Ultra cutoffs and pacing: plan the whole day.

Find out exactly what each deadline means

A cutoff is a deadline imposed by the event. It might refer to arriving at a checkpoint, leaving it, starting another lap or reaching the finish. Those are different requirements. Write down the organiser’s definition beside the time before making a plan.

Collect the full timetable, not only the overall limit on the race homepage. Check the start wave, the date and whether times are given as local clock time or time elapsed since the start. A late-night checkpoint needs a date as well as an hour. “01:30” becomes less helpful when the race crosses midnight.

For example, the South Downs Way 100 participant instructions say runners leaving an aid station after its cutoff will not be official finishers. Reaching that station just before the deadline would not leave unlimited time to eat and reorganise. Read the equivalent wording for your own event.

• South Downs Way 100: cutoff and withdrawal instructions

A real timetable: the start wave matters

The published 2027 South Downs Way 100 timetable gives separate cutoff columns for two waves. These selected entries show why copying a time without its column can create a problem. They are a reading example, not the complete list of checkpoints.

• South Downs Way 100: official 2027 checkpoint timetable

Separate overall time from moving time

Overall time includes every stop. Moving time does not. If a watch pauses automatically, the pace it displays may look more comfortable than the pace needed to stay within the race timetable. Compare like with like.

For a hypothetical 50 km race with a ten-hour finish limit, the overall average is 600 minutes divided by 50 km: 12 minutes per kilometre. If you reserve an hour for stops, only nine hours remain for movement. Reserve another 30 minutes as a margin and the movement budget becomes eight hours 30 minutes.

Build a plan from checkpoint to checkpoint

Break the route into sections between useful decision points. Estimate each section from its distance, terrain and relevant experience, then add the stop at its end. Record both arrival and departure. Finally, compare the planned departure with the deadline wherever the cutoff is a departure requirement.

The fictional example below starts at 08:00. It covers 50 km, includes 40 minutes of stops and reaches the finish at 17:30. The movement times deliberately vary by section. Every checkpoint cutoff in this example is a departure deadline.

Give each stop a short list of jobs

A stopping allowance works better when you know what it includes. Write a short task list for the larger checkpoints: refill, collect a permitted bag, replace supplies, change a layer, use the toilet or check a problem with the event team. Include likely queues and the time spent finding the right place.

Keep the list readable. “Refill both bottles, take food for the next section, collect light” is easier to use than a long paragraph. Add only the tasks that belong at that location and are permitted by the event.

Do not turn the allowance into a rule that overrides necessary care. If you need help, seek it. A pace plan is there to organise a race, not to persuade you to ignore a problem because it has used more minutes than expected.

• Before arrival: know which supplies or equipment you intend to access.
• At the checkpoint: complete the necessary jobs and record the actual departure.
• Before leaving: check the next section, supplies and required equipment.
• After a delay: compare the next deadline with an honest estimate of the remaining section.

Update the plan when the day changes

Use actual checkpoint times to understand what has changed. Was the section slower than expected, or was the stop longer? Those imply different things about the next estimate. Repeatedly missing moving-time estimates suggests that the original assumptions deserve another look.

Avoid treating spare time as something you must immediately spend or protect at any cost. Conditions, navigation and your own state can change. Leave room to make a sensible decision at the next checkpoint, especially before a long or less accessible section.

If a deadline looks doubtful, speak to the event team while you are still at a place where they can help. Follow official withdrawal and transport instructions. Tell the responsible official if you stop; do not simply disappear into a car park and leave others trying to account for you.

• South Downs Way 100: cutoff and withdrawal instructions

Keep a usable copy for race day

Save a short version of the plan somewhere accessible without relying on a signal. Include support contacts, the correct wave’s deadlines and the date after midnight. Share the permitted crew instructions with anyone supporting you.

The checklist below is a final review of the planning jobs. It does not calculate whether a race is suitable for you. Print it once the assumptions are clear, and recheck the timetable if the organiser changes the course or start process.