Read all about the event in the Event Reports now available.

2023 marks the 50th edition of the LDWA’s annual 100 mile challenge, and the first time that it has visited the Midlands - called the Elephant, Bear and Bull 100 after the traditional symbols of Coventry, Warwickshire and Birmingham, through which the route passes.

The event will take place over the Bank Holiday weekend 27th-29th May 2023, with HQ at Birmingham Moseley RFC, Yardley Wood Road, Birmingham B13 0PT.
The main start time will be 10.00am on Saturday, with later starts for runners and fast walkers; the cut-off time for finishing the event is 10.00am on Monday. The marshals’ walk (open only to those volunteering on the main event) will be held on the weekend of 29th April – 1st May.

Route

Stratford-upon-Avon canal

The route combines urban and rural walking: following an anticlockwise direction from Moseley, the first section is along the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal, then the River Rea, before heading out of the city to Frankley. While our area may offer less ascent than many previous 100 routes, we do have the Waseley and Lickey Hills, which are traversed before descending to Alvechurch. Entrants will pass through the countryside of north Worcestershire, then cross into Warwickshire, reaching the ancient Forest of Arden with the towns of Tanworth and Henley. Rejoining the Stratford Canal, then following the River Alne, takes us into Shakespeare country: first Wilmcote, the childhood home of the playwright’s mother Mary Arden, then Stratford itself with its numerous sites associated with his life.

Kenilworth Castle

Entrants head north from Stratford across the Welcombe Hills, in what for most will be the first night stretch. The following section is through farmland to Warwick, passing the castle and other historic sites in the town. The next castle is at Kenilworth – the second medieval stronghold in the county, which was held by the opposite side to Warwick in most of the major wars of the era – and is followed by the breakfast stop. On the second day we pass through nature reserves and the city’s showpiece War Memorial Park to reach the centre of Coventry, with a history stretching from the Middle Ages to the Blitz and subsequent reconstruction. A further chain of parks takes us out of the city to the northwest, then across fields to Meriden, traditionally held to mark the centre of England.

Slower entrants will be heading into the second night as they continue from Meriden to Berkswell and Barston, then join the Grand Union Canal. The towpath takes us back into Birmingham, before a final section along the River Cole and Chinn Brook completes the return to HQ and a warm welcome for finishers.

Birmingham Clean Air Zone

Please be aware that Birmingham now operates a system similar to the London congestion charge, whereby any vehicle not meeting the low emissions requirement incurs a fee. You can check here whether your vehicle is liable for the charge.

Neither event HQ nor any of the checkpoints, and no part of any road route between them, lies within the zone, but entrants and marshals driving from the north or west should be aware of it as it may affect their routes to and from the event. The zone comprises the entire area within the Birmingham ring road (A4540), but does not include the ring road itself.

We welcome new entrants, but if you enter running/walking challenges held by other organisations and are not familiar with the LDWA, you may find certain differences between our events and those which you’re used to. Check out the FAQ page to find answers to questions you may have.

Organisation

Please note that although the event is taking place in the area covered by the Heart of England local group, it is not being organised by the Heart of England committee.

The event committee is comprised of individuals from different local groups, united by the common desire to showcase the best walking the West Midlands has to offer:

• Chief organiser – Michael Jones email: ebb100eventorganiser@ldwa.org.uk
• Treasurer – Shirley Hume email: ebb100treasurer@ldwa.org.uk
• Route – Anne Wade email: ebb100route@ldwa.org.uk
• HQ and Checkpoints – David Hood and Mary Dyche email: ebb100checkpoints@ldwa.org.uk
• Control desk and communications – David Hood email: ebb100controldesk@ldwa.org.uk
• Catering HQ – Dave Powell email: ebb100catering@ldwa.org.uk
• Catering HQ Deputy - Lesley Bellis
• Catering Checkpoints - Jane Guest email: ebb100catering@ldwa.org.uk
• Transport – Madeleine Watson and Rupert Connolly email: ebb100transport@ldwa.org.uk
• Entries – Madeleine Watson email: ebb100entries@gmail.com
• Volunteering (main event) - David Hood email: ebb100eventvolunteers@ldwa.org.uk
• Volunteering (marshals' walk) - Shirley Hume
• Committee member - Sue England
• Website Administrator – Roger Ladbury

For specific enquiries please contact the relevant committee member.
For general enquiries regarding the event please contact 2023hundred@ldwa.org.uk

Important notes

Qualifying

To enter this event you must be an LDWA member (both at the date of entering and the date of the event). If you are not already a member, you can join here.
Entrants must also complete a qualifying event. Visit our Qualifying Events page for the list of eligible qualifiers.

Recceing

If you intend to do any recceing of the general area of the event please keep to paths which are clearly well-used and well-maintained. Certain sections of our planned route are currently difficult to negotiate due to maintenance issues, and we are working with local councils to resolve these before the event.

Perhaps we should let the last word go to a contributor to a discussion on Runner’s World…

“On LDWA events I get overtaken by old blokes in sensible trousers. Then there’s cake.
Recommended.”