2024 14 Peaks Ultra Race Report
Last weekend the sun was shining on the 5th edition of SkyRun Eryri®! With over 600 runners toeing the start-line across all races, it was always going to be an epic weekend (race preview HERE) but we had no idea quite how epic! Not only did the event signify the launch of the inaugural 14 Peaks Ultra, it also played host to the Skyrunning UK National Championships (Snowdon SkyRace®). And with all this weekend’s SkyRaces part of the 2024 Skyrunner® UK & Ireland Series, we have so much news to share with you in our upcoming race reports! Watch the video highlights from Saturday on YouTube below.
The first race to start on Saturday was the new 14 Peaks Ultra: a North to South traverse of the classic Welsh 3000ft peaks route (52km & 3,900m+). 150 runners caught the 6am bus to Aber Falls Distillery and by 7am were nervously assembled, ready to embark on this iconic journey. A comparatively brighter start on the coast gave way to wetter mountain weather in the first part of the day but later skies cleared to reveal uplifting afternoon sun, boosting spirits of the runners for the peaks to come. By sunset, the weather had closed back in on the remaining field and stalwart competitors had to battle cold conditions over their final few peaks.
Laura O Driscoll from Ireland navigates Crib Goch en route to victory. ©Tanya Raab.
In the women’s race, Irish athlete Laura O Driscoll established a substantial lead early on and by the time she arrived at the first aid station in Ogwen Valley mid-morning, she was already around an hour ahead. Over the Glyderau however, Dutch runner Tina Vinks began to close down that lead and by Crib Goch, Vinks was just 13 minutes behind.
Tinka Vinks all smiles on approach to Crib Goch. ©Tanya Raab.
In third position, Scottish V55 Sarah Sheridan was looking strong from the start and managed to hold off Anwen Darlington, who was chasing hard, less than 10 minutes behind her. Consistent pacing meant that all three leading ladies held their positions within the field from start to finish. They summited their 14th peak, Yr Wyddfa/Snowdon, in the late afternoon and were back to race HQ in time for tea (and medals of course!)
Female Top 3 at this year’s inaugural event. ©Hollie Harmsworth.
The leading ladies also claimed some of the age cat titles with Laura O Driscoll first F40-44 and Sarah Sheridan first F55+. Outside of the podium, Clare Page was first F45-49 and Tamsin Neale first F50-54.
A true mountain-lover’s ultra, with plenty of technical sections! ©Tanya Raab.
A competitive day of racing unfolded at the sharp end of the men’s race, with Josh Bakker-Dyos setting a blistering pace from the off, reaching the first of the Carneddau peaks in just 1h40. But as expected, Sam Mayglothling was hot on his tail and when the pair passed through the first aid station, there was only 3 minutes between them.
Josh Bakker-Dyos breaks the tape at the inaugural 14 Peaks Ultra. ©Tanya Raab.
Tense racing played out across the Glyderau as Bakker-Dyos slowly extended his lead. Meanwhile, David Searle was gaining on Mayglothling and by Glyder Fawr had squeezed ahead. But Mayglothling had his eyes on the prize and challenged hard in the climb up from Nant Peris onto Crib Goch, pushing ahead of Searle and holding firm to the finish.
David Searle en route to third place. ©Tanya Raab.
In second place overall, Sam Mayglothling was also first male Master 40-44 in 8h43. Robert Henderson was first M45-49, Dean Mitchell first M50-54 and Simon Ellis, winner of M55+. Ewan Heaney was first MU23 across the line.
Male top 3 at this year’s inaugural event. ©Evan Davies.
Full provisional results can now be found online HERE.
The top 20 M/F overall finishers will now receive points towards their ranking in the 2024 Skyrunner® UK & Ireland Series and SkyUltra® sub-series. Series ranking charts will be added to the Skyrunning UK website later this week.
Join the tribe – Become a SKYRUNNER this year!
With such an iconic route and long history (the Welsh 3000ft challenge was first established in 1919!), the 14 Peaks Ultra is an incredible opportunity to run a classic mountain journey in race format.
This first year saw a huge number of competitors and with even more entrants likely for 2025, it’s set to become a leading ultra-distance mountain event for years to come. Entries are already open for SkyRun Eryri® 2025, so get your name down soon by entering HERE today!
Next up in the 2024 Skyrunner® UK & Ireland Series and SkyUltra®/U23 sub-series’ are the following races from Lake District Sky Trails (LDST) on 20th/21st July in Patterdale, NE Lakes:
The Rab Helvellyn Sky Ultra: 57km & 3,700m+ and the second race of the new SkyUltra® Series. Entry HERE.
The St. Sunday Mountain Race: 29km & 2,050m+ and the second race of the new U23 Series. Entry HERE.
The Rab Pinnacle Ridge Extreme: 28km & 2,700m+ and as the name suggest, the most technical race in the series by far, featuring Grade 3 scrambling! Vetted entry HERE.
Entry closing date to all these races have been extended to 7th July (and 4th July for PRE), so it’s not too late to be part of the new Skyrunner® National Series! Enter HERE today.
Join us in mythical Eryri next June: Entres to 2025 SkyRun Eryri are NOW LIVE ©Tanya Raab.
