Copthorne Races 100 mile 2025
- 2 days ago
- 29 min read
Date: Saturday 22nd November 2025
Official miles: 103 miles
Strava says: 103.51 miles
Elevation: 22,000 ft / 6,706 m
Weather: rain
Start: Mickleham Village Hall
Route type: 10.3 mile laps
Conditions: wet and muddy
Website link: The Copthorne Races by Canary Trail Events
Describe the route in three words: Never get complacent
Copthorne Races 100 2025 – Race Report
The Copthorne 100. There’s something rather special about this race, it’s a dream and a nightmare tangled together. To succeed on this course is something to be proud of. So many before have tried and failed. I was talking to someone about it during the race and I established that at some point this course will break you, every, single, time. But once it’s broken you there is a choice to be made. Do you stop or do you relentlessly plough on through until you come out the other side victorious? For me, breaking point was around the eighth loop, but I’ll get to that later.
Canary Trail Events, if you are not familiar, is a fabulous little event company in Surrey headed by Allan Rumbles. Allan is very invested in his events and this shows in spades by who turns up to race and volunteer. Charity and community are at the heart, with a yearly Christmas gift appeal for children, the Rhino Run back in June raising money for Save the Rhino. Allan swears like there’s no tomorrow (perhaps the charity swear box is more for his personal use?) and he operates a bit of a tough love system. However, he’s a big softy at heart. He welcomes every runner in off each lap. If a runner tells him their goal he will support them to success as much as possible. I’m not sure that he sleeps at all during the Copthorne Races, what with the 200 mile race start 4pm Thursday and the cut off 4pm Sunday, it’s a very long time to go without sleep yet there he is, without fail, clapping and whistling each runner as they come in, celebrating and commiserating with them depending on their outcome.
Then there are the staff and volunteers, you’ll see the same faces at each event. Always smiling, always willing, no job is too much for them. Making tea, toast, filling bladders, checking you’re leaving with what you need, reminding you the time of day, emptying the rubbish from your pack, patching you up, fixing things, sourcing things. Whatever you need they will kindly do – and all with a huge smile on their face. Volunteer Helen Elderfield was rewarded with the volunteer slam this year, having been at every event helping out. Last year Jade Barrett had raced the 50km then switched to volunteer, same again this year, she’d grabbed a long sleeve top out of her car last year to lend to me as mine were all wet. Hezel is on the graveyard shift each year. As Copthorne runner Brendon Fletcher once said, we are “all on a noble adventure” and the volunteers will do anything for you to get you through to the end of this adventure. With so many drop outs each year, it feels as though the stakes are high.
The course is a beast. This was my third time on it but that counts for absolutely nothing. You cannot be complacent on this course. Nothing feels safe, you can never feel as though “it’s in the bag”, there is a sense of foreboding, a “this could all go horrible wrong in a blink of an eye” at all times. You cannot switch off, you must not switch off, this year I did, just for a moment, and found myself off course, lost and with a blind sense of panic. I’m sure there is a Bermuda Triangle effect somewhere on Headly Heath. As the night falls, the rain bears down on you, your white breath whirls in front of your face, the puddles grow wider, the mud grows thicker, green eyes stare at you, it looks different, it’s disorientating, the course constantly changes its appearance, it’s a shapeshifter playing with you. Doesn’t matter you’ve passed this way 6 times previously, now it looks different. Tight cut of times, Copthorne weather (wind, rain, mud and cold are guaranteed), apparently 666 steps (theres’s 270 on the Box Hill climb alone), wet leaves on slippery clay on the descents of Kamikaze Hill and Goodnight Sweetheart, random house bricks embedded into the path, tree roots, guaranteed fog just after the Box Hill checkpoint, stepping stones across the River Mole which can go underwater at any moment and put you on to the long course… and that’s just the half of it. It’s deceptively technical. It’s deceptively hard. Probably the biggest challenge for most on this course is what it does to your head, if you let it, it will totally screw you up. If you want to succeed, you need a very, very strong mindset indeed. I had one word in my head on that start line, and that word was ‘respect’. Respect the course, do not get complacent.
