North Downs Way 100 Ultramarathon vs Thames Path 100 Ultramarathon

Name: North Downs Way 100 Ultramarathon vs Thames Path 100 Ultramarathon comparison data
Creator: raceindex.org

North Downs Way 100 Ultramarathon or Thames Path 100 Ultramarathon — which comes out ahead?

North Downs Way 100 Ultramarathon has the stronger available profile on flat grade share, value score and scenery score.

Route comparison snapshot

North Downs Way 100 Ultramarathon

Mapped route: Held
Elevation profile: Held
course flatness: 0.4%
flat grade share: 97.3% Favoured
lower ascent: 155 m
climbing density: 0.9 m/km
net elevation: 59 m
maximum grade: 20.8%

Thames Path 100 Ultramarathon

Mapped route: Held
Elevation profile: Held
course flatness: 0.4% Favoured
flat grade share: 94.4%
lower ascent: 222 m
climbing density: 1.4 m/km
net elevation: 48 m
maximum grade: 11.9%

Head-to-head comparison
Metric	North Downs Way 100 Ultramarathon	Thames Path 100 Ultramarathon
Flat grade share	97.3% ✓	94.4%
GAP factor (% slower than flat)	0.4%	0.4% ✓
Uphill share	1.0%	2.7%
Steep-up share	0.4%	0.1%
Downhill share	1.7%	2.9%
Total ascent (m)	155 m	222 m
Climbing density (m/km)	0.9 m/km	1.4 m/km
Longest climb length (m)	39,450 m	44,380 m
Longest climb gain (m)	47 m	62 m
Longest climb average grade	0.1%	0.1%
Total descent (m)	95 m	174 m
Net elevation (m)	59 m	48 m
Max absolute grade	20.8%	11.9%
Start elevation (m)	73 m	10 m
Finish elevation (m)	133 m	58 m
Value	48/100 ✓	47/100
Scenic score	66/100 ✓	51/100
Conditions	64/100 ✓	63/100
Entry fee (GBP)	£220 ✓	£225
Lowest modelled true cost (GBP)	£350 ✓	£355

Only metrics available for at least one side are shown. A ✓ marks the better value for each metric (higher-is-better aware). Scores are out of 100 when available. Ascent, climbing density, max absolute grade and median finish describe course or field context and are not marked as better or worse.

Race facts that change the decision

Race facts comparison
Fact	North Downs Way 100 Ultramarathon	Thames Path 100 Ultramarathon
Schedule	Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-08-08 (legacy event-level date).	Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2027-05-01 (legacy event-level date).
Location	Farnham to Ashford, South East	Richmond to Oxford, South East
Actual distance	167 km	160.9 km
raceindex.org mapped route held	Held	Held
raceindex.org elevation profile held	Held	Held
Course type	Point To Point	Point To Point
Surface	Trail	Mostly trail (about 75% trail, 25% paved)
Elevation character	Hilly	Flat
Terrain	Trail, Mixed, Road	Trail, Towpath
Scenery	Countryside, Forest, Riverside, Historic	Riverside, Countryside, City, Historic
Atmosphere	Scenic Tour, Nighttime, Competitive	Scenic Tour, Destination
Technicality	Moderate	Non Technical
Total ascent	155 m	222 m
Climbing density	0.9 m/km	1.4 m/km
Total descent	95 m	174 m
Net elevation	59 m	48 m
Max absolute grade	20.8%	11.9%
Flat grade share	97.3%	94.4%
GAP factor	0.4%	0.4%
Cutoff	30:00:00	30:00:00
Field cap	250	300
Entry model	Qualifier	Qualifier
Entry fee	£220	£225
Lowest modelled true cost	£350	£355
Cost model origin	National Average	National Average

Schedule

North Downs Way 100 Ultramarathon: Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2026-08-08 (legacy event-level date).
Thames Path 100 Ultramarathon: Exact race date not confirmed. Event weekend starts 2027-05-01 (legacy event-level date).

