At APEX Running, we organise superlative trail, ultra & skyrunning events in Snowdonia National Park, North Wales, UK.

Organised by runners, for runners, our races epitomise the aspirational nature and scale of event that Race Director Mike envisaged the area could play host to, and had not existed in Wales previously. By nature, each event is highly creative and unique in character.

As well as our desire to host truly world-class trail running events, our ultimate aim is to promote Snowdonia as a highly aspirational, must-visit destination for trail runners, that justly rivals any other mountainous region of the world. Start any of our events and you’ll no doubt be left with a lasting impression of the area.

As part of our commitment to excellence, read on below to learn more about what we’re currently doing and what we plan to do, to uphold our commitment to organising the finest trail, ultra and skyrunning events in the UK.

We are APEX Running. Step Above.

MEMBERSHIPS

As a business member of the Snowdonia Society, we work together year-round to help promote their volunteering days (including tree planting, footpath maintenance, litter-picking etc.), and also make regular donations to support their endeavours. For example, participants can forgo their event T-shirt in exchange for an equal-value donation to the Society.

We also offer a 15% discount to members of the Society. If you’re considering joining or would like to give back to Snowdonia by helping at a volunteer day, please see more HERE.

SUSTAINABILITY POLICY

The Outdoor Friendly Pledge has been developed by the Kilian Jornet Foundation and aims to promote a more environmentally sustainable approach to the hosting and participation of outdoor sports events.

By joining the Pledge as event organisers, we are committed to undertaking every effort to achieve all 10 objectives, by 2030. Our current and planned commitments as listed below will be continuously updated as we grow and learn as a business.

Travel: Working towards Goal 3 of the Outdoor Friendly Pledge.

1. On each event webpage, there is a detailed ‘Visiting’ section, which details how to make use of public transport to visit the event. We also encourage participants to make use of the APEX Running Facebook group to arrange lift sharing.
2. From 2021 onwards, for our main event UTS, we will arrange an affordable coach travel service to get to and from the event from various areas of the UK.
3. To encourage lift sharing to our main events, UTS and Snowdon Skyline, and to encourage participants to leave cars parked throughout the weekend, parking on-site will be charged at a rate of £5 upon each entry to the parking site. We hope this encourages participants to leave their vehicle parked for the weekend and make use of the bus services in Snowdonia, if needed. This also helps us to protect the fields we hire for parking use.
4. To encourage low-impact tourism, at our main events, UTS and Snowdon Skyline, we will offer camping and campervan space, free of charge.
5. Wherever possible, we prefer to work with local professional and volunteer Event Team members, as well as event service suppliers. This helps to reduce the carbon footprint of events as well as allowing us to spend money locally, further benefiting the local economies of North Wales, in which our events take place.

Waste Reduction: Working towards Goals 4 & 5 of the Outdoor Friendly Pledge.

1. Where one is included with entry, we offer participants the choice between a high-quality, recycled polyester or organic cotton T-shirt, with both options also available to purchase at the event and online. Participants can also forego this memento in exchange for an equal-value donation to the Snowdonia Society.
2. We no longer print the event date on our complimentary tees, so that any leftovers can be used the following year or sold online post-event.
3. For certain events, from 2021 onwards, we shall be offering a choice of finishers memento, with other options available to purchase at the event. For example, UTS finishers will be able to choose a certificate or medal upon finishing.
4. At all our events, we offer waste recycling facilities. Please dispose of any waste responsibly by using the correct recycling bin!

Food & Drink: Working towards Goals 6 & 10 of the Outdoor Friendly Pledge.

1. Since the inception of APEX Running, we have offered vegetarian food for all our aid stations and finisher’s meals. We feel that this offers the best nutritional diet for the endurance athlete, as well as being superior from an ecological standpoint. The practical advantages for an event organiser of reduced costs and less perishables to transport and refrigerate are also notable. From 2021 onwards, wherever practicable, we shall endeavour to source food that is organic and certified Fairtrade.
2. If ever there is any leftover, non-perishable food at our events, this is offered to other local event organisers FOC, then the food bank in nearby Bangor.
3. We love to use local food and beverage suppliers wherever possible. Our coffee suppliers Poblado Coffi are based in Nantlle, on the edge of Snowdonia. Bragdy Lleu, based in Penygroes supply our finishers ale and Wild Trail, based in Tywyn supply snack bars for our aid stations. All other aid station food and drink is purchased in bulk from local supermarkets.
4. All of our events are cup-less. Participants are required to bring their own cups and, where relevant, cutlery, to use during the event.
5. We supply tanks of free, unlimited drinking water at all events, within the event HQ and encourage participants to make use of this to keep hydrated.
6. In a bid to reduce the amount of non-recyclable waste packaging at our events, we do not offer energy gels at any of our aid stations, instead favouring the provision of energy drink, which is bought in bulk from our suppliers Torq.

Trail Use: Working towards Goal 7 of the Outdoor Friendly Pledge.

1. During the planning process of all our events, we spend a significant amount of time defining optimal trail use, along with valuable input from the Snowdonia National Park Authority Access Manager, and often with input from the National Trust. We always aim to choose trails that are better able to cope with the additional footfall our events pose and wherever possible, avoid more ecologically sensitive ground in favour of better-established and/or man-made paths.
2. At events where we offer a marked course, course marking, surveillance and sweeping is always a paid role, in a bid to ensure a high standard of work, including immediate removal of waymarking materials post-event. Detailed instructions must be followed and wherever possible, we favour offering these roles to local trail runners, who have a deep appreciation of the landscapes within which our events take place.
3. All of our course waymarking materials are bespoke and designed to be re-used indefinitely. They feature our contact information, as well as an area to indicate the event end date. This is to help deter removal of any markers during events by non-participants, and so that in the rare case of a marker going missing and later being found, it can be identified, and we can be notified.
4. Wherever possible, we try not to use the same trail twice in a race route (out-and-backs, etc.). This policy helps to lighten the impact of participant footfall and therefore limits erosion and damage to potentially sensitive trails. We also feel that designing routes this way tends to make for a better race experience! 

SOCIAL POLICY

We’re proud to take a leading role in promoting the sport of trail running to new demographics, as well as supporting the future generations and local athletes in participation at our events. We are proud to have made the following commitments to help increase participation at our events:

1. We currently offer a 50% discount to any athlete aged under 23, 15% off for local athletes and 15% off for members of the Snowdonia Society. Read more HERE.
2. From 2021 onwards, we shall endeavour to engage the local communities in which our events take place by arranging visits to local schools, as well as community councils, to promote our events, the benefits they pose and to liaise further with interested parties.  
3. From 2022 onwards, at certain events (currently only the Copper SkyTrail), we shall offer free entry to U18’s, providing they can participate under the guidance of a parent or guardian.
4. To encourage repeat volunteering at our events, the benefits package that we offer to our Event Team is very generous, consisting of a fair Event Credