Beautiful beyond belief. Savage beyond reason.
New to the UTMB World Series this year is one of the wildest and toughest events in the calendar for 2022, the Ultra Trail Snowdonia by UTMB, set in the spectacular
and challenging mountainous wilderness of north Wales
from the 1-3 July.
This year is the fourth staging of an event that started in 2018 and is the
brainchild of its Race Director Michael Jones. Around 1,130 athletes from 43
nations will take on one of three distances – the UTS 50km, UTS 100km and the
exceptionally tough 100-miler, the UTS 165km. Not for nothing is this event’s
tagline: “Beautiful beyond belief; Savage beyond reason.”
The longest race is certainly not for the faint-hearted and includes one of the
biggest totals for overall ascent in any one race in the family of UTMB World
Series events. It totals 10,200 metres and features no less than 12 significant
climbs, including an ascent of Snowdon straight after the start from the colourful
town of Llanberis.
“It is more difficult than UTMB Mont-Blanc I would say, based on the feedback from
people who have done both,” said Jones a former elite trail runner. “The secret to
doing well is taking your time with it. It’s a 50-hour event, so you’ve got to be
prepared to be on your feet and moving for two days and taking advantage of rest
when you can get it. The best approach is to take it one segment at a time and try
not to get too scared by the overall challenge and just break it down.”
The course is quite technical with heavily-bouldered trails in parts, but it also
includes ridge and moorland running, fire roads through forests and a chance to
enjoy some of the most untamed countryside in the UK, complete with wild
ponies, at what is the only UTMB World Series event in the British Isles this year.
Among the favourites in the male division for the UTS 165 will the British runner
Mark Darbyshire who won the 100km race at this event last year. Rivalling him
for the title will be the Welsh runner Simon Roberts, 33, who won the Dragon’s
Back six-day stage race in Wales last year.
“There’s a lot of climbing but the mountains are not as big as in Europe, so they
don’t go on as long, but there are lots of smaller climbs too, so you are constantly
going up and down,” said Roberts who will be going for the win on terrain he
knows well. “That’s the mindset you’ve got to get into your head straight away and
understand that that’s what your days are going to be,” he added.
In the women’s division, among six female athletes taking on the race will be Amy
Norfolk, a 37-year-old dentist who lives in Cumbria in northern England. Norfolk
was timed out last year at the final checkpoint and is determined to make it to
the finish line this time round, come what may.
“I am just going to break it down into little bits – into 10-mile segments and just get
over each one,” she said. “And just remind myself I really don’t want to go back
again next year, so I need to get it done this year and crack on.” Norfolk joked that
she is praying for a couple of miserable wet days – “bleak and cold and horrible
please” – conditions that she believes will help her stay the course.
In the UTS 100, Josh Wade of Great Britain who finished second in this event last year will be a contender, as will Gavin Byrne, a strong runner from Ireland. In the women’s division, British runner Nicky Spinks will be looking to add another title to her illustrious CV, but Katarzyna Zajac of Poland and Britain’s Emma Brock will be among those contending alongside her. Jones, meanwhile, is delighted that his event is now part of the UTMB World Series. “It is a real privilege to be part of the UTMB family,” he said. “It has always been a goal of this event to have something with an international profile and, in terms of the support that we get from UTMB Group in Chamonix, it has been great.” |
View more event information |
Help keep news FREE for our readers
Supporting your local community newspaper/online news outlet is crucial now more than ever. If you believe in independent journalism, then consider making a valuable contribution by making a one-time or monthly donation. We operate in rural areas where providing unbiased news can be challenging. Read More About Supporting The West Wales Chronicle