There is no stopping 14-time IRONMAN champion Lucy Gossage as she continues to star in a new field, the brutal world of ultrarunning.
The swim/bike/run star, cancer doctor and tireless charity campaigner has been absolutely spectacular since she decided to go even longer in her quest for a sporting endurance kick.
The highlight so far was a sensational victory in the absolutely brutal 268-mile Montane Winter Spine Race in January, but she continues to set new standards.
Her latest epic exploit came in the 2025 South Downs Way 100 – the 100 mile non-stop foot race taking in the entire South Downs Way National Trail. It is also part of the GranCanaria World Trail Majors Series.
Gossage sets a new standard
Lucy took the tape in a time of 16:30:35 after an epic battle with Julia Davis – smashing the previous women’s course record of 16:49:57 set by Bethan Male back in 2022.
It was not an easy victory for Gossage – as her fantastic updates via her Instagram account illustrate. She also had invaluable support from crew Tom Vickery, and some much-needed energy thanks to Calippo and Pringles at around mile 70!
As she reflected on another amazing performance, Lucy wrote: “Centurion South Downs Way 100. 🥇and a course record. A race I’ll remember for a while!
“The night before I dreamt that I was racing an Ironman and stopped half way round because I got tired and I didn’t want to push. In the dream my friend Tom (who was my real life 5* crew for this race) looked at me and said ‘Goss, you’ve changed’. Yesterday, I learnt I really haven’t.
“My first 100 was a ‘can I do it?’ prep for the first Spine. My second was a ‘put something in the diary’ coping strategy for everything that happened last year. My third, this one, was partly to make me stop digging a hole of adventures and rest, was partly to see what a ‘runnable’ 100 feels like, and partly because, once I’d entered, I realised I was up for a race! And race I did.”
Epic course and epic battle
Lucy spoke about the sheer challenge the course presented, and also that incredible head-to-head battle with Julia.
“100 miles, 3800m elevation and 16.5 hours of neck and neck racing. Julia Davis and I ran together, then yo-yo-ed but I don’t think were ever more than a few minutes apart until the elastic stretched at the end.
“Never in a million years did I think I would enjoy racing head to head for 100 miles – they’re hard enough to survive, let alone race- but I honestly loved it.
“Yesterday took me back to Ironman days in more ways than one. The tactical nuances of pacing under pressure; balancing bravery against stupidity; trusting your gut (and fuelling it!); and a lot of self talk and belief when it got tough.
“I’m genuinely surprised I enjoyed the racing aspect so much. I thought those days were done for me. Yesterday reminded me how lucky I am to have the triathlon career I did, but it also emphasised what an utter privilege it is to have a body and mind that allows me to dip back into sport at a high level, without sacrificing everything else in life to do that . Completely bonkers.”
