I’ve dusted off my previous page at https://www.julianwhite.uk/ldwa-100/ all about the LDWA 100 to bring it up to date for 2026.
This interview is with Helen Strong who has been closely involved with the organisation of this 100 and she’s also on the NEC. She mentions hallucinations and that the hills on this event are brutal, although I personally think all hills are brutal but I might have mentioned that….
Q. Could you briefly introduce yourself and say how you came to be involved with long-distance walking, along with how many LDWA 100s have you entered?
A. My name is Helen and I am currently General Secretary of the LDWA and am also a committee member for the Kent Group.
I got involved in long distance walking in the early 2000s. I wanted to get fit after my second child and joined a local power walking group. I completed my first Moonwalk in 2003 and completed two others after that. In that group was someone called Susan Cannell, she walked with the London group and she encouraged me to do the UK Three Peaks Challenge and the Beachy Head Marathon. I was also a bit of a runner, but a recurring injury in 2016 meant I needed to stop running for 12 weeks. I wanted to keep fit, go back to walking long distances and asked Susan who she walked with. She put me in touch with someone from the London group and I joined their walk. I loved it from day one. I have entered and completed five 100s now.
Q. As someone from the Kent group, what does it mean to have this year’s LDWA 100 taking place on home territory?
A. Well, although the event is in Kent, it isn’t a Kent group 100, and we actually spend a fair amount of time in Sussex too. What it means for me is that I have been able to recce the route – and actually this has been invaluable. It is rather a complex route and I was particularly glad I had recced the Ashdown Forest sections – they are not easy to navigate in the dark! The other benefit was knowing how tough the last 30 miles are and preserving some energy for that.
Q. You were entries secretary for the event. What has that involved, and has it changed how you look at the 100 from the organiser’s side?
A. As Entries Secretary I have been busy for a whole year. I started by constructing a database for all the qualifying events and then working on the SiE pages. I have been involved in my partner David’s challenge event, so know my way around SiE, but there’s much more to consider with a 100. The team at SiE are very responsive and helpful in answering questions. When entries opened, it is my job to check the qualifiers, and have had a constant stream of questions from participants. I have had to deal with cancellations and the waiting list, but everyone on there was offered a place. As the weekend of the event gets nearer, there’s a lot of admin to do, sorting the entrant list, ordering the tally cards, trackers and writing the joining instructions. I’m leading the Registration Team too – so I have been communicating with the volunteers for that.
I’ve also been involved in committee meetings and general discussions on pretty much everything to do with this event. What I have learnt being on the organiser’s side is that there are many elements that need to be perfect, but a few elements which do not. I’ve had some lovely emails which reflect the appreciation of all the time and effort as well as some frankly rude messages which are clearly from individuals who have absolutely no idea what is involved.
Q. You completed the marshals’ event, but had to walk through a second night. What was going through your mind during that second night, and how did you keep yourself moving?
A. Nobody likes going through a second night. On the Flower of Suffolk 100 we came in at 01:00, this year it was gone 07:00! We walked a steady slower pace from the 50 mile stage at Horsted Keynes.
Going through the second night you just get more tired and I had a funny hallucination which involved me thinking a cut tree trunk was someone’s rucksack. What kept me going was the knowledge that we were going to finish but accepting it would be daylight.
Q. Having walked the route yourself, what parts do you think entrants will particularly enjoy?
A. The start is particularly nice. I happened to have a social walk which takes in some of the first five miles. I love walking through the Silverhand Estate and as I only live a couple of miles down the road from CP1, it’s very much home territory for me.
Q. What do you think entrants should know about the Kent landscape before they arrive, especially if they are expecting it all to be gentle and civilised?
A. It’s hilly – both slow climbs and steep ones. I can see the North Downs from the back of my house. When people on the 100 think they are going up the North Downs – after Ide Hill – it’s actually the Greensand Ridge they are skirting, that’s before the route goes up and down the North Downs several times. Brutal.
Q. Food is an important part of the event, what kept you going on the marshals’ event, and what food do you most look forwards to seeing at a checkpoint?
A. Food is critical – what kept me going was a good stash of my own sweet snacks which I needed to eat between CPs. At the CPs I had mostly savoury food. I missed the fish finger sandwich this year, and generally the food was poor. I don’t like tea or coffee on the 100 but have developed a penchant for full fat coke which I never drink any other time.
Q. How important is the support from volunteers, marshals and checkpoint teams when people are getting tired, hungry or a little bit existential?
A. The support from the volunteers is fantastic. I like it when we chat with Brian Layton about everything LDWA. When people offer food and then run off to fill your order while someone else offers to refill your water.
Q. If you could give one piece of practical advice to someone heading into their first LDWA 100, what would it be?
A. Take it easy – you have 48 hours to finish and so they should concentrate on finishing, not getting a good time. Especially on this route.
Q. Finally, after being involved with the event so closely, what are you most looking forward to when the 100 weekend itself arrives? Seeing the main crowd depart at 10am, then 12 & 2pm starters.
A. As I am responsible for the Registration Team, I hope that goes smoothly. I’m also looking forward to visiting all the CPs – but this time, by car.