SkyRun Eryri® brings new races to the 2024 Skyrunner® UK & Ireland Series.
This Saturday, a staggering 630+ runners from 30 different countries are expected to arrive at Race HQ near Rhyd-Ddu for the 5th edition of SkyRun Eryri® - 4 thrilling races in one monster skyrunning weekend!
First established in 2019, the popularity of this event has grown over the last 5 years and the 2024 version includes two new races: the 52km 14 Peaks Ultra and the 16km Fairy Trail. Not only is there now something for everyone, but all three SkyRaces are counters in the brand new Skyrunner® UK & Ireland Series:
14 Peaks Ultra: 52k & 3,900m+ (also first race of the inaugural SkyUltra® Series).
Snowdon SkyRace®: 38k & 3,300m+ (also the Skyrunning UK National Championships).
Copper Trail: 27k & 2300m+ (also first race of the new U23 Series).
SkyRun Eryri® is the creation of Micheal Jones, owner of APEX Running and former RD of Ultra Trail Snowdonia (UTS), which was acquired by UTMB Group in 2021. After taking over management of Skyrunning UK at the start of this year, Mike is now focused on delivering Wales’ only skyrunning weekend, as well as orchestrating the Skyrunner® UK & Ireland Series and National Championships, plus U23 and SkyUltra sub-series’. To find out more about SkyRun Eryri®, see the official website HERE.
“From humble, grassroots beginnings, this event has come a long way since its inception and this year now features four races to suit all abilities and aspirations, including the epic new 14 Peaks Ultra...
This year, we look forward to welcoming over 600 Skyrunners from 30 nations to our host venue at the foot of Yr Wyddfa — the highest summit in Wales — to experience the mythical landscapes and technical trails of Eryri/Snowdonia” - Michael Jones.
The 2024 Skyrunner® UK & Ireland Series: which races will you be doing this year?
The weather forecast is shaping-up well for a bright weekend in North Wales, with any wetter weather clearing by the afternoons and temperatures of around 15-17 degrees.
To kick-off the festivities, John Proctor, author of “Mapping the Mind, The Art of Skyrunning UK” (copies available to buy at event) will be giving a talk at race HQ entitled Mapping the Mind - Chronicles of a Skyrunner at 7pm on Fri. This will be followed by a Q&A session with both John and RD Mike.
With 4 exciting races unfolding over the weekend, there’s going to be so much action at your fingertips! Live GPS tracking is available to view HERE and regular updates throughout the day will be shared on the Skyrunning UK Facebook Page HERE and Instagram account HERE.
Both the 14 Peaks and Snowdon SkyRace runners will tackle the infamous Crib Goch ridge this weekend. © Evan Davies.
14 Peaks Ultra
A modern ‘Ultra-Trail’ take on a classic endurance traverse, competitors will start on the North Wales coast and summit 14 of the Welsh 3000ft peaks in an epic traverse of 52km and 3900m+ over the Carneddau, Glyderau and Yr Wyddfa massifs. The route is rugged throughout with technical trails and sections of exposed, graded scrambling, including the North ridge of Tryfan and Crib Goch.
Discover the route in full on our Strava account HERE.
Ones to Watch
Who will set the first course records for the new 14 Peaks Ultra? Live GPS tracking is available to view HERE
Female favourites include Tinka Vinks of the Netherlands, who is stepping up the action after winning the Snowdonia Trail Marathon in 2022 and 2023, as well as Anwen Darlington who won the Ben Nevis Ultra™ in 2021 and Snowdon SkyRace® in 2022. Also keep a close eye on strong Irish runner Laura O Driscoll, who placed first at the Seven Sisters Skyline in 2020 and won the 285km TransAlpine Run last year.
In the men’s race, all eyes will be on Josh Bakker-Dyos who, after a DNF at the recent UTS 100K, will be hunting for redemption over these Welsh peaks! Expect Merrell athlete Coree Woltering from the US and Sam Mayglothling, UK to place well too - both athletes have previous top UTS performances in the bank.
Front runners will have their eyes on the prize with a tidy £125/£75/£50 up for grabs for 1st/2nd/3rd overall finishers M/F, as well as trophy and swag bag. The top 20 M/F finishers will also receive points in the Skyrunner® UK & Ireland overall & SkyUltra Series.
Great weather means great views. Fingers crossed for more this weekend! Snowdon SkyRace 2022 ©Evan Davies.
