Winter Downs 200 2024

Martin Wilson won the 2024 Winter Downs 200 in 50:20:02 and Emma Stuart won the women's race in 50:52:00, second overall and a course record by 13 hours.

Stuart ran the whole way uncrewed. She went into the outright lead of the race when Dan Lawson withdrew at Ditchling Beacon, 80 miles in, and held it deep into the second half while paying for it at every checkpoint, charging batteries and sorting kit herself and taking a little sleep at Truleigh Hill. Wilson, also uncrewed, and Scott Newburn came and went alongside her the length of the South Downs Way, the three of them running close to Ry Webb's 49-hour course record. Newburn ran into trouble in the last 50 kilometres, Stuart and Wilson went clear together, and Wilson went alone on the North Downs Way to the win.

Newburn held second in 52:30:52 and Steinar Ulsnes was third in 57:53:03, his second finish here. Rachel Fawcett was second woman in 54:14:13 and first FV50, and Allie Bailey third in 65:34:51, having caught Edwina Sutton with 15 miles left.

Forty-seven runners finished. The weather was mild for December and the ground underneath it was not: the race called the going poor even by the standards of its own season.