South Downs Way 100

The South Downs Way 100 runs the entire South Downs Way National Trail, from Matterley Bowl just outside Winchester east along the chalk ridge to the athletics track at Eastbourne. It is the hilliest of Centurion Running's four 100-milers, 100 miles with 12,700 feet of climb, and the race calls the 2026 running the most competitive 100-mile race ever held on UK soil.

It starts in two waves and holds a 30-hour cutoff measured from each of them, with only the first wave eligible for the overall awards. Entry is first come, first served with no waiting list, and the race carries an elite lane for runners with an ITRA index of 750 for men and 600 for women. A finish counts as a Western States 100 qualifier, and the race is a stop on the World Trail Majors circuit and the second leg of Centurion's Grand Slam of 100s, run with the Thames Path 100, the North Downs Way 100 and the Autumn 100.

Point to point along the whole South Downs Way National Trail, from Matterley Bowl on the Matterley Estate east of Winchester to Eastbourne Sports Park, where runners enter the track and run a lap to finish. 100 miles with 12,700 feet of climb, 12 aid stations, 15 percent road and 85 percent trail. The race starts in two waves, an hour apart, and each wave gets the full 30 hours.

Entry is first come, first served through Centurion Running for a field of 600, and there is deliberately no waiting list and no entry on the day. A place requires a 50-mile finish inside 15 hours, and 100 free places go to people who volunteered at a Centurion event the year before. Elite entries are taken by email, with an ITRA index of 750 or better for men and 600 for women as the guide. Runners can also enter as part of Centurion's Grand Slam of 100s, which is 50 places and covers all four of its 100-mile races. Finishing this and the North Downs Way 100 in the same year is scored as the Downs Double.