all went, couldn't have done it without the team. They kept me cool in the heat and positive in the difficult miles. Spent the week having cold baths 😃 Thanks for all your support with it mate

[@Mookiethedog]

Wow....what a beast! You looked great there bud! I really enjoyed this video and well done on a great experience and time!

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks! Good to hear you enjoyed the video, thanks for watching 🙏

[@poweredbypilatesuk4880]

Absolutely amazing!!! Well done. You look so fresh considering the distance!

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment, much appreciated

[@bev9708]

OHHHH BEN!!!!!! Huge huge huge 🎊🎉🏅CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! 🏅🎉🎊 What a phenomenal achievement AND in a truly phenomenal time too!!! What a huge adventure, I can only try to imagine what you must've felt there crossing the line of your first 100 miler !!!!! SO incredibly inspirational to us all out here in youtube land!!!!! You've come so far since you started the channel and it's been truly truly motivating to watch!!! BRAVO BRAVO BRAVO Ben 🍾🥂

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks Bev! Was quite a relief to reach the track at the end and it felt a great moment to get there after a lot of training and a long day out 😃 Need to get some more plans together now after a bit of lazing around of course! Thanks for all your support through the process 🙏

[@bev9708]

@@timeonfeet VERY much looking forward to what you and Carla get up to next!!! Again Ben, massive CONGRATS!!!!!!

[@timeonfeet]

@@bev9708 Thanks Bev. Need to have a think about what's next for running plans!

[@garethbell6554]

Congratulations - great video and excellent performance. Looks like you prepared well for the heat and coped better than most as a result. Thinking about SDW100 next year for my first 100miler. We finished close together on this year’s SDW50 so seeing how you’ve done it is inspiring!

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks Gareth and well done on the SDW50 👍 I'd definitely recommend this for a first hundred especially if you've done the 50. Really helps to know that later section and such an amazing route. Just hoping the weather is a bit better for it next year!

[@dmevans1966]

Well done mate. Loved the video! Smashed it! 👊🏻💚

[@timeonfeet]

Cheers Darren 😃

[@lucretialu579]

Wow, what an amazing achievement! 👏 I bet teenage you would never have thought you would one day be running that route in one day!

[@timeonfeet]

Cheers Lu. Definitely wouldn't have imagined! I wasn't into running at that point and wondered how people could be into it 😂

[@jensmith3719]

Fantastic coverage and awesome run on your first 100 in super tough conditions, your attention to detail pays dividends, and great crew support, but it was all your hard miles training both your body and mind that got you to that finish line, huge congratulations, and again amazing coverage of a truly stunning part of england, recover well, best wishes jenny from sunny Somerset 😊

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks so much Jenny. It really is a beautiful route the South Downs Way. I love running on the trail, though it can be a bit exposed which I was reminded of on the day in the heat 😀 Looking forward to getting back out on those chalky hills soon though! Thanks for watching 👍

[@jensmith3719]

@@timeonfeet you should be on 150k subscribers !!! your coverage is great

[@timeonfeet]

@@jensmith3719 Thanks Jenny, appreciate that 😃

[@chasstevens729]

Well done Ben! Great video, it was a pleasure to be part of your crew.

[@timeonfeet]

Cheers Chas! And thanks so much for all your support on the day 🙏

[@MihaiGoRunning]

What an incredible journey, Ben! Your determination and support from your crew were truly inspiring. Congrats on conquering the unknown and crossing that finish line! Keep shining and inspiring others with your amazing accomplishments! 👍

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks Mihai! It was an amazing event to be part of and the support and my crew were amazing. Looking forward to taking on some more challenges!

[@pete801]

A well earned belt buckle. Good vid as well 👍

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks Pete 👍

[@joncadman4935]

Hey Ben what a run!! I was volunteering at Houghton and saw you come through to meet your crew and like most, you looked very hot but far more controlled than some of those in front of you. The result speaks for itself and is testament to how you trained and controlled yourself on the day in those conditions. Bloody awesome run and result, you deserved it all Ben. Take care and rest easy.

[@timeonfeet]

Cheers Jon! And thanks so much for volunteering and helping us all out on the day especially with keeping as cool as possible. The support was amazing and without it I wouldn't have got to the finish line and probably would have melted into the chalk somewhere 😅

[@RunningGeekGirl]

Ben!! What an amazing accomplishment! I’m so happy for you!! Thanks so much for sharing this journey with all of us! 🤓

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks Heather! It was quite an experience and especially amazing to have support of family and friends as crew and pacers. Thanks for watching 🤓

[@emlyngriffith5846]

You made it look easy! Great effort. Well done 👍🍷

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks Emlyn 😃

[@tworunningbrooms]

That's one of the KZbin Vlogs of the year. What a story you told. It also shows the necessity of differentiating between endogenous and exogenous factors when executing such a feat of endurance. You clearly set the weather to one side and plugged away and seemed to finish strongly.

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks both 👍 had such an amazing experience with this one and so pleased to get it done. Tough in places but support was truly amazing and helped keep me on the straight and narrow.

[@paulmulks]

Im on the SDW50 in 2024 with my aim to be on the start line of the 100 mile race in 2025. These videos fill me full of appreciation and dread 😂 Absolutely fantastic achievement for yourself Ben, so from me to you, bravo 👏🏻

[@timeonfeet]

They're both great events Paul and I'm hoping to volunteer for the SDW50 next year so may well see you along the route! The 50 is great prep for the 100 to see what the last 50 of the 100 is like.

[@paulmulks]

@@timeonfeet Random Question but do you use a GPS watch? If so what brand/model did you have for the 100 miler? I'm looking to upgrade my Garmin Fenix 5s in the new year but want to get something that has a battery life good enough for ultra marathons

[@timeonfeet]

@@paulmulks I've got the Coros Apex Pro which is great. It has 40 hours battery in activity mode using GPS so can cover the vast majority of ultras! For the SDW100 I still had about 45% battery when I finish. The model I've got isn't the latest - they now do the Apex 2 and Apex Pro 2 also.

[@paulmulks]

@@timeonfeet Sweet! I'll have a butchers online, Cheers Ben oh and if you do get on the SDW50 as a volunteer then I'll be sure to say hi and grab a selfie 😜

[@timeonfeet]

@@paulmulks No probs, nice one be great to see you there!

[@carlstoakes6240]

Nice!!! Congrats again 👏 So what will be most interesting is a sort of de-brief video as a follow up? You've had a week to recover and your thoughts about it are... Would you recommend it? Would you do it again? Things that went well, and things notsomuch? Kind of thing. Oh and the cap is much better than the bucket hat, sorry Ben Notley 😂

[@timeonfeet]

Cheers Carl! Yes I'm planning on doing that for the next video and will cover all those things. Haha good to hear there's a vote of confidence for the desert hat 😃

[@waterfallstudios5746]

Absolutely amazing, well done Ben

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks so much Terry

[@carlfraser3320]

Awesome effort Ben and great to meet you. Being one of the 43% of DNF's on that run, I know just how tough it was 💪👊👍👏👏👏

[@timeonfeet]

You too Carl, great to chat at the start. And I'm sure you'll be back to smash the next one! Did I see that you'd signed up for the A100?

[@carlfraser3320]

@@timeonfeet thanks Ben. Yep, have signed up for Autumn 100, and looking forward to this 👍👍

[@timeonfeet]

@@carlfraser3320 Good to hear, hope the rest of the training for it goes well and there's some nicer weather on the day!

[@alanflitton9340]

Amazing effort Ben🥳 Well done

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks Alan 😃

[@berkahmbf749]

nice share video my friend

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks 👍

[@nicmarlow6388]

UH-MAZE-ING! I don't know how you managed to get that done, in that time, in that heat, feeling quite how you did (and smiling at the end no less!) Fabulous effort. Well done to all your crew too, they had you right (and god bless Carla with the ice and Callipso for you!) 😁 Can't wait to see what is next in your bucket list of events. x

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks Nic. It was great to have the support from Carla and all the crew and pacers. Makes such a difference! Need to have a think about what's next now but so far enjoying the rest and eating a lot 😀

[@movemorenowjames]

Epic stuff buddy… really well done 👍

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks James 👍

[@amyvictoria_moves]

Loved that. Well done 🎉

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks Amy 😃

[@PaulCoatesTrailRunning]

What a brilliant 100 miler. Working through the lows. Great crew and pacers. With an awesome finishing time 🕰️

[@timeonfeet]

Cheers Paul! Crew and pacers were absolute legends, couldn't have done it without them

[@mijzzzz]

Fabulous. Well done🎉

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks very much 👍

[@timbrickell]

That was a lovely film! Still can't get over how you ran that far. A serious accomplishment

[@timeonfeet]

Cheers Tim 👍😃

[@joeburbidge]

Wow, it must have been a temptation to head home when you saw Brighton over the hill after 12 hours!!

[@timeonfeet]

Definitely was! Could have just headed home and not had to stay out all night 😅

[@edscottdotblog]

Great work mate SDW 2023 was my debut 100 as well. A hard-fought finish. What a day for it!

[@timeonfeet]

Cheers Ed, congrats to you too 👍 bit hot out there wasn't it!

[@joeburbidge]

you don't even look tired at the end of it! No collapsing on the floor or anything, you're just calmly chatting away!! Crazy...

[@timeonfeet]

Definitely looked tired this week 😅 Delayed hit of exhaustion I think!

[@30somethingmike]

Ben you’re my absolute hero ❤ I was watching your dot on the day and couldn’t believe your pace, especially in that heat! “Out of the cocking aid station” will always be funny to me 😂 also I love the phrase “controlled fade”. I feel like my entire race is usually a controlled fade. Epic video, fantastic effort - well done. And well done Carla as well for crewing and pacing duties

[@timeonfeet]

Cheers Mike! And thanks for dot watching me on the day. It really helped to know that people were willing me towards that finish line in Eastbourne 😅 Yeh i have to be careful that the controlled fade doesn't turn into a 'significant fade' as this has happened before! We've also got a place called 'Fulking' on the Downs which as you can imagine often has the signs amended. Carla and the crew and pacers were legendary. Such good support and really made all the difference. Thanks for the support 🙏

[@shaunnicholson5389]

Scorching time man! Sub-24hrs is impressive. Caught you on a few of Ben Notley's runs which is cool to see. Great running community you belong to. Well done mate, amazing achievement and BIG Kudos (bigger than Strava Kudos) for pushing through when you felt rough. Bravo to your crew and pacers as well...the unsung heroes!

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks so much Shaun. There is such a good community around the sport, that was something I really felt on the day and helped me get through it with the centurion staff and volunteers and my amazing crew and pacers. Ben N is a legend - really supportive with training and racing.

[@Ijustkeptrunning]

So inspiring mate, massive congratulations for completing your first 100 miler! Great video too BTW!

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks James! Really pleased to get it done and enjoy a lot of the experience 😃

[@IRunDaily]

Inspirational Ben! Well done! You'll watch this back again and again I'm sure 😊 well done for achieving what most people can only dream of!

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks Ian! Great to be able to record the memory of it with the video. Still feels a bit surreal but what an experience 😀

[@guzgrant]

Validating the pragmatism and consistency of approach which were evident in the lead up videos . A really fun to watch account of what in reality is a really serious undertaking , undertaken very well . Congratulations .

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks very much 👍 Well pleased with how it all came together on the day as there were some challenges to deal with along the way. Thanks for the support 🙏

[@DanRuns]

Out of this world. You nailed it!

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks Dan 😀

[@OlgasBritishFells]

Excellent job, Ben, good sensible approach to keeping cool too. What an incredible achievement!

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks Olga! I'll definitely be using those cooling strategies again if it's hot, they really helped.

[@reluctantfellrunner]

Fantastic achievement. Best wishes Ben.

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks very much 🙏

[@michaelbennett6778]

I was looking forward to this one Ben☝️ Fabulous work both running and documenting it so well - congratulations 🥳 🎉🏃🏻‍♂️ Fantastic pacers too ✌️

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks so much Michael. This was quite an adventure, what an experience! And great to have such good support from crew and pacers, they were top notch. Hope you're keeping well 👍

[@jamiegrant1297]

Well done mate. Great watch. I finished in 22.30 so immediately before you. Great reliving that tough day!

[@timeonfeet]

Cheers Jamie and congrats on your race too. What an experience! Hope your recovery is going well.

[@ChloeHamard]

What an incredible achievement and great demonstration of both your endurance and mental resilience, especially considering that it was your first 100 miler! Kudos to your crew as well for helping you push through the low points. Even though you were prepared for the heat, it must have felt even harder in those temperatures. Congrats again, I hope your legs are coming around now!

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks Chloe! Was really lucky to have my crew keeping me cool on the day as I'm no fan of the heat 🌞 they were amazing. Recovery is going well thanks, just keeping the running easy and gently getting back into things. Thanks for watching 😃

[@sergeantfox5730]

Wonderful run and wonderful video Ben. I'll be watching this repeatedly over the coming year to keep motivated. Hope you have a good recovery.

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks so much 👍 Recovery going well thanks, just trying to ease back into things and not do too much too soon! Thanks for watching

[@FranciscoGassin]

Absolute legend 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻

[@timeonfeet]

Cheers Frankie!

[@heathera5938]

Amazing stuff, Ben… well done!

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks so much Heather 👍

[@amyc4870]

Well done Ben! This is amazing 🎉

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks Amy 😃

[@essextrails]

Well done Ben. What a great achievement. You looked really good at the finish as well. Great bit of filming and editing . Something to remember for ever. Congratulations again.

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks so much Peter. It was an amazing event to be part of. Really glad to get the hundred ticked off and recovery going well. Thanks for watching 😀

[@tymckeown5312]

Wow! Just stunning Ben.👏👏💪

[@timeonfeet]

Cheers Ty!

[@AlistairReid]

Great edit 🙌

[@timeonfeet]

Cheers Alistair 👍

[@nishib89]

So, so good. Incredible achievement - well done!

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks Nick 😃

[@richardfranklin2913]

Incredible achievement and a really good video that captures the day. Chapeau!

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks Richard!

[@carolynelewis1616]

Amazing, well done 👍

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks Carolyne 😃

[@DM_RUNNING]

Awesome achievement, even more so in that weather, great filming/editing also 👏👏👏

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks, much appreciated 😃

[@TheDeterminedRunner]

Well done Ben, you did an amazing job, you thought of the heat beforehand & had various pacers to help you through, really well done on an amazing time & experience! 👏

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks Martin. Well pleased to get this one done and on such a lovely route on the South Downs though wouldn't have minded it being a bit more covered on the day with that heat 😅

[@vikkisavage4041]

Wow!!! Well done on such an amazing achievement!! Inspirational 🤩🤩

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks so much Vikki 😃

[@benpollock104]

incredible run Ben, well done. That last 400m looked hard, ha ha! great run!

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks Ben! Longest 400m of my life. They must have mismeasured the track 😅

[@shreepreetihomekitchen3094]

Amazing, wonderful, magnificent best wishes 👍🌿🌿

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks so much :)

[@DevRunner]

Just awesome Ben! I feel like i finally have some perspective on what it takes to go 100 miles! Congrats! Great running and great storytelling!

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks so much Paul, pleased to get it done and enjoy a lot of it 😀

[@DevRunner]

@@timeonfeet LOL! I like that you said "a lot of it"! There are always tough bits! LOL!

[@timeonfeet]

@@DevRunner 😂

[@tobiasmay5002]

Proper good run Ben. You looked fairly fresh at the end (all things considered) and clearly recovered well from your difficult spell between 40 and 50. Amazing what some company can do to lift you out of a hole. Great crew and great pacers. Fantastic job all round. Onto the next adventure...

