I'd agree with Armorel - the most important thing is footwear. There have been endless discussions on here about the relative merits of trainers vs walking boots, but it really comes down to personal preference - find out what works for you and stick with it.

Although obviously you can't guarantee the weather, it would be useful to do some training when there's likely to be heavy rain and/or high winds - either of those is very possible in September, and if you're not already used to walking in such conditions you could end up feeling pretty miserable. It also gives you a chance to test your kit; I had a nasty experience on a 100 miler when I found that my coat wasn't as waterproof as I thought it was, and I walked 30 miles soaked to the skin before eventually dropping out. Same applies for walking at night - it's better to be used to it.

Following on from the weather thing - make sure you've tested/practised EVERYTHING you're going to need on the event beforehand, clothing and kit. A 100k is not the time or place to discover that your torch isn't bright enough to read a map by/the cord of your map case wraps itself around your neck when it gets windy etc.

Well done for trying and good luck. As I'm sure you are aware, the most important thing will be to build up your fitness and stamina gradually so that you get fit enough without over-training and wearing yourselves out. I am sure you can find training plans that might help you, even if you have to look at ones designed for runners and adapt them accordingly. I would say that the other important thing is to get your shoes, or your shoe/sock combination, right - the slightest niggle or rub over a short distance will be magnified many times over in 100k. The main thing is to have a go at some longer walks and see what sorts of issues they throw up for you (which might be anything from getting the food right to what to do if it rains incessantly).

Hi all, my friend and I in a moment of madness, have decided to try the Thames Path Challenge in September, but we want to do the100 k route, only because everyone has told us we are mad or won't do it, we start training next weekend with a 10.5 mile walk, can anyone suggest any tips or things we should or should not be doing? We are both very new to distance walking, (we have never done anything over 5 miles)
I'm sure we will make a lot of mistakes along the way, but any help would be appreciated.
thank you Julia