Thames Path 100 2024 - A Hard BUT Essential Lesson | 100 Mile Ultramarathon | Centurion Running

In May 2024, I attempted the Thames Path 100 for a third time. Yes, a third time…

This is a 100 mile ultramarathon hosted by Centurion Running which takes runners from Richmond in Southwest London all the way along the River Thames to arrive at Oxford. The course stays on the Thames Path national trail for 99% of its duration and it’s 75% trail and 25% road.

I have a long and complicated history with the Thames Path 100.
I first attempted it in May 2022 and dropped out at mile 74 due to a lack of fitness and experience.

My second attempt, in 2023, I was the fittest I’d ever been and started the race having ran a sub-3 hour marathon 3 weeks before. Despite my fitness and promising chances, I set off way too quickly and burnt out fast. It also didn’t help that I only consumed energy gels… Needless to say, I was in a bad way come mile 84 at which point I dropped out.

To date, the Thames Path 100 is the only race that I’ve ever had to DNF (did not finish) in. I’ve completed over 120 parkruns, 30 half-marathons, 6 marathons, and over 10 over ultramarathons, and this is the only race I can’t seem to beat.

What makes it more frustrating is how I’ve completed the North Downs Way 100 (another Centurion 100 mile race) which, on paper, is objectively harder than the Thames Path given it features 10,000 feet of elevation gain in the hot month of August compared to the modest 1,900 feet of the Thames Path which is held in May.

Even though I’ve failed this race in the past, numerous times, I’ve always stayed positive and took learning from the DNFs. Learning about myself as a person and as an athlete makes the failures an incredibly valuable experience, and I think that failures can be valuable in certain situations.

I entered the Thames Path 100 2024 back in 2023, shortly after my 2023 failure at the race. I was feeling good and excited to take on the race once more and to apply the learning I’d gained from previous failures. However, I was experiencing a range of personal issues and my training was not ideal at all for such a huge race as the Thames Path 100. I was very shortly about to find out that a 100 miler deserves absolute respect and it needs complete dedication to preparation.

Join me in this video for what, at the time, felt like my worst race ever but with the benefit of hindsight, I feel like it taught me some valuable lessons. Hopefully it can help others who may find themselves in a similiar situation.

Thanks for watching and I wish you the best in your running :)

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Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction
01:23 - Thames Path 100 2024
07:34 - What did I learn?
10:56 - A shout out to my brother
11:29 - Outro