Cooler Temperatures for Snowdon SkyRace®

Things for hotting up for the Snowdon SkyRace but the temps have dropped. After a 6 week block of almost wall to wall sunshine in the west and north west of the UK, the weather has broken days before the Snowdon SkyRace® is due to happen.

Sophie Gibbens racing in the 2022 Snowdon SkyRace® - ©Andy Milton

The Rab Snowdon SkyRace is the 2nd race in the Skyrunning UK and Ireland series for 2023, with the possibility of skyracers reaching the loft heights of the 2nd highest mountain in the UK, being Snowdon, but will weather put a stop to reaching the sky?

With low pressures hanging out to the west over the Atlantic sea, warmer temps have abated slightly but we may see a build to thunder and lightening on Sunday evening. The Apex Running safety team will be on full discussions about what the right thing to do is and no doubt, final decisions will be made late Saturday night for the following days skyracing.

Findlay Wild running to the converted podium 1 position in the 2021 World Series edition of the Snowdon SkyRace® - ©Guilliem Casanova

In the past, Snowdon has been a World Series race, but the covid restrictions almost put a stop to that in 2021. Having some of the UK skyrunning greats take part in the race means the record is fast for both women and men, but will there be a challenge to this for the 2023 edition of the uber-technical roller coaster of a course.

Rab athlete, Georgia Tindley on her way to first place in the World Series edition of the Rab Snowdon SkyRace® - ©Guilliem Casanova

In the women’s race [29 entered] things look to be very exciting with the previous winner of both Pinnacle Ridge Extreme and Glencoe Skyline from 2022, Georgia Tindley will be vying for the 1st place and top podium spot. Surely there will be a fantastic race in progress for the top 5 female positions. In the line up we have Helen Brown often in the podium mix, Keri Wallace maurading again from the northern highlands, Karolina Woloszczyk of Polish descendancy who was 3rd in the recent Scafell Sky Race, Sophie Gibbens and lastly but certainly not leastly, Alicia Schwarzenbach who is showing true form already this year with her win at the recent Scafell Sky Race in the Lakes.

Female skyrunner in 2021 edition of the Rab Snowdon SkyRace® - ©Guilliem Casanova

Looking at the mens race, it’s a little more difficult to identify but we have 3 known skyrunners in the mix for the podium positions plus always the unknowns coming from other disciplines in the trail and mountain running circuit.

George Fisher is on great form this season and will be vying for that 1st place podium spot for champion of the race, slipping into the mix there is Ben James (part of the Rab athletes team), Richard Bannister who was in great form last season, but yet to be seen racing on the Skyruning UK and Ireland sries for 2023 and some possibles looking to place in the top 5 are Dave Parkin, Craig Lowe and Ben James from Rab.

Whilst the Rab Snowdon SkyRace® is underway, the Rab Copper SkyTrails will be racing hard through the lower passes and mountains of Snowdon with a fast line up of racers, male and female.

Mountain runner on the Rab Copper Sky Trails race ©Evan Davies

Overall there are 16 countries will be represented over the 2 races, with the Champions of the Rab Snowdon SkyRace® coming away with the coveted Red Dragon Trophy.

Looking forward to the next races in the season after Snowdon, we’ll be heading back to the Lakes for the ultra roller coaster of a skyrace, the Rab Helvellyn Sky Ultra on the 15th July.

Wild weather hits the Lakes

Rab Scafell Sky Race 2023 we are go..!