Westcountry Ultra 100 Miler
Saturday 8th - Sunday 9th May 2027
7am start
In a nutshell
The 100 Miler combines the routes of the Flat 50 and Hilly 50 into one absolutely unforgettable running experience. In terms of how tough this 100 is compared to others in the UK, the most challenging thing about it is the fact that the first half has only around a quarter of the elevation of the second. You have a generous 32 hour cut-off and if you can keep moving forward this is pretty achievable. The route showcases so many highlights of Somerset that you won’t believe it’s just one race!
COURSE RECORDS
Male: DANNY HAWKINS – 18:23:40 (2019)
Female: PAULA JONES – 24:18:56 (2017)
Westcountry Ultra 100 Miler is the only 100 we organise, and we put a huge amount of effort into it each year to make it an unforgettable experience. Not that we’d need to try too hard with this route – from the early miles on the Taunton to Bridgwater canal path, to the stunning wilderness of the latter stages and everything in between, this is likely one of the most varied 100s you will find in the UK. The route contains (amongst many other highlights) the UK’s smallest parish church, the UK’s largest nuclear power station, two different areas of outstanding natural beauty, world famous limestone formations, Somerset’s highest ‘mountain’, some of the tallest sea cliffs in the UK, an official ‘dark skies’ reserve with a blanket of stars on a clear night…. It might be easier to list what it doesn’t include in a way!
For the first time in 2025 we are introducing tracking for this race as an extra bit of safety for runners. You’ll be out there a long time, so it’ll hopefully be reassurance all round if we know where you are on the route. There are 13 aid stations, a number of which are manned by volunteers who have been on that aid station a few years running, so you will be superbly looked after. The overnight aid stations are likely to have some form of hot food – in 2024 there was soup at one, roast potatoes at another and pizza at a third. What there will be in 2025 is TBC but rest assured you shouldn’t get bored of the aid station fare.
The female course record for this race has stood since 2017 and the male record since 2019 so we’d love to see these challenged in 2025. For anyone thought it’s a huge accomplishment to complete this one within the cut-off. It is more achievable than it may seem – you have 32 hours to finish it, so as long as your pacing and fuelling strategies are on point and you have a bit of luck it’s definitely doable.
For detailed descriptions of the two halves of the route see the Flat 50 and Hilly 50 pages.
CUT-OFF TIME
32 hours
NUMBER OF AID STATIONS
13 – please note that this is a cupless rate so you will need a bottle or two for water and a cup for coke if you want it (All aid stations have water, coke, squash, sandwiches, crisps, fruit, nuts, sweets and a range of other sweet & savoury snacks.)
COURSE MARKINGS
There are a number of sections of this route that are very easy to follow and don’t require additional markings – these include the Taunton to Bridgwater canal path, the River Parrett Trail, the England Coast Path and the South-West Coast Path. Other sections are less obvious and will be marked with red & white tape plus some arrow signs (black arrow on a yellow background.) There is an excellent gpx file, which will be sent out with the race info. If you would like a copy of this to recce the route before the race please email [email protected] .
MEDICAL SUPPORT
Professional medics will cover this race – details of who to contact if you require medical support during the race etc. will be provided in the race info, which is sent out a few weeks before the event. As always, if you have a medical emergency and are not in the immediate vicinity of the medics the best thing to do is to call 999.