North Downs Way 50 2026

Richard Strong won the 2026 North Downs Way 50 in 6:56:42 and Abigail Woolaston won the women's race in 8:11:12. Jonny Hind was second man in 7:06:03 and Matthew John third in 7:12:06; Hannah Rickman was second woman in 8:11:25 with Katie Brook third in 8:15:42.

The women's race was the closest the fifteenth running has seen. First and second were never more than seven minutes apart over eight hours and the lead changed hands on the way; Woolaston made the pass on the road with less than a mile left, and Rickman was in the finish chute thirteen seconds behind her. Hind and Strong ran together to 50 km before Strong pulled clear over the last 20 km, in what was Hind's first ultra. Natasha Cox won the FV50 category in 8:59, quicker than every FV40 in the race.

It was about 10 degrees at the start with dry trails and a light tailwind, and the last couple of hours turned wet, which is unusual here. 276 of the 298 starters finished, Zak Overfield and Amanda Tondeur last among them with three minutes to spare.