The Race to the King Ultra by Threshold Race Series has undergone several changes over the years, but the Royal connection remains. The course uses part of The Monarch's Way, a long-distance footpath that followed King Charles II's escape route after the Battle of Worcester in 1651. The 625-mile path from Worcester ends at Shoreham-by-Sea in West Sussex, where the defeated monarch fled to France.

On Saturday, 21 June 2025, the Summer Solstice was celebrated by 1,073 competitors in the three options available at the Race to the King Ultra trail race from West Dean Botanical Gardens, nestled at the foot of the South Downs, six miles north of Chichester.

Participants could opt for the Coastal 50K – a fairly flat and 'runnable' introduction to ultra racing – with spectacular views around Chichester Harbour, passing through the ancient fishing village of Bosham, before gently climbing back onto the South Downs. This loop is measured at 49.8K with 461m of elevation gain.

The Castle 50K at Race to the King is the ideal ‘next step’ on the ultra journey. Following an undulating course along the South Downs Way, the route passes Arundel Castle before returning to West Dean via the Monarch’s Way, with spectacular views of the Weald to the North and the coastline to the South. This alternative covers 52.9K and 1,043m of climbing.

The Coastal and Castle loops are stitched together for the ultimate test of Race to the King. The combined route is 103K, with more than 1,500m elevation. Passing the start and finish at West Dean gives competitors access to their bag drop and supporters at the halfway point. The temperature ranged from 17 to 27°C during the event on the hottest day of the year to date, so a good hydration strategy was vital.

The top three men in the full Race to the King 100K (pictured below) were Sergio Torija (9:45:47), Robert Burbridge (10:10:21), and M40 Andy Quicke (10:41:28). Sub-six minutes per kilometre pace for around 10 hours on the hottest day of the year so far – unreal!

Linda Goodchild (10:43:50) was fourth overall to win the women's race from W40 Sophie Carter (12:01:27) and Phoebe Miles (12:04:39). There were 233 finishers in the non-stop event.

The Coastal 50K winners were Danny Mackney (3:36:43) and W40 Kyra Wilder (4:56:58). The leaders in the Castle 50K were M40 Dean Harrison (4:53:37) and Katie Heron (5:22:58).

Full race information is available at the Threshold Trail Series here. 

Full results can be studied via the runABC South race listing here.

Photos courtesy of Threshold Trail Series on Facebook