Satan’s Staircase – don’t let Elmo fool you
As per last year, my fabulous local taxi driver Phillip gave me a lift to Mickleham Village Hall, we arrived at 7:15am, I found a spot for my drop bag and joined the queue to get my tracker. Stewart Unsworth came to chat with me, as well as Gerard De Maudave, both are Copthorne regulars. Jade came to tell me she’d bought a spare top for me, just in case. I spotted Mike Rowell who this year had crossed the line from staff to runner, we have done numerous training loops together. I said “hi” to Rohan Archer, a club mate of my friend Frank Wainwright who’d told me to look out for him. Tracker fixed on, my chip timer and bib left behind on the registration table (whoops) I went to the loo. I queued up with Kaz just behind who was on the 50km. I went into the cubicle and did my thing. You know, what everyone does pre-race. I came out the loo and thought, I need to own the situation, I apologised profusely to Kaz, said she might want to give it a minute before entering and then a very excitable and lovely lady who would have heard this exchange told me how she had read my blog and listened to my Tea and Trails podcast, I can never be cool, I can never be pro, but I will say, I am always authentic! I realised I had neither my bib nor chip and popped back to grab them, phew!
Allan conducted the race brief and let the runners know that there were a few people attempting to complete the slam (four Canary Trail races across the year) and that I was after the ‘Triple Crown’. A title that Allan totally made up on a whim. I had told him last year that I wanted to volunteer this year. That I NEVER wanted to do the 100 again. For reasons unknown to me and certainly not to do with money (the Copthorne is probably the cheapest 100 out there), maybe he feels like I’d be a terrible volunteer? Allan invented this award and basically forced my hand and made me enter for a third time.
We filed out to the start line and I grabbed a selfie with Mike and Gerard. I then said (with a slight panic) “Where’s Lawrence?” as if by magic, he appeared by my side. It is a Copthorne tradition that Loz and I run the first lap together – way too fast. Countdown started and off we went. Always with good intentions we starting right at the back but we can’t help ourselves, we ran all the way up the hill and pretty much ran the whole thing having our annual catch up and getting into the checkpoint after Lap One fist bumping each other at 10:03am… two minutes faster than our arrival time last year! I grabbed a couple of potatoes and went straight out the door. No need to stop, I had enough food on me for the first thirty miles. Lawrence is much faster paced than me so he has the luxury of being able to faff around at the checkpoint and then catch me up, which he did so we continued with our chat. Loz had brought a single pole with him on loop two as its partner had seized and was for the time being, out of action. When we reached the stepping stones for the second time, I told Loz to go first as he is much faster, running across them whereas I take the leisurely (wussy?) two feet per stepping stone version, feeling a bit dizzy by the water and a ridiculous fear that I will fall in. I’m not sure how, perhaps there’s a Mole Monster who will rise up with a face like Elmo and push me in. Loz and I then discussed stepping stone technique, do’s and don’ts and irrational fears.
Another fist bump to mark the end of Lap Two at 12:21pm, 19 minutes ahead of my schedule. Yet again, I went straight through, grabbing a bag of crisps this time. Heading up the lane at a fast paced walk, I ate my cheese and onion pasty. Loz appeared by my side once again, this time with a fully functioning pair of poles, medic Lindley and he had managed to get the seized pole working again. Loz and I discussed our attitudes and mindsets towards this race, running and training and I really liked how Loz genuinely did not care whether he completed or DNFed. His absolute number one priority was joy. If he were to stop having fun, or need to pull out with injury or sickness, there would be no regret. For him, it’s all about the experience and the moment.
We came in off Lap Three with what was to be our final fist bump of this race at 2:53pm, a comfortable 22 minutes ahead of my schedule. 30 miles completed, I had a 10 minute stop planned. A tip to success with this race is to be on top of your race admin. Plan what you want before you get in. I knew I needed to prep my head torch, re-fill my bladders and re-stock my now low snack supply. This is where the event crew are invaluable. I’m pretty sure that every single person there knew I had two goals: to complete, and to get sub 30 hours. The previous two years have been a very consistent 31 hours and 13 minutes. Helen went to make me a cup of tea and toast whilst I changed my damp top and thin waterproof for a dry top and a thicker waterproof. My bladders were filled, one with squash, one with Tailwind and Allan got in my face tapping his watch, “C’mon, 31.13. I thought you wanted to beat it? What are you doing?” “I know, I know! I said I could have 10 minutes here!” I looked at my watch, “Oh my God it’s been 10 minutes already! I need to go!” Helen must have seen my crestfallen expression at having to leave my partially drunk cup of tea behind. “I’ll walk with you up the hill whilst you finish your tea and then you can hand me the mug once you’ve finished.” So off we went, in the pouring rain, Helen cheerily walking by my side as I wolfed the toast and washed it down with the rest of the tea. Like I said. Canary Trail crew are legendary.
