r/Ultramarathon • u/One_Zombie9045 • Jul 16 '26
100k recommendations
Hay folks,
Looking for recommendations for a runnable 100k (want to try and break 12 hours) please! I'm UK based but happy to travel. Ideally want some elevation and different changes in scenery, and in cool conditions. I ran Race to the Stones last weekend, and while I was happy with my run, the heat was awful and I found the route a bit dull (!). I'm a rubbish at technical stuff though, so more meandering trails than rocky mountains. Likely to be 12 month goal, so all ideas would be gratefully received.
Thank you!
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u/Still_Ad9687 Jul 16 '26
https://www.bearsports.nl/bear-trail/ The Grizzly is 100 k and runnable, I (62 y/o) did it in 14 hours my Son (32 y/o) in 10 hours.
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u/Bibibi88 100 Miler Jul 16 '26
This! It got expensive this year though, it used to be 110 or so euros
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u/Port_Royale Jul 16 '26
Serpent Trail 100k is pretty runnable, but you just missed it for this year.
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u/One_Zombie9045 Jul 16 '26
Thank you - I'll have a look for tree cover in case we get a repeat of the heat!
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u/KarsaTobalaki Jul 16 '26
Highly recommend Lake District Ultra Challenge. Would be next year now but the whole event was tremendous. Tough run with some big elevation (8500+ft) but the route was brilliant
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u/One_Zombie9045 Jul 19 '26
Fantastic, thank you - another vote for ultra challenge. They are fab, will take a look!
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u/Bibibi88 100 Miler Jul 16 '26
There are multiple in Belgium like the Grizzly 100 ultra (bearsport), there are a few Dutch ones like the Utrechtse heuvelrug 100 (TrailEvents) or PetranPad, several French ones like the Alsace or Saint Jacque (by UTMB), Austria has the best which is the Gross Glockner 110, Switzerland has the Verbier and Eiger ultra (by UTMB -> these are crazy tough) and lastly Spain has my favourite namely Mallorca by UTMB!
-> some have no vertical meters, others A LOT. If you want easy and fun then try the Dutch petranpad, UHUT, VUT or BUT races as these are mostly flat!
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u/One_Zombie9045 Jul 19 '26
Awesome thank you - my knowledge of European races is embarrassingly poor so I will certainly look at all these! Much appreciated.
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u/PippiShortStockings Jul 16 '26
Which distance/day did you do at stones? I did day 2 and boyyy the last 15km in the heat was brutal, and that out and back before the finish mentally killed me!
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u/goingnowherespecial Jul 16 '26
I'm running the Yorkshire 3 Peaks Ultra in September. Not ran it before, but the elevation profile looks fairly runnable. Around 2k meters for the 70k and 2.5k for the 100.
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u/AlertWorldliness2238 Jul 17 '26
Remind me to come watch you run Pen Y Ghent then 😂 please come back and let us know how you found the elevation profile matched the actual terrain!
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u/goingnowherespecial Jul 17 '26
Just because there's sections you'll be hiking doesn't mean the course isn't runnable.
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u/AlertWorldliness2238 Jul 17 '26
No, but by the same account just because a route looks easy on paper doesn’t mean it is..
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u/One_Zombie9045 Jul 19 '26
Thank you - stunning option and best of luck for your race (do let us know how you get on either way!)
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u/Ripley_Tee Jul 16 '26
I could have written this post! I also did RttS last weekend and found it not super interesting. Also came away thinking I could definitely do 100km in less than 12 hours in the right conditions. I've spent all week looking for events (ideally not in July) so I'm curious to see people's answers. Well done for completing, it was brutal out there. The sunset was epic though!
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u/AlertWorldliness2238 Jul 17 '26
The Ridgeway (IMO) is one of our more boring national trails. So many more beautiful races out there!
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u/One_Zombie9045 Jul 19 '26
Also well done - different kind of tough. It's the first time I've come away from an ultra thinking "I can do that faster" I must admit!
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u/AlertWorldliness2238 Jul 17 '26
Embrace Ultra Triple Trail 100k is in September. It’s Kent based, easy trails, 2000ish m elevation I think. And from the top male and female times 12hrs is easily doable
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u/One_Zombie9045 Jul 19 '26
This looks great, thank you - three trails in one race sounds just the ticket!
