The South Downs Way Relay is a 100 mile race along the South Downs Way, east to west, from Beachy Head to Chilcomb just outside Winchester.  18 stages, teams of 6 runners and a driver/team manager getting runners to the right place on time for the baton change over.

After a postponed start to the race, from its traditional date of the 1st Saturday in June to the last one (28th), Liss put in a strong show.

The chaos of the postponement gave Liss the opportunity to put in a 3rd team for the event - mens, womans and mixed.  But last minute injuries also saw a reshuffle of runners, with some given just a weeks notice to prepare.

The start of the race saw high winds and low visibility with a sea fret enveloping the tops of the Downs.  The first 2 miles of the race runs along the edge of the Seven Sisters cliffs.  Conditions meant that racing was suspended with all the runners sticking together for safety. Once down to the Birling Gap, the racing began in earnest.  It was the runners equivalent of a rolling start in F1.

But the weather soon cleared and the rest of the day was spend in hot, sunny and humid conditions.  Great for spectators but very challenging for racing.

Teams are set off with starting times according to their predicted finishing times - the target is for teams to arrive at Chilcomb by 8pm.  For the Lissers this meant:

   Mixed - 6am start, predicted time 14 hours

   Ladies - 6:30am start, predicted time 13 hours, 30 minutes

   Mens - 7:30am start, predicted time 12 hours, 30 minutes

As well as racing with the other 35 teams, there was inter-club competition to be the first Liss team to reach the end.  And it went right down to the wire, with the men just catching the mixed team on the final leg and only 2 miles from the finish line.  

Congratulations to all the runners for putting in a great performance in challenging conditions.  But special mention to the team drivers and managers, and to the Lissers who marshalled the change over on leg 15/16 at the Sustainability Centre.

A big thank you too to both Amesbury and Bohunt schools for lending us their minibuses.

Representing Liss were:

Mens 12 hours 15 minutes

Steve Armstrong, Tom Bennie, Andy Brown, Paul Stokoe, Ben Sykes and Joe Sykes, driven by James Yeardley, managed by Stuie Lavalette.

Ladies 13 hours and 43 minutes

Cari Brown, Alex Coomber, Sandra Hunter, Kate Parker, Gemma Sills and Anna Wemyss, driven and managed by Laura Armstrong.

Mixed 13 hours 46 minutes

Dave Brown, Aido Albury, Ed Rolls, Paul Turner, Rosie Watkins and James White, driven by Robin Greenfield, managed by Catherine Seager.

It was, as always, a fantastic event with the smiles and happiness at the end more than drowning out the pain and discomfort from a hard day's racing.