Jurassic Coast 100km Ultra
Dan
Today we are chatting with Anish, who recently completed the Jurassic Coast Ultra 100km down in Cornwall. Anyone who has seen photos of this event will instantly recognise the huge off-road climbs and beautiful scenery. We'll hear about his varied background in sports which I think is still evident in his 2025/early 2026 race choices - a 90km treadmill run!?
Dan
How long have you been running?
Anish Patel
First half marathon in 2019 (Southampton half) while I was at uni, was in and out of running until my first full marathon back in Southampton in Sept 2021, and then I would say I started running more consistently around 2022/2023 until now - Ive always been into sport/movement so grew up most my childhood life doing martial arts, kickboxing and boxing (some cardio and running here), gymnastics and calisthenics and I feel like I’ve transitioned those now all to ultra running which is my main goal at the moment
Dan
What do you enjoy most about running?
Anish Patel
I have a corporate 9-5 office based job so running provides me with a way to either get away from the screen outdoors or indoors on the treadmill, I think since childhood I’ve always needed some form of movement / exercise for my mental wellbeing but the biggest thing is just giving myself that time and space to self-reflect and I think it helps build resilience
Dan
Was it your first attempt at this race?
Anish Patel
It was my first attempt at the Jurassic Coast 100km full day continuous
Dan
Are there any races you did specifically in preparation for this race?
Anish Patel
I didn’t do specific races but more progressively built up confidence in the years beforehand, key highlights include: London 2 Brighton 100km ultra challenge in 2025, a 90km indoor treadmill run last year, a 60km indoor treadmill run, 100km bike cycle indoors, 10,000 steps on stair master challenge, in 2024 I ran my first ever 100km solo just around north west London area where I live by myself, and did a 7 half marathons in 7 days challenge so definitely had some stepping stones along the way - also in general I would do other activities like indoor climbing, hiking, callisthenics and general gym strength training
Dan
What do you think was the biggest positive of the race?
Anish Patel
The biggest positive of the race for me was probably the logistical setup of aid stations and staff, everyone was so super friendly and supportive and having aid stations with changing areas, hot food, sit down spots, food/snacks is so helpful! Furthermore medical staff at the end where very friendly as I spent an hour recovering in the warm tent and getting some much needed sleep! Shuttle bus driver and post race transport including baggage transfer was also a big positive so overall I would say the organisers and event logistics!
Dan
What do you think was the biggest negative of the race?
Anish Patel
I think if I’m being very harsh then towards the end probably 60-70km onwards there was much less support especially as it got dark through certain parts of the route which if you had no one to run with can feel quite lonely at times, but other than that no real big negatives really
Dan
What was a surprise moment during the race that you'll remember for a long time?
Anish Patel
A surprise moment for me was probably the pebble rock beach after 80km I think in the dark trying to trek through the rocks which just sucked all the energy out of your legs as it sunk in with each step!!
Dan
How did your feet hold up? What was your foot care/prep like, and was it sufficient? Any changes to it you'd make for next time?
Anish Patel
My feet were in pain of course, but overall held up really good! No blisters or toe issues, foot care prep just including clipping toenails and filing down, wearing the right socks which are comfortable and have extra cushioning in hotspot areas and biggest advice of them all - making sure you wear shoes that fit your foot well and are worn in
Dan
Which body part/muscle hurt the most by the end?
Anish Patel
The body part which hurt the most for me at the end was my underfoot, felt like I had picked up mild plantar fasciitis which there is nothing the aid station could really do about, taping was one option but medics mentioned it wouldn’t really help that much - but I think underfoot pain is normal and the fact I had no serious ankle or knee pain meant that was a big win and all the strength and mobility work is paying off!
Dan
What random bit advice would you give someone who wishes to run this specific race?
Anish Patel
Maybe not random but I would highly recommend hiking/running poles to help with the serious elevation at the start for the first 58km - I did not use poles at all and seriously felt it on my legs on the uphill lunges which took a lot more energy out of me than I had expected, also terrain quite unstable so make sure to train ankle and stabiliser muscles
Dan
Looking back, what part of your training was the most useful for this race in particular?
Anish Patel
I think any training I did which included elevation was very useful and time on feet so in March 2026 this year I did my first Lone Wolf south east backyard ultra (107km in 16hrs) before I DNFd and it included a short uphill on every lap so getting to know what it feels like to have heavy and fatigued legs on uphill climbs was a big mental confidence boost - on top of that a bunch of stair master at gym
Dan
What is your next goal?
Anish Patel
Next race is July 4th & 5th Endure 24 Leeds - I’ve entered this as a solo and I’m going for a 100 mile attempt in 24hrs which is my biggest race of the year!! Very excited about it and will be my 8th ultra race now, later this year I got 3 more ultra challenge ultras inc. Thames path 100km, and also the London big half
Dan
Great to chat with Anish. My takeaways from this are: 1. Trekking poles are a must. 2. If you can get out and support racers in the quieter periods then please do so - it definitely helps in those lonelier periods. 3. From Anish' experience with the Lone Wolf South we learn just how important replicating the race demands as much as possible is. Anish turned his DNF in to a learning moment which he then applied to his training before Jurassic Coast Ultra 100km. I think I can speak for all of us when I wish Anish the best of luck for Endure 24 in July. This is a race I have personally ran twice - my best being 80miles - so I am very excited to see how he gets on. If anyone has the chance of doing Endure you definitely should!