Natalie Taylor was first female and second place overall in this weekend’s UK Ultra South Downs 100k race. Her win comes just over a week since she took second place in the women’s race at the Ultra-Trail Snowdonia by UTMB 100 mile race.
Earlier this year, Natalie, 40, was the overall winner of the Winter on the Downs 100 mile race and in April set a new women’s record at the Chester Ultra 100.
Silver at Ultra-Trail Snowdonia by UTMB 100 mile race
Nat, an Army GP, was second female in the Ultra-Trail Snowdonia 100 mile race on the weekend of May 16 to 18. First female was Paulina Krawczak, of Poland, in a time of 28 hours, 13 minutes and 11 seconds.
Nat’s finish time was 29:10:43. The men’s winner was Ethan Peters, of Canada, in 23:59:20.
Nat decided to take part in the race because she enjoys running in the mountains. She lives in Wales and she is familiar with many of the peaks in this event. She said: “I chose this race because it looked like a great route, linking together lots of mountains that I know but in ways that I don’t know.
“It was a great adventure with 9500m of elevation over the 100 miles and plenty of ups and downs, which really suits me.
“The race is also a UTMB qualifier and my podium place means I will automatically gain a place for next year’s UTMB in Chamonix.”
Nat revealed that while the race is a marked course, there were sections that required route finding or knowledge of the course. She said: “At times, I had to use my watch to find my way and the first placed female said she got a bit lost in the later stage of the race, but this can also happen when you are tired.
“I did the race unsupported – without a crew – and I was relying on the aid stations for food. The volunteers were lovely and helpful but the food wasn’t that varied. If you plan to do this race, you might want to take note of this so you can be prepared with your own back-up food
“The course was beautiful, though, and it was a lovely warm and dry weekend, so I really enjoyed it.
“The best part for me was the night-time when the temperature dropped and we were treated to a stunning blood moon and then an amazing sunrise.”
Heading towards the finish line, Nat was very happy to meet lots of other runners. She said: “I’d run a lot of the race on my own but towards the end, I started to catch up with people in the 50k race. It’s a great motivator to see other people and also it helped with pushing me to the finish line.
“I loved the atmosphere of this race. Everyone was so friendly and we all cheered each other on.
“Whether you were at the front of the race or further back, everyone had their own adventure and people were very supportive of each other. This is what I love about the ultra running community.”
Nat wins UK Ultra South Downs 100k race
Just over a week later, Nat raced the UK Ultra South Downs 100k race. It’s a linear trail race from Arundel to Eastbourne. She finished first female in a time of 10: 10:36 and came second overall behind Hamdan Alkhatri in 9:29:09.
Nat said: “I recover well after races and I thought it would be good to see how fast I can run a 100k race. It was a lovely marked course with great aid stations and lots of good energy and vibes.
“The course was wetter than the week before because of rain and it was slippery in places. There was also a welcome tailwind, although, at times, it became a headwind, too.
“Compared to the previous weekend when I was in the mountains, the South Downs route is much more runnable and on rolling hills.”
While Nat ran some sections with a few male competitors, for most of the race she was on her own. She said: “Again, like the previous race, I really liked the final stage of the race when I caught up with people in other shorter races. The finish area had a great atmosphere.”
Nat added: “I was really happy with my race and the win. UK Ultra organise great races.”