2024 Helvellyn Sky Ultra Race Report
This past weekend, over 450 runners toed the start line in a massive weekend of SkyRacing, with faces old and new testing their mettle over some of the most technical ridges in the Lake District. With three epic races from Lake District Sky Trails spanning the weekend and some record-breaking performances throughout, there is a lot to get to grips with!
First up was the Helvellyn Sky Ultra (HSU), part of the 2024 Skyrunner® UK & Ireland Series and also the new SkyUltra® Series. The HSU is a demanding 57km/3,700m+ course which involves sustained technical running over the Helvellyn Edges, Cofa Pike, Hart Crag, Dove Crag, Red Screes and High Street. Revisit the race route on our Strava account HERE.
A route designed to test the all-round abilities of each and every Skyrunner! © Tanya Raab
The Scoop
At 8am on Saturday, 121 runners nervously jostled behind the start line under an overcast sky. The weather may have been dry, but humid conditions meant a sweat-fest awaited all competitors on the first climb of the day. A tough start to a tough course…
This year the race had attracted a strong male and female field, with lots of big names in contention for the podium (see race preview HERE). But surprisingly it was a new face, competing in very his first SkyRace, Rob Corney from SE England, who pulled away from the pack early on. Most familiar with running road marathons, Corney’s exceptional ascending talent became apparent on the first climb up Helvellyn. Despite being (in his own words) ‘not the world’s best descender’ Corney accrued such a lead overall that he smashed the course record belonging to Donnie Campbell (LSU 07:30:40 in 2016) to finish in 07:10:32.
Corney negotiates the technical terrain that’s made this route infamous © Tanya Raab
“It was a hard race” admitted Corney “but I slowly realised I was able to run where others were walking. I usually race pretty competitively on the road but I’ve always liked running in the Lakes. So this race seemed like the perfect cross-over to me. It was my first SkyRace and it was great fun!”
Corney will now race the Salomon Buttermere Skyline in September and is expecting a more ‘fast and furious’ racing experience. Hopefully he’ll catch the bug and we’ll see more of him at SkyRaces in future, as Corney’s certainly one to watch!
Men’s podium in the HSU 2024: Roberts, Corney & Nobles in 2nd , 1st & 3rd © Callum Robinson.
Attempting to chase him down was seasoned ultra trail runner and Montane athlete Simon Roberts. Although arguably best-suited to the super long courses, Roberts is no stranger to technical ridgelines, previously taking the HSU win in 2021. Roberts managed to stay with Corney until Ambleside, after which a gap slowly opened-up. Roberts crossed the finish line 16 minutes after Corney in 07:26.
Third in the men’s race was Scarpa and Montane athlete James Nobles. Nobles started off fast but struggled with the warm conditions initially. Later on however, he found a second-wind and caught up with team mate Roberts. The pair challenged each other for much of the race but despite eating well throughout, Nobles ‘bonked hard’ on the final climb, conceding second position to Roberts and finishing in 07:34. Over half an hour behind the podium finishers were Damian Hall (1st V45), Richard Keefe and then Dan Summers (1st V40), leading the chasing pack. First MV50 was claimed by Terry Atkinson and MV55 by Colin Lee.
Full provisional results can now be found online HERE.
Technical terrain on the indomitable Striding Edge challenged all! © Tanya Raab
The women’s race was characterised by an outstanding performance from local athlete and Skyrunner® World Series supported elite athlete Holly Wootten. Wootten led from the off, to finish in 08:28:34, with a lead of over 30 minutes on second place finisher Sally Fawcett. Despite dominating throughout, Wootton admits to having ‘struggled on the climb up Red Screes and for a good while after the Kirkstone Pass aid station’ before realising she would need to push hard on the final descent to break her goal of 08:30. In the end, she broke her own previous record of 2022 (09:11:52) by a jaw-dropping 43 minutes!
Wootton’s next race will be OCC in Chamonix, then back to the Skyrunning World Series, building towards the SkyMasters; the World Series grand final in November.
Holly Wootten en route to dominating this year’s HSU © Tanya Raab
In second place, La Sportiva athlete Sally Fawcett, who also claimed the first V40 spot ‘had a steady, consistent race.’ “Conditions were really good - muggy but with a nice cooling ‘mizzle’ high up which was refreshing. And that’s all good Ramsay Round training for me!” she said.
The final position on the podium fell to Elaine Bisson (1st V45) who, like Fawcett, saw little of the rest of the female field throughout the race, as visibility was low over the tops and the leading ladies were widely spaced. Bisson finished 30 mins behind Fawcett, with Welsh athlete Helen Brown taking 5th place behind her, to finish first FV50.
Full provisional results can now be found online HERE.
Women’s podium in the HSU 2024: Fawcett. Wootton & Bisson in 2nd, 1st & 3rd © Callum Robinson.
What Next?
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 (INFO). Series ranking charts will be added to the Skyrunning UK website imminently.
Find out your current ranking in the Skyrunner® UK & Ireland Series later this month.
Next up in the 2024 Skyrunner® UK & Ireland are the Seven Sisters Skyline races on 21st September in Donegal, Ireland:
Seven Sisters Skyline 55km & 4,000m+ — third race in the new SkyUltra® Series (INFO).
Seven Sisters Skyline 30km & 2,1000m+ (Ireland’s first sub-ultra SkyRace!) — part of the U23 Series and first race of the inaugural Irish Skyrunning Championships (INFO) alongside the 35km Mourne Skyline in October.
Entries are still open, so it’s not too late to be part of the Skyrunner® National Series! For full details see the event website HERE.
In the meantime, be sure to follow Skyrunning UK on Facebook HERE, Instagram HERE. And why not join the Facebook Group HERE or the Strava Club HERE.
See you in the Lake District again next year? © Tanya Raab
Stay tuned for our in-depth reports from the weekend’s St. Sunday Mountain Race and Pinnacle Ridge Extreme races arriving tomorrow!