[@timeonfeet]

Cheers Tobias! I had such great support on this race which made all the difference especially when it becomes a bit of a slog at different points. Looking forward to getting some plans together for the next challenge 🤓

[@oscar8180]

What an amazing acheivement!!!, especially to get sub 24 in these hot conditions. You are so inspiring. I have now dedcided that the SDW 100 is a race I want to do when the time is right ( in 3/4/5 years time).

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks so much Oscar. And great to hear you're looking at the SDW100 as a race you'd like to do. It's such an amazing route and also great for your first 100 👍

[@feet-ov7by]

🎉🎉🎉

[@timeonfeet]

🙏

[@CotswoldTrailRunner]

100 miles. One Day. Boom! The unknown becomes the known! Well done! Loved it. You looked fresh throughout (or hid it well)! I particularly liked seeing you with your crew and pacers, something well worth me considering. So… what’s next! 😉

[@timeonfeet]

Cheers Francois 😀 Was so lucky to have my crew and pacers, they were 👌 Going to try and capture a bit more of that for future races the kind of behind the scenes stuff where possible. Cheers for your tips and sharing your experience last week, really helped to hear from someone who'd done it before

[@joannaw3101]

Amazing running! What a staggering performance! Great account of peaks and troughs.

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks Jo 😃

[@Shevock]

Well done

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks Dan 👍

[@youllthankmelater]

Massive respect Ben. God tier resilience! Your videos are really good. I can't help but think Aphex Twin's Fingerbib would suit a vid in the future!

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks for watching 👍 I haven't heard that Aphex Twin song before but will check it out!

[@jamesday1]

Great film Ben! Smashed it.

[@timeonfeet]

Cheers James! Hope you're recovering well 👍

[@jamesday1]

@@timeonfeet You too! I'm recovering surprisingly fast. My editing on the other hand is going nowhere fast! 😅

[@timeonfeet]

@@jamesday1 Good to hear mate. Great performance, and especially after the rough time you had early on to pull it back! Looking forward to seeing your video

[@michaelday1896]

I totally got you wrong as a youtube celeb at aid station one, sorry my man. Great video well done

[@timeonfeet]

😂 No worries. Thanks for volunteering, such great support at the aid stations, really helped 👍

[@gordonsaxby6409]

Well done one run, great video too. Have you got a link for the hat, that looks really good!

[@timeonfeet]

Thanks Gordon! The hat worked really well. It's a Raidlight Desert Hat

[@sethjohnson9483]

Shout out to your final pacer who did a night time ultra in his own right.

[@timeonfeet]

Definitely! Geoff was great, nighttime 50k just pacing me, what a legend 🙏

[@christinagrimwade8702]

No British person has ever been handed a calipo and said "nah actually, don't fancy it".

[@timeonfeet]

Haha so true! One of the highlights of the race was being handed that calipo 😅

[@jimgoldie4338]

Amazing effort sir, huge congrats! You looked very controlled and strong throughout, v impressive! Had you done a 100km before or did you go straight from 50mi to 100mi?

[@timeonfeet]

Cheers Jim! I went straight from 50 miles to 100 but did 3 50 milers to try and get a good bit of experience and one of the 50 milers had almost the same elevation as the 100 so I could get a bit more used to a lot of elevation gain!

[@jimgoldie4338]

@@timeonfeet seriously impressive sir, you should be super proud of those achievements! I was inspired to do the Sussex ultra and then NDW50 after watching your vids, not sure I have it in me for a 100 miler tho!🤣

[@timeonfeet]

Cheers mate. You could definitely do a 100 if you wanted to. Very similar skills to a 50, you just run slower and slog it out for longer 😅 I was wondering before if I should have done an in between distance before like a 100k or 70 mile but actually realised if you plan and take the step up sensibly then it's not essential

[@jimgoldie4338]

That’s great advice sir, appreciate it! I want to have another crack at NDW50 next yr, as well as Comrades, so hopefully after those it’ll give me a sense of whether I could take a step up. Do you have any other races planned for the remainder of the year?

[@timeonfeet]

@@jimgoldie4338 Nice, sounds a solid plan. Comrades I've heard is pretty epic too! I've got a sea swimming race next so something a bit different and then trying to get some running plans together for later this year