Nathan Roulson took on yet another epic challenge this weekend. The SDW100 is a 100 mile non stop race taking in the entire South Downs way national trail. In order to enter participants must have completed a minimum of a 50 mile distance race within 15hrs, between 1st January 2020 and race day. Nathan had a tough but very positive experience and reports in his own words…
“I finished in 22 hrs 35…116th of over 400 starters. Just couldn’t keep any food down for the last 30 miles / 7 hours. It wasn’t pretty, and I have no idea how I managed to keep moving with an empty tank. I could have just walked it in under the 30 hour cutoff, but I’ve trained so hard for this since January and the whole family have made sacrifices. It’s the second hardest I’ve had to dig physically after UTMB 2022 (which ended with a DNF anyway). Despite being hard, it’s been amazing! Shared the trail – sometimes for a couple of hours – with some brilliant people, with stories to share about adventures, races, training etc. The trail running community are both wonderful and eclectic!
A running buddy from Halstead – Rich Smith – was taking on his first hundred. We spent much of the first 70 miles chatting or else in fairly close proximity. It was a tough course with 13,000ft of elevation and often difficult conditions under foot.
Massive thanks to my crew, Matt Biggin, who left me wanting for nothing, refilling my bottles, restocking nutrition, changing my shoes, socks, and sweaty clothes. He also cooked me a bacon sandwich in the middle of the night on the side of a hill. Matt motivated me and gave me hugs when I needed them most.Thanks to Jo for unwavering support and facilitating my hobby – you’re the best. And thanks for all the messages of support from friends and family during the race….it really makes a difference when times are tough. I was treated to an amazing sunset and sunrise.
I don’t have a single blister but I do have a fabulous 100 mile belt buckle.”
We are all so proud of Nathan and completing that course in under 24 hours is really something special! It was also great to see how Nathan and Matt have supported each other over the past two weekends – team work!