Location

North Downs Way 100 Ultramarathon: Farnham to Ashford, South East
Thames Path 100 Ultramarathon: Richmond to Oxford, South East

Actual distance

North Downs Way 100 Ultramarathon: 167 km
Thames Path 100 Ultramarathon: 160.9 km

raceindex.org mapped route held

North Downs Way 100 Ultramarathon: Held
Thames Path 100 Ultramarathon: Held

raceindex.org elevation profile held

North Downs Way 100 Ultramarathon: Held
Thames Path 100 Ultramarathon: Held

Course type

North Downs Way 100 Ultramarathon: Point To Point
Thames Path 100 Ultramarathon: Point To Point

Surface

North Downs Way 100 Ultramarathon: Trail
Thames Path 100 Ultramarathon: Mostly trail (about 75% trail, 25% paved)

Elevation character

North Downs Way 100 Ultramarathon: Hilly
Thames Path 100 Ultramarathon: Flat

Terrain

North Downs Way 100 Ultramarathon: Trail, Mixed, Road
Thames Path 100 Ultramarathon: Trail, Towpath

Scenery

North Downs Way 100 Ultramarathon: Countryside, Forest, Riverside, Historic
Thames Path 100 Ultramarathon: Riverside, Countryside, City, Historic

Atmosphere

North Downs Way 100 Ultramarathon: Scenic Tour, Nighttime, Competitive
Thames Path 100 Ultramarathon: Scenic Tour, Destination

Technicality

North Downs Way 100 Ultramarathon: Moderate
Thames Path 100 Ultramarathon: Non Technical

Total ascent

North Downs Way 100 Ultramarathon: 155 m
Thames Path 100 Ultramarathon: 222 m

Climbing density

North Downs Way 100 Ultramarathon: 0.9 m/km
Thames Path 100 Ultramarathon: 1.4 m/km

Total descent

North Downs Way 100 Ultramarathon: 95 m
Thames Path 100 Ultramarathon: 174 m

Net elevation

North Downs Way 100 Ultramarathon: 59 m
Thames Path 100 Ultramarathon: 48 m

Max absolute grade

North Downs Way 100 Ultramarathon: 20.8%
Thames Path 100 Ultramarathon: 11.9%

Flat grade share

North Downs Way 100 Ultramarathon: 97.3%
Thames Path 100 Ultramarathon: 94.4%

GAP factor

North Downs Way 100 Ultramarathon: 0.4%
Thames Path 100 Ultramarathon: 0.4%

Cutoff

North Downs Way 100 Ultramarathon: 30:00:00
Thames Path 100 Ultramarathon: 30:00:00

Field cap

North Downs Way 100 Ultramarathon: 250
Thames Path 100 Ultramarathon: 300

Entry model

North Downs Way 100 Ultramarathon: Qualifier
Thames Path 100 Ultramarathon: Qualifier

Entry fee

North Downs Way 100 Ultramarathon: £220
Thames Path 100 Ultramarathon: £225

Lowest modelled true cost

North Downs Way 100 Ultramarathon: £350
Thames Path 100 Ultramarathon: £355

Cost model origin

North Downs Way 100 Ultramarathon: National Average
Thames Path 100 Ultramarathon: National Average

Facts are shown only when they exist in the sourced race record; Not held means no sourced value is held for that race.

Common questions

Which is flatter, North Downs Way 100 Ultramarathon or Thames Path 100 Ultramarathon?

Thames Path 100 Ultramarathon has the lower GAP factor, making it the flatter course on our route model and more favourable on gradient alone.

Read the full pages

How figures are calculated →

How we calculated this

Published facts and derived model outputs on this page are tied to stored sources or a published, version-locked methodology. We show the provenance so runners, coaches and organisers can check it. Data on this page is current as of 2026-07-25.

Derived numbers use scoring-methodology-v1.0.

Sources used on this page (4)

Layer E archive-api.open-meteo.com
Layer B src_derived
Layer A centurionrunning.com · source page changed since our last check on 2026-07-25
Layer A centurionrunning.com · last check inconclusive on 2026-07-30

Read the full methodology →

North Downs Way 100 Ultramarathon or Thames Path 100 Ultramarathon — which comes out ahead?

Route comparison snapshot

North Downs Way 100 Ultramarathon

Thames Path 100 Ultramarathon

Flat grade share

GAP factor (% slower than flat)

Uphill share

Steep-up share

Downhill share

Total ascent (m)

Climbing density (m/km)

Longest climb length (m)

Longest climb gain (m)

Longest climb average grade

Total descent (m)

Net elevation (m)

Max absolute grade

Start elevation (m)

Finish elevation (m)

Value

Scenic score

Conditions

Entry fee (GBP)

Lowest modelled true cost (GBP)

Race facts that change the decision

Schedule

Location

Actual distance

raceindex.org mapped route held

raceindex.org elevation profile held

Course type

Surface

Elevation character

Terrain

Scenery

Atmosphere

Technicality

Total ascent

Climbing density

Total descent

Net elevation

Max absolute grade

Flat grade share

GAP factor

Cutoff

Field cap

Entry model

Entry fee

Lowest modelled true cost

Cost model origin

Common questions

Which is flatter, North Downs Way 100 Ultramarathon or Thames Path 100 Ultramarathon?

Read the full pages