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 Phoenyx Harritt and this will be their first 100 and I particularly like their comment of “I think it will be a great lesson in learning when to listen to my mind and body, and when to ignore them” which I think is very true.
Q. Could you briefly introduce yourself and say how you first became involved with long-distance walking?
A. I’m Phoenyx [they/them] 45 years old, and a fairly new member of the Essex and Herts LDWA. I started running about 16 years ago when I entered the ballot for the London Marathon, having decided if I was going to make my childhood dream a reality, I should get a headstart on the running. It turns out marathons are quite addictive,… especially trail marathons,… and ultras too… As time went on, and my PBs became ever more distant and insignificant, I realised the longer and slower the ‘run’ the more it soothed my soul, and so I found the LDWA was the perfect way to facilitate this.
Q. This is your first Hundred. What made you decide that this was the year to take one on?
A. A couple of running club friends took on the FOS 100 which was the first I had heard of these events. I was inspired. I spotted the Golden 50 event which encompassed the two counties I live on the border of, was a qualifier for the Hunnypot, and decided that sounded idyllic. The timing was perfect, and the fact my dad came from Kent is a bonus opportunity to explore somewhere I have an affinity with.
Q. How are you feeling about it now: mainly excited, slightly nervous, or a strange and probably very LDWA combination of both?
A. Definitely excited. The term ‘maranoia’; a portmanteau of marathon and paranoia, feels like it needs a counterpart for the Hundred as what I have right now is like maranoia on steroids. The dreams about missing the start, turning up in my pyjamas, and leaving my pack at HQ feel way too real right now.
Q. What has your training looked like so far, and has anything surprised you about preparing for this distance?
A. I’ve kept marathon fit since the Golden 50 in July. My hill training includes the Dorset Doddle in August and the Surrey Three Peaks as my final hike before taper. I ran trail marathons on consecutive days between Christmas and New Year, then hiked the Stansted Stagger with friends that weekend. In April I ran ‘Nodnol’; the reverse route of the London Marathon starting at midnight, then met my clubmates and supported them running the main event. I set myself a ‘staying awake’ PB of 42 hours. The thing that has surprised me is that the staying awake training has been the biggest boost to my confidence in my ability to complete the Hundred.
Q. Have you had any advice from people who have done Hundreds before, and has any of it particularly stuck with you?
A. Some of the best advice I have heard from LDWAers is to lie on the floor with feet up on a chair at checkpoints. I’ve also heard about ultra runners taking a ‘caffeine nap’ whereby you take a caffeine gel, set a timer for 10 minutes sleep, then wake up as it kicks in. These seem like useful weapons in the armoury.
Q. What are you most looking forward to about the Kent 100?
A. Playing Pooh Sticks on Pooh Bridge; the Ashdown Forest will be a highlight from a landscape point of view. Mostly I’m excited for the camaraderie of the shared achievement of completing 100 miles.
Q. Is there any part of the event that feels like the biggest unknown at the moment, whether that’s walking through the night, managing tiredness, the route, or simply reaching a distance you haven’t done before?
A. I’m intrigued as to where my mind will take me during the event, and what it feels like venturing past the 50-mile point. I think it will be a great lesson in learning when to listen to my mind and body, and when to ignore them.
Q. Food can become strangely important on a 100-mile event. What are you planning to rely on to keep yourself going, and is there anything you already know you absolutely won’t want after enough miles?
A. Caffeine. I’ll be making a beeline for Cola and avoiding anything spicy. I think I’ll see what’s on offer and what I fancy as I go along. I never knew the pure joy of bananas and custard until I had some at an LDWA event so I’m sure they’ll be some revelations at this event too.
Q. When things get difficult, what do you think will help you keep moving?
A. The impending sense of achievement mostly. I do like a mantra too. I heard something on a podcast recently which I have paraphrased into ‘tenacity over talent’. If all else fails, I’ll resort to quoting Dory from Finding Nemo ‘just keep swimming, just keep swimming…’
Q. When you imagine finishing your first Hundred, what do you think that moment might feel like?
A. It feels like pure joy, with a heart that is so full it might burst.