Snowdon SkyRace®
One of the UK's most spectacular Skyrunning routes, the sub-ultra distance Snowdon SkyRace® is the ultimate way to summit Wales’ highest mountain! Boasting 38km and 3,300m+ the race route takes-in both ridges of the Snowdon horseshoe (inc. Crib Goch), as well as the Y Gribin ridge and iconic Tryfan North Ridge – plus a ton of technical trails and singletrack in between. Live GPS tracking is available to view HERE
This year the Snowdon SkyRace® has been selected to host the UK National Championships, so in addition to a whopping cash prize (overall 1st/2nd/3rd receive £500/£250/£125), winners will receive a dragon trophy and direct access to the SkyMasters final in Esilda Ain, Spain (plus +50% Series points!)
And that’s not all! The first M and F will also be honoured with an exclusive National Champion's vest!
Discover the route in full on our Strava account HERE.
Ones to Watch
In the men’s race, favourite Mark Darbyshire (ITRA Performance Index 847) will no doubt be seeking the top spot, following his recent UTS 100M win and new CR. But can he fend off a challenge from Alex Hill (ITRA Performance Index 755) and Irish athlete Oisin Brennan, who is targeting the inaugural Irish Skyrunning Champs (ITRA Performance Index 633)? It’s great to see Michael Lelliot back on the start line, looking to build on previous success.
In the women’s arena, Nicky Spinks needs no introduction! Although this will be her first SkyRace, she knows the area well and finished 5th in the UTS 100M 2023. We’re also expecting a battle for podium positions between speedy Holly Clifford and Karolina Woloszczyk (ITRA Performance Index of 604 & 576 respectively), with Karolina finishing 2nd in the National Series last year.
Enjoying the ‘runner’s high’ despite the rain - Copper SkyTrail 2023. ©Evan Davies
Copper SkyTrail
The Copper SkyTrail is a fast mountain course, ideal for those looking to build-up to bigger SkyRun Eryri races. Starting as per the SkyRace, the route climbs Yr Wyddfa/Snowdon, then diverges to the summit of Yr Aran before climbing back to the Snowdon skyline to tag Y Lliwedd. To finish in Rhyd-Ddu, runners must first ascend the Miners’ Track before punishing their quads in a descent of the Snowdon Ranger Path.
This race is the first in the new U23 Series aimed at developing younger runners within skyrunning. Ranking points will be awarded to the top 20 M/F U23 finishers across three selected races. Live GPS tracking is available to view HERE
Discover the route in full on our Strava account HERE.
Ones to Watch
In the men’s race, we’re expecting great things from GB international Kristian Jones (ITRA Index 891), who is returning to these trails after winning UTMB races Mozart 100 and Eryri 25K at UTS last year. Salomon athlete Daniel Connolly (ITRA Index of 734), will be hot on Kristian’s heels - or could it be the other way around? And Irish athlete Enda Cloake will surely also be hankering after the podium (ITRA Index of 761).
In the women’s race, Sarah Porter and Lauren Wilson will go head-to-head (ITRA Indexes of 589 and 484 respectively), and U23 Rebecca Line (ITRA index 472) will no doubt be pushing the pace after a strong finish in the recent UTS 50K.
Across the board, conditions will make for fast times and there will surely be impressive performances from returning names as well as those racing this course for the first time.
Fairy Trail
Although not part of the Skyrunner® UK & Ireland Series, the inaugural Fairy Trail race route takes runners on 10 miles of runnable trails over and around the amenable summit of Moel Eilio. But with 950m+ elevation gain, this route is no walk in the park! Live tracking is not available for this race but competitors can now enter on the day.
Ones to Watch
The front runners in this race will be making light work of the Fairy Trail in good conditions this weekend, with Justin Gardner and Lewis Overend bringing strong UTMB scores to bear on this fast course. Anna Buckingham will surely be gunning for the win in the female race, after narrowly missing the podium in the Copper SkyTrail last year.
What Next?
We can’t wait to watch hundreds of competitors experience the best skyrunning that Eryri has to offer this weekend – it’s all to play for! Stay tuned for the race report arriving on Monday, to hear how the drama played out and for full results. Series ranking will be updated on the Skyrunning UK website after the event.
Not got an entry this year? Entries for SkyRun Eryri® 2025 (happening 21st June) will open at 11:00 on Sunday 23rd June. As Wales' only Skyrunning event, these world-class races belong on your bucket list!
Don’t forget to attend Friday’s SkyRun session with John and Mike to learn more about the races in this year’s National Series and grab product samples from our series partners, Wassen and VOOM.
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Next up in the Skyrunner® UK & Ireland Series is the Helvellyn Sky Ultra, St Sunday Mountain Race and Pinnacle Ridge Extreme on weekend 20/21st July. Check-out the Lake District Sky Trails website for full details (entries still open).
In the meantime, we’re excited for those final seconds to begin counting down – 3, 2, 1, GO!
Find your competitive edge at SkyRun Eryri this weekend! ©Evan Davies