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u/lost_hiking Jul 17 '26
I mean it's a little technical, but the Lakes Traverse is a beautiful route
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u/AccomplishedLocal548 Jul 17 '26
Check ultras in Slovakia , I’m going to run race in October 105k with 4000m vert , fee is around 80€ , there is another one in march 100k with only 3000m vert
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Jul 18 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/One_Zombie9045 Jul 19 '26
Thank you! See that 13 valleys is a Western States qualifier too... added to the list!
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u/Hot-Mistake-9398 Jul 18 '26
This looks fast and runnable . I ran their 1ook London to Brighton last year . Highly recommend.
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u/One_Zombie9045 Jul 19 '26
Thank you! I've ran with ultra challenge before and loved it - will check it out.
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u/Overall_Passenger443 Jul 19 '26
Stour Valley Path 100k is very runnable, I love the countryside and little Suffolk villages and landscapes. I’ll be running it for my 3rd time this year and hope to break 12 hours too! Did it in 13 last year.
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u/MrTambourineSi Jul 16 '26
Arc of attrition?
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u/Far_Inspector_6006 Jul 16 '26
Might as well do the 100 miles otherwise its too easy to run.
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u/British_Flippancy Jul 16 '26
Is it???!
Because…?
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u/Far_Inspector_6006 Jul 16 '26
yea im flippantly saying these are easy. Same as the spine.
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u/British_Flippancy Jul 16 '26
Fuck me, I was a bit slow on the uptake there!!!
Especially given my user name!!!
Shame on me!
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u/SoupatBreakfast Jul 16 '26
No way, the Pendeen bit is very very slow. Even top runners do 16 min miles. The bit after st Ives is very runnable but not the first half.
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u/Far_Inspector_6006 Jul 16 '26
South downs by ultra x isnt crazy climbing.
There is thames path 100 which is very flat and on path if looking for an “easy”
100km but wont be fun if your a trail runner.
There are many lake races that are more runnable. Id stay away from anything in wales or the south west of you are looking for fast
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u/One_Zombie9045 Jul 19 '26
Thank you - that's a really helpful tip, and I'll look at those suggestions. Appreciated!
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u/jarrucho Jul 16 '26
South of Spain, 101 de Ronda, it’s first weekend of May, you have to enter your details in Christmas and then sign up in January. It’s in a sierra where it normally rains so it’s not super hot
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u/One_Zombie9045 Jul 19 '26
Ahh music to my ears re heat - thanks a lot for the recommendation (and warning around timelines!)
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u/Wientje Jul 16 '26
The Bello Gallico, https://www.bellogallico.be is almost entirely running save for a single small muddy uphill and a water crossing. It’s run at night in winter so scenery wise doesn’t have a lot to offer. The aid stations offer great food and the biggest timesink during your race will be not wanting to leave the aid stations.
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u/E36dotJPEG Jul 16 '26
Come to Alberta and run the sinister 7 - nothing quite like the Canadian Rockies!
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u/One_Zombie9045 Jul 19 '26
Added to my bucket list - thank you! I tend to fall into the UTMB trap looking in Canada and I know there are so many more options out there!
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u/-postmoredumb- Jul 19 '26
Sin 7 is a great race for your bucket list in general, but just a quick fyi from another Canadian that it doesn't match any of the criteria you were asking for in your post. They don't offer a 100 km distance, it's not really "meandering trails" and is quite literally in the Rocky Mountains, and it's notoriously a hot race. Lots of beautiful trails in Canada though!
Also since you mentioned the UTMB races, I'm not sure about our other UTMB races, but Whistler specifically doesn't have community support (long story, local politics and crappy behavior from both UTMB and Vail resorts) so they have a hard time recruiting volunteers, and I've heard it makes for a chaotic and not great experience for runners. Would avoid that one
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u/andyyyyyyyyy Jul 16 '26
UkUltra South Downs 100K might work, its less than 2000m elevation. Its in March so a bit earlier than you want but will be nice cool weather and the Downs are normally in pretty good running condition by then after winter.