David Stuart 2026

Name: Dave Stuart

Occupation: Actuary

Home Town: Woldingham (near mile 40 of the North Downs Way)

Questions

What is your running background?

I’ve run most of the last 30 years from a teenager through university and ever since. Never particularly fast but consistent

When did you first start running Ultra marathons and why?

I had a triathlon phase culminating in finishing an Iron distance triathlon but realised I was rubbish at swimming and cycling so kept the long distance effort but switched to purely running

When or where (at which events) are we most likely to see you?

I usually run at least one Centurion race a year but the others are a real mix – anything from canals to mountains, loops or point to points.

What are your personal key running achievements to date?

Longevity is my main achievement these days. I’ve managed to run at least one race of 100 miles or longer every year since 2015 (12 year streak)

What Races do you have planned up to Spartathlon? Centurion South Downs Way 100 and the Essex Way Ultra 82 (a great smaller race which starts at Epping tube station at 9pm on a Friday night and finishes in Harwich Saturday afternoon)

What was your hardest experience?

It is still my 2017 DNF at Lon Las. I dropped after 100 miles of the 253 miles in some of the worst weather I’ve been outside in.

What is your typical race strategy for an ultra?

I have a rough idea of pace and nutrition but “winging it” is probably a reasonable description

What does a typical training week look like?

I normally run about an hour a day most days with a longer run of maybe 2 hours on Saturday or Sunday. Averaging about 40 miles a week – mainly on the trails of the North Downs

What one tip would you pass onto people running an Ultra marathon for the first time?

Break the race up into manageable chunks rather than focusing on the full distance to go

Tell us one interesting fact about you?

I won an episode of the Channel 4 quiz show 15-to-1

Have you taken part in the Spartathlon before?

Yes

How did you get on?

Two time finisher. Both years it was relatively mild and I finished just inside cutoffs

What tip would you pass on to those taking part for the first time?

Don’t worry to much about the cutoffs. The main ones to worry about the big aid stations with the timing points. I keep an eye on where I am at 20k /42k /80k/160k but don’t worry too much about the others. It’s impossible to read everything on the aid station information boards

What are you looking forward to at the Spartathlon race?

Crossing the Corinth Canal

What are you not looking forward to during the Spartathlon race?

The bit between 30 and 40 miles where you’ve been running for hours in the heat but still have well over 100 miles to go