Hi! I'm Mike, owner of APEX Running.
I like mountains, running and running over mountains. Sometimes not very far, occasionally very, very far! No doubt, ultrarunning has provided a catalyst for self-discovery and a vehicle to dabble with my physical and emotional boundaries in a positive way, in areas of outstanding natural beauty.
Born and raised in Chester, XC mountain bike racing was my life growing up. Shortly after graduating in product design from the University of Leeds, I discovered fell running when I moved to the Lake District in 2012, having read ‘Feet in the Clouds’ during my last year of studies. Not one to take my time with things, six months later I was training for the Bob Graham Round and quickly discovered I had a keen interest in the longer end of the endurance running spectrum.
In 2014 I left my secure design engineering career with the intention of taking a year out to satisfy my curiosity about the world and do a few races I had my eye on, hoping I'd figure some things out along the way. It’s funny how things can work out. While spending many a long day in Eryri/Snowdonia training for the 2015 UTMB, I often wondered why there was no event in the UK like the international profile ultra-trail races that I had participated in whilst abroad...
A sense of adventure and desire to explore the unknown were ultimately what drew me into this sport and to subsequently become a Race Director. In late 2017, I launched UTS: an instant success in its inaugural edition and five years later, the UK's largest Ultra-Trail event with nearly 3,000 entered in 2023. Acquired by UTMB Group in 2021, it's now the UK's first and only UTMB World Series event.
The team at APEX Running now deliver several superlative trail, ultra and skyrunning events in Eryri/Snowdonia, each unique in character and conceived with different participant experiences in mind. We're more passionate than ever about hosting creative and authentic events of the absolute utmost quality, with the ultimate aim of promoting Eryri/Snowdonia and Wales as a world-class trail running destination.
The adventure continues…
If you'd like to know anything more, please get in touch!
2017
CCC – 8th (11:31)
Trans Gran Canaria 82km – 8th (08:21)
Lakeland 100 – 1st (20:22)
Ben Nevis Ultra – 3rd (13:03)
Highland Fling – 3rd (07:29)
Chester Ultra – 1st (07:30)
2016
Lakeland 100 – 1st (20:30)
V3K Ultra – 1st (07:46)
3x3000 Ultra Trail SkyRace – 1st (10:25)
Mourne Skyline SkyRace – 5th (04:05)
Ring of Steall SkyRace – 6th (04:17)
Tarawera 102km New Zealand – 16th (10:25)
TDS – 182nd (24:08)
2015
UTMB – 69th (29:08)
Cumbria Way Ultra Race – 1st (13:49)
V3K Ultra – 3rd (07:57)
Trans Gran Canaria – 42nd Overall, 3rd U30 (19:10)
Mont Blanc 80km – 39th (14:26)
2014
Lakeland 100 – 5th (23:46)
Cycled Lands’ End – John O’Groats in 7 Days.
2013
Bob Graham Round – 22:33
V3K Ultra – 2nd (08:53)
Chester Marathon – 03:16