Over The Contours

Herbert Gatliff was one of the founding members of the Croydon YHA Group, founded in 1934. In 1984, to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary, the Gatliff 50k ultra marathon was organised. Now in its 35th year, the Gatliff 50k is still going strong. The course changes every year, but it broadly follows the same principle as it's always done; rural cross country around West Kent/East Sussex, multiple checkpoints and a time limit of ten hours. Participants can walk, jog or run...all for just a £10 entry fee. The route isn't marked, and written turn-by-turn instructions are provided on the day. Saying that, a sketch map is made available in advance and so I used this to familiarise myself with the route. Leg 1 Leg 1: Edenbridge to Toys Hill At around 8.25am I left Edenbridge Rugby Club and followed the directions out of the town, through the churchyard and into open fields. As I passed a number of other participants, I soon realised that I needed to reassess my finish time ex