I got up on to the gallops and felt it was time to voice note my coach Andy. Listening back to the voice notes after the race I could not help but giggle as clearly I was high on the caffeine! I gabbled away to him for over 3 minutes telling him how my legs felt amazing, I wasn’t on poles yet (typically I would take poles out on the forth lap until the end) and that I was grateful for every mile without a storm, at this point last year Storm Bert was well and truly doing his thing, long course mandatory if you didn’t fancy a swim across the River Mole.
I wondered where I would be when I needed to turn my head torch on. Frustratingly I cannot remember at which point I switched my head torch on but I do think it was around the Box Hill checkpoint. I remember the light was just beginning to fade as I trotted through the woods before the Box Hill village hall, I could see a very happy and bouncy Darren Briggs springing towards me, he called my name, “Lizzie?” “Hello!” I said, “As promised!” and he handed me a bag of Nerds Gummy Clusters! The last time I had seen Darren was on the Bal Bach climb on the Wild Horse 200 in May, he had very kindly shared his Nerds with me then, having never had them before, I really enjoyed them and they seemed to give me an extra spring in my step up that climb.
It’s quite a significant moment when the light fades into darkness and the torch goes on because you know you are in for 16 hours of darkness, it’s a lot. For many, it’s their breaking point. It was on this lap that I started using gels, my plan was to take two per loop, I’ve practised a little with them in training but not used them on a race and I was interested to see how they could affect my performance. I felt really good for taking them. I took Protein Rebel gels on this loop.
I came in off Lap Four at 5:43pm and went straight through leaving the checkpoint about 27 minutes ahead of my schedule. Grabbing some jelly sweets on the way, I scoffed them whilst walking up the lane. Whilst speed eating the jelly delights, my teeth slipped on them, they made the most awful sound grinding together. I then spent the bulk of the first half of that loop trying to work out if I had chipped a tooth or not. I had not. (Lindley later told me he carries dentistry filling kits for this very reason, runners losing fillings on chewy sweets!). I was beginning to lose time on the loops as I was slower than my anticipated 2 hours 30 minutes per lap however I had been gaining time by flying through the checkpoints. I managed to get disoriented by the weather and overshot a turning on the fifth loop, the sensation of panic was sickening as I realised I had no idea where I was. I retraced my steps, found the Canary sign and trotted off back on course feeling a little sheepish and annoyed with myself for stuffing up like that.
I lost some more time on this loop as the gels were having a bit of an affect on me – I think it was actually a High Five gel a friend had given me, about 30 seconds after I took it, my stomach was definitely having a chat with me and I was not feeling massively comfortable. Equally, in between the odd waves of discomfort I was actually feeling really amazing. I was strong on all the steps not missing my poles at all. Usually I take two strides per step however I was stretching out my legs, keeping a good rhythm and doing one stride per step, I think this was saving me a lot of time and energy.
I completed the Lap 5, 50 miles at 8:35pm – 5 minutes ahead of my schedule. I was delighted to see Hezel who helped and looked after me so much last year, he made me a cup of tea and some fantastic buttery mashed potato. I had some Rennie. Tailwind with ginger was put in one bladder and orange squash in the other. Allan asked what he could do to help, I asked if he could find the bag that had my gloves in them, he found them straight away, I asked him to also pull out the waterproof over mittens, he stood there with a clean pair of my knickers in his hand and very seriously said, “Nope can’t see them, only your knickers”. Above and beyond! Luckily, the over gloves were there, caught up in my arm warmers. Whilst chowing down my mashed potato I did something that my grandmother did in her older years, I feebly held out my hand to Hezel, he stepped towards me, I placed my hand on his arm and gave him a pat, “I’m so glad you are here”. It’s just so lovely seeing familiar faces, he told me that he was there until midnight and would help me with whatever I needed.
