Arthur Riley and his brothers Fergus and Hamish were taking on the biggest challenge of their lives at the Arc of Attrition
If ever there was a race that lived up to its name, this was it.
The Arc 100 at the Arc of Attrition by UTMB is a long way on a good day; 104 miles of the South West Coast Path, over 20,000 feet of climb, point-to-point from Coverack to the Eco Park at Porthtowan. It’s the UK’s longest National Trail and, on paper alone, a fearsome undertaking. On this particular weekend, with Storm Ingrid tearing into the Cornish coastline, it became something else entirely.
Bournemouth AC’s Arthur Riley toed the line at 1pm alongside his brothers Hamish and Fergus, knowing there would be only four hours of daylight before nightfall swallowed the course whole. By the time the runners passed through Penzance at 39.5 miles and Land’s End at 55, the storm had already begun to reshape the race.
Arthur and Hamish prepare for the epic adventure ahead
Torrential rain and winds gusting to 50mph battered the cliffs through the night. The coast path was churned into a greasy, ankle-snatching mess, progress slowed to a cautious shuffle in places. It was indeed a real battle of attrition and the statistics back that up. Of the 630 starters, just 260 would make it to the finish.
Arthur was no stranger to tough coastal ultras. He had already shown his credentials at the Maverick Jurassic Coast 55k, finishing fourth in 2022 and 16th the following year, before stepping up to the Jurassic Coast 100k with his brothers in October 2024. But this was a different scale of challenge altogether.
The runners gather on the start-line of the Arc 100
Fuelled largely on Precision Hydration gels and chews — one every 30 minutes, around 50 in total — Arthur settled into survival mode. The aid stations, offering hot food and warmth, became welcome oases in the storm. The presence of his brothers proved invaluable. Moving together, they dragged each other onward when the elements and terrain conspired to sap morale. One of Arthur’s brothers found the going particularly hard, hitting the deck around 15 times as the path turned slick and treacherous.
Having the right kit is all important for such a long and gruelling journey
The section from 60 to 80 miles, from Land’s End to St Ives, was universally regarded as the crux of the race. Wild, rugged and relentlessly steep, it felt never-ending, the kind of terrain that demands patience rather than pace. Progress was slow, but forward motion was all that mattered.
The trails were muddy, slippery and treacherous
Just when tired legs might have hoped for mercy, the course saved one final twist: a brutally sadistic 300-foot climb in the final mile to the finish. It was an ending that neatly summed up the Arc 100 — uncompromising, unapologetic, and utterly memorable.
After 33 hours, 6 minutes and 27 seconds on the move, Arthur and his brothers crossed the line together, taking 165th, 166th and 167th places. In a race where more than half the field failed to finish, simply getting round was an achievement of the highest order. Arthur was, quite rightly, delighted.
Arthur and his brothers were happy and relived to have completed the race when many others didn’t make it
At the sharp end, the race delivered its own drama. Hugo Tibbs and Simon Withers traded places throughout before Tibbs finally broke clear to win by just 4 minutes 35 seconds in 19:10, with Samuel Skinner third in 20:14. Norwegian Anne-Sophie Pollestad was the standout female, finishing ninth overall in 22:28:24, ahead of Charlotte Fisher and Hannah Rickman.
For Arthur, though, the result that mattered was reaching Porthtowan at all. In one of the most brutal editions the Arc has ever seen, he showed resilience, teamwork and determination in spades — and added another epic chapter to an already impressive ultra-running journey.