As I climbed up towards the gallops I could see someone ahead, I was definitely going to catch them and quickened my pace to see who it was. I realised it was Louise O’Reilly. We said hello and I asked her how she was doing, she looked like she was moving well, she told me that she had just started her fifth lap. Louise had completed the 100 mile course back in 2023 – however she had come in outside of the cut off time and I had been really gutted for her. We’d never met before as we’d always been on different parts of the course but I REALLY wanted her to complete this year. I’d been struck by her determination and resilience to get the job done knowing that she wouldn’t make it that year. As eager as I was for her to do well, I was also beside myself with excitement that I had just lapped someone on my sixth lap, on previous years I had not lapped anyone until around the eighth trip around this funny merry-go-round. With a new found boost I hurried eagerly away as quick as I could so I could leave a voice note for coach Andy to tell him this news. I spotted a text from him reminding me to manage my RPE, ‘think whole sentences without gasping’. As I merrily chatted away on another long voice note to him I asked him about my RPE, surely this is good as I am having a one-sided conversation with him without gasping? I wasn’t sure where Laura was at this point but I felt she was probably ahead, I felt a real desire to hunt her down and overtake her. It was at this point I got a real urge to try as hard as I could to get the win.
I was having an absolutely brilliant time on this loop. I was still without poles. I felt like I was flying. I felt so strong. I’ve worked really hard with run coach Andy and my PT Ed and it really is paying off, I could feel it. I found myself planning how I would execute the 200 miler next year. I could hear tawny owls, barn owls, I saw the most beautiful partially composted leaf that looked like a feather, it sparkled with rain drops under the light of my head torch, a frog hopped in front of me (every time this happens I think of my friend Ingrid who claims never to run on trails in winter due to frogs jumping in front of her, oh how I laughed and said that this never ever happens, and oh how the joke is on me as it has happened so many times to me since that conversation!). I saw a mouse, a shrew, fox eyes watching me, another mouse. I was in my absolute element.
I ran done the lane towards the Box Hill checkpoint and I accidentally stepped on a slug, my happy bubble burst for a while as I fretted about him, I think he was ok though. Jade was waiting under an umbrella at Box Hill to cheer me through, I told her about the slug.
I caught up with Stuart on the Box Hill steps, he informed me that the leading lady Laura Nevill was not that far in front of me. As we went down the steps, there Laura was, coming up them. This meant I was probably around 10 minutes behind her. The race was on. In the past I’ve gotten really nervous when I’ve been on a mission to overtake someone or to maintain a lead, not this time though. I managed to keep my cool and think really calmly. I felt it was not likely I would pass Laura on the loop as we were well into the second half, however I was sure I could overtake her in the checkpoint as I had no need to stop. Sure enough, as I passed though at 11:38pm I saw Laura and her friend Alfie in the hall, they’d got in just 8 minutes before me. I saw Pete and put my pre-order in for the Super Noodle pot that was in my bag. Allan asked if I was stopping and if I needed anything else. “No! But could you please find my black toiletry bag?” I shouted as I rushed through, “Good girl!’ he cheered. I was slightly in shock that I still did not need my poles.
Now the race was on. Laura (and Alfie) were behind and l was keen to keep it that way. My plan was to get as much distance between myself and Laura on this lap as possible as I knew I would need to use the checkpoint when I got in so any gained time would be lost immediately as I was pretty sure that Laura would pass straight through. On the first climb I thought I could hear voices, could it be them already? I couldn’t see any head torches though. Up on the gallops I checked behind, there they were! A pair of head torches not that far behind, just a couple of minutes. “She wants this win as much as I do.” I thought. I spurred myself on. Checking again at the bottom of Kamikaze, no head torches. Now I had someone to race, someone to push me! I kept thinking of my trophy shelf, two first Copthorne trophy’s next to a second place trophy. No way. I was going to fight for this, I wanted three wins.
The whole first half of that loop sometimes the head torch pair were there, sometimes not. It was a weird game of cat and mouse. I was constantly pushing to get a bigger lead. As I was running through the woods my Fenix dropped a light level. Uh-oh, battery was on its way out. The torch is still fairly new to me so I didn’t know how it went about running out, would it suddenly just switch off? I made the decision to get as far as I could on it and knew that I would use the torch light on my phone to change the battery and if for some reason my phone had run out of battery, I had the torch light on my Fenix. I got it in my head that there was a street light just before the stepping stones (there isn’t), I would change it there.
Every time I passed through a gate I would check my watch and listen for the slam as Laura and Alfie passed through. Just before the Box Hill check point I knew I’d got a decent gap on Laura as I could not hear the gate slam.
I did consider changing my battery at Box Hill village hall as Jade would be there to help, however, as I got there, the weather was particularly disgusting and there were no marshals outside. It was just as well, just as I was about to make the turn down the foggy path, Laura and Alfie came out of speed bump lane, they were just a few minutes behind. Time to move up a gear. I flew down Cow Shit Ally. I made the dog leg turn and powered up the short hill shoving a Cliff Blok into my mouth. I pushed myself towards the Box Hill steps, my head torch dropped another notch, I didn’t know how long it had left, it was really dim now. Down the steps I went, I saw there was no light near the stepping stones. I made the decision, use the stone at the bottom of the steps so that I could balance my phone on it and use the light from it to change my head torch battery. In situations like this in the past, I have got nervous, flustered, in a state of panic. The calm I felt was unreal. Just do it. Change the battery, get moving and maintain the lead. Within seconds I had done it, I was on the run doing up my snack pack straps, simultaneously getting my snack out that would power me up the Box Hill climb. Over the bridge, over the stepping stones, up the steps, I shone my now bright head torch down the path where Laura and Alfie would appear from, nothing, just the black night. I must have a 10 minute lead now despite the battery change over. I started planning my checkpoint list. I had a lot of things to do. I needed to eat my Pot Noodle, have a cup of tea, get my poles out, re-fill my bladders, get enough snacks to see me through the final 30 miles, I was considering changing my top and jacket as the weather was still bad and I was damp and a bit cold. I needed to get my back up head torch into my bag and take my spent battery out. The constant wet and rain meant I had a bit of chafing too, I really needed some Sudocreme.
I got in off Lap Seven at 2:30am, now 10 minutes ahead of Laura and Alfie. Allan was standing in the hall door way with a cup of tea in his hand, “Is that for me?!” I asked, “Nope but I’ll get you one!” I flew through my mental check list, Allan had not been able to find my toiletry bag and I was having a minor panic about it because that’s where my Sudocreme was (the Sudocreme was in my blue first aid bag, at the bottom, hidden from view). Allan was very calm and matter of fact. It’s not here, there’s nothing you can do about it, there’ll be an alternative solution. Lindley offered me Vaseline and a finished runner offered me his special chaffing cycle cream, I opted for the latter, thanking him profusely.
Everything was done from my list of to do jobs bar eating the Pot Noodle and drinking the tea. Hezel passed them to me. I enquired after both Mike and Loz and was really sad to hear that they were both DNFs. As I was at least half way through my meal, Laura and Alfie came in. I was expecting them to go straight through. The team asked them what they needed. “A coffee would be great!” chirped Alfie. I was stunned. I downed that Super Noodle faster than my car drinks petrol and I was out of there like my car with a tank full of posh petrol. Let’s go!
Lap eight and I was finally on poles. I had REALLY pushed myself on the last loop to try and increase the gap and it showed. I was definitely feeling a bit pooped now. Only thirty miles to go though, and I had my poles now, no excuses. Keep pushing. Relentless forward movement.
I recall this loop to be a tough one. I knew it was my last full loop of darkness, the next one would be half and half, and the final loop would be daylight. I caught myself feeling momentarily sad that I’d only get one and a half daylight laps… until I realised the significance of this. I was MUCH faster than the previous two years. I ploughed on, aware that I was slowing and also aware that I needed more food. I shoved a handful of Nerds into my mouth and started obsessing over bananas. I REALLY wanted a banana. I recognised that my mood was beginning to spiral. I said earlier in the introduction that this course will break you. It had come later this year, but here it was. Breaking point. I reminded myself of my own personal key word for this year’s race. It was elation. The last 12 months has been an absolute roller coaster for me, I have had to deal with some very difficult situations in my personal life, the Copthorne last year being roughly around the start point of this challenging time, being on the start line of the Copthorne this year held an enormous significance to me. It marked the end of a tough 12 or so months and signified a fresh new beginning. Coupled with this, both my two previous races (both Backyard Ultras) which should have been UK record breaking races for me (moving me from female UK number two to the female UK number one spot), had both been aborted – one due to a situation out of the race director’s control and one due to a storm. I was elated to be here. The word swirled round and round in my head. I am elated that I am here, I am elated to be ahead of schedule, I am elated to be the female race leader, I am elated that daylight is coming, I am elated the finish line is nigh, I am elated my body feels this good, I am elated to be healthy and free from injury. It worked, I could feel the negativity flow from my body and my smile crept back.
I passed Paul White after Cow Shit Alley who was on lap 17.5, we chatted for a bit and I told him he was really doing it, he really was going to complete, how exciting!
I reached the stepping stones and was just about able to cross, however there had been that much rain I was certain that this crossing would be my final one, I channeled my inner Loz and ran over as fast as I could.
Lap Eight was done at 5:56am. Just two more to go now and daylight was well on its way. Just as I set out on my penultimate loop, I asked Allan if he was aware of anyone who might like to pace me on the final lap, I could tell by his face that the answer was a resounding no. “Don’t worry!” I chirped and off I went.
Two walkers were on Headly Heath, it was still dark but the light was not far away. The morning bird song had started long ago.
In the woods before the Box Hill hall three huge deer crossed over the trail in front of me. They stopped on the centre of the path, staring at me, each with a front foot majestically raised, wondering what I was, who I was. Dawn was most definitely dawning. I turned my head torch off. That was a moment. The deer, the daylight. The second half of the ninth loop was to be in daylight.
I got to Box Hill and asked Jade if she had a banana. We went in. Justina Zaremba who had DNFed after a stoic 150 miles on the 200 mile course was fast asleep in her bed. She had three bananas on her crew table. I looked longingly at the bananas. Jade looked at me. I looked at Jade. I mouthed, “Just take one.” she did, we moved outside, “I’ll get in touch with Justina and apologise to her for stealing her banana.” Off I went, that banana was INCREDIBLE! It was exactly what I needed. I’d met Justina a couple of times on course and we’d had a bit of a chat, well, I chatted at her in my usual manner so I hoped she’d remember me and not begrudge me the banana theft.
As I neared the bottom of the Box Hill steps I asked an early morning dog walker if the stepping stones were passable, “No,” he called “but you can use the bridge.” I crossed the bridge and with trepidation headed for the stepping stones really hoping he was mistaken, sure enough, they were fully submerged, long course it is. Lap Nine completed at 9:08am, I was now 48 minutes behind my schedule.
I had hoped I could go straight through but I did just need a few minutes in the checkpoint to re-fill my bladders, down some Huel and enquire about my new obsession… bananas. Mike was there, he introduced me to his friend Emma. Emma had planned to pace Mike on his final lap but sadly he had DNFed after a couple of nasty falls, she was more than happy to pace me instead. Fantastic! A very kind lady appeared with a banana and off we went. Final lap, number ten, highly desired banana in my pocket, let’s go.
I ate half the banana on the lane and said I would save the other half for later, I’d got to that point in the race when I was sounding a little bit drunk, I apologised to Emma and said that I’d let myself get a little under fuelled as I was so determined to save time and get out in front of Laura, as I write this I realise how ridiculous and inexperienced that sounds and it is clear now that on my last three laps my main reason for losing 30 minutes per lap was due to me not fuelling enough towards the end. I have done so many backyards this year (four) where the focus is to keep myself on top and ahead of everything, to the point where I am pretty much wrapped in cotton wool, I had actually really enjoyed the ‘risk’ on this race. Knowing that it had a definite finish line, knowing that cold hands at times, not applying anti chaff cream the second it was needed, pushing too hard in places and letting myself get a bit under fuelled would not mean game over on this race.
I showed Emma the line I took down Kamikaze and was quite pleased that I seemed to get down it quicker than her, although I could not be sure if she was just doing this for my ego as I later found out that she has previously won the 50km on the Copthorne. Having Emma with me was amazing as she would remind me when to eat and drink and I could not help the whole ‘show and tell’ thing, “Look Emma this is the where I go to the left, this is where I run, this is where I do this weird waddle to ensure I don’t fall in the mud, this is the very conveniently located bin I’ve been putting my rubbish in” – having someone to ‘show off’ to like this I think can really help you to keep up with the pace. I told Emma my desire to get sub 30, my desire to get round the final lap in less than 3 hours and my desire to win. Emma was quite keen on telling me that we would make this happen. I told Emma that I had learned that Laura and Alfie were faster than me on the first half of the loop, and that I was faster than them on the second half. I remember telling Emma how you can never feel safe on this course, at some point I think on both previous laps my knee had randomly started hurting, not just a little pain but a debilitating one, a pain that made me think that it could be race ending. Weirdly though, going up the steps had made the pain melt away. I told her about the knee pain, and I told her about my stomach complaining earlier on and as a reminder I think more to myself, that at any second, it could all fall apart – my knee could stop me, or if the ‘urge’ came back I could literally get timed out with my pants down. It’s funny, I don’t think there is any other race where I feel so uncertain of a finish (ok, maybe Dragon’s Back!), this course REALLY needs to be respected. The second half of the highly desired banana was eaten just after the Box Hill village hall. I pointed out the metal pole sticking out of the ground to Emma, she knew about it.
We got a good wiggle on down Cow Shit Ally, had a little laugh down the narrow muddy path (I’m afraid to say at the expense of someone we both know and love) and as we joined the short lane section a VERY spritely and fresh athletic looking bouncy lady with beautiful swinging hair flew past us, she paused, slowed down and it turned out it was the fabulous Jo, a Canary Trail Events runner and volunteer. Jo was very excited to learn that we were on the second half of the final lap and said she would run with us until the end. So the three of us snaked our way through the woods towards the Box Hill steps. I have to say, I don’t know about Emma and Jo but I had an absolute blast, what a final lap! Passers by who saw Emma and Jo probably assumed that they were carers taking their charge out for some fresh air.
The sun came out, I finally got to remove my waterproof and I commented on how I could do with my sunglasses. I stopped for a photo at the trig and Jo said she’d better head home, I’m pretty sure I was ruining her average pace! Emma and I had around a mile and half to go, that was all. I told Emma how Pete had been filming me a bit and I knew he would film the finish and that sparked a conversation on people we know on social media who finish a race with a full face of make up, we joked at how they were ruining it for the rest of us, the normal people and how I could possibly finish with Nerds, crisps, mud, bananas and God knows what else stuck to my face and that I would’t really care. A few moments of silence passed and we both agreed a ‘hair and make up check’ was necessary. We carefully navigated our way done Goodnight Sweetheart with one “whoooooop!” as I slipped, passed over the stile, did the hair and make up check then Emma let me run it in on my own.
Finally I felt safe, now I knew for sure that the finish was in the bag. The tears started rolling, queue massive emotional sub 30 hour messy finish at 12:29pm (28h 29m 58s), huge cuddle with Allan and a silent word to myself, “Look what you have done, despite everything this year has thrown at you, look what you have achieved.” My personal life is separate to my running life. But this finish, this achievement, is so much more than anyone could ever know. Thank you Allan, thank you EVERYONE at Canary, thank you to my team, my husband, my family, my friends. We did it.
Allan had some things to give me. A 100 mile finishers’ buckle. A first female trophy. A Copthorne Races coaster. And there was something else. Allan had it behind his back. I was not too exhausted to spot the sparkle in his eyes, the fact that whatever it was, Allan was really delighted to be giving it to me. Out from behind his back Allan produced a one off and unique slate trophy. The Copthorne Races Triple Crown 2023, 2024, 2025. Already inscribed with my name and an extract by Robert Frost:
The woods are lovely dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep.
What can I say? This finish was everything I had worked for, everything I had hoped for and represented hard work, perseverance and relentless forward motion not just in the last twenty eight and a half hours but in the last 12 months. I, was indeed, elated.
In the time that followed, Mike made me the best cheese toast which I enjoyed with a cuppa whilst he and Sarah removed my socks, shoes and gaiters. They wet wiped my feet and Lindley came over with some medicated talc which they gently put on for me. I sat there stuffing my face and merrily chatting to Mike Brock (race sweeper), Lindley and others whilst Mike swept and mopped the floor around me as I’d brought in so much mud. Yes, I sound like a total diva, but what I’m keen to point out once more, is how wonderful all the runners, crew and volunteers are at Canary Trail Events, above and beyond.
What’s in the snack pack?
Canary
Charged mobile phone
Enough food for 30 miles (SNACK’d bars, chess & onion pasty)
Cliff Bloks
Sugar coated stemmed ginger
2x 500ml bladders water – with SiS
Gloves
Hat
Extra buff
Long sleeved spare layer
Fenix HM65R-T V2.0 head torch
Survival blanket
Lip balm
Emergency toilet kit
Drop bag
Waterproof trousers x3 (OMM Halo waterproof trousers and Peter Storm x2)
Montane Fireball Lite insulated jacket
Montane Phase Lite waterproof jacket x2
Inov8 waterproof jacket
Montane windproof jacket
Harrier Helvellyn PRO Carbon Z-Poles
Fenix spare battery
Fenic cable
Petzl e+lite (back up head torch)
Gloves x2
Salomon Bonatti waterproof over mittens
Kyloe in the Wild sunglasses
Ginger
Phizz
Tee shirt x1
Long sleeve x3
OMM arm sleeves
Leggings x2
Socks – 2x Injinji, 3x Stance, 1x Dekshell
Buffs x4
Pants x2
Trail shoes x2 (Peregrine and Peregrine ST)
Newspaper (for stuffing wet trail shoes)
Plastic bags (for dirty kit)
Portable charger (for on the lap i.e phone)
Power bank (to leave in checkpoint i.e head torch battery)
Garmin cable
Phone cable
Headphones
Sudocreme
Talcum powder
Vasaline
Trailskin trench foot cream
Trailskin anti chafe (totally forgot I had packed this!)
Small towel (to dry feet)
Rock tape
Scissors
Gauze
Plasters
Paracetamol
Food for laps – in individual lap bags
Tailwind
Gels
Cliff Bloks
Porridge
Rice pudding
Huel
Super Noodle pot
Baby food
What I wore: Saucony Peregrine 12, Garmin Fenix 7 Pro Sapphire Solar, buff, Sweaty Betty power leggings, Injinji socks, Montane gloves, Montane dart long sleeved top, Inov 8 Trailshell waterproof jacket, Sweaty Betty baseball cap, race belt, chicken gaiters, Salomon Adv Skin 12 running vest.
Lead up: I’d started with Andy Wilson from Duracoaching in September and this was our first race under his guidance. My training has certainly changed with him, many longer interval sessions, slow treadmill sessions on a 16% incline and back-to-back 50km big elevation days. Paired with the work I do with PT Eddie at Ash Manor gym, there’s been a noticeable change in my muscles – mainly legs, glutes and arms. I’ve been continuing with yoga around 5 times a week, leg stretching, knee and ankle exercises also about 5 times a week as well as Blaze boot camp. Training had gone really well a session missed due to a cold and a few days off when I had a slight niggle after a cross county race.. I saw Hannah for sports massages once a week 3 weeks out and I continue to see physio Mohammed at Lake Physio on a regal basis, this is more for injury prevention rather than any niggles. I stooped caffein 2 weeks before the race, I started on daily electrolytes 10 days before and 3 days before increased my food intake. I take Protein Rebel magnesium once a day and Protein Rebel collagen twice a day.
Morning preparations: I had porridge with soya milk, a mashed banana and mixed berries stirred through along with a handful of dried mixed fruits and nuts and a tablespoon of chia seeds plus a cup of de cap tea. I did a few ankle, knee and hip mobility exercises shortly before the race start. I used Trailskin Trench foot cream in my feet.
Summary: Having run this race twice before, there is real value on previous experience rather than going in blind. Knowing the route, when you should walk, when you should eat, where you can push it, the opportunity to have a well stocked drop bag at Mickleham, the knowledge that efficient race admin really counts – all of this carries value and saves time. I’ve put an enormous amount of work into myself this year and it’s paying off. Being off poles for so long and feeling as strong as I did for so long was a fantastic experience. I am so pleased to have got the sub 30 finish and it makes me wonder if better times are now available to me other courses…. watch this space.
Lessons learned
Keep on top of real food fuelling
There is a place for gels n my life, but I need more practice with them.
It is possible to spend seconds rather than minutes in a checkpoint.
Checkpoint stops can be every 20 – 30 miles rather than every 10 miles.
I tried my Saucony Peregrines this time round (usually the Peregrine STs) with Injinji toe socks (usually Stance on this course) and the paring worked well. Opting for Deckshell would have all worked. Wearing toe socks means I can wear protective silicon toe caps on the outside of my sock, this has been a great hack this year, preserving my big toe nails on the 100 to 200 mile races I have been doing every eight weeks throughout the year.
Should have taken my own bananas!
Results
Chip time: 28hr 29m 58s
Overall: 5/17
Lady: 1/3
Copthorne Races 100 mile 2025 results: click here
Strava link: click here
The Copthorne Races Triple Crown – three consecutive 100 mile finishes
2023 First lady, one of two finishers, minus temperatures throughout, 31 hours and 13 minutes
2024 First lady, the only finisher, Storm Bert, 31 hours and 13 minutes
2025 First lady, seven finishers, wet and windy throughout, 28 hours 29 minutes 58 seconds.
Professional photos from Lenny Martin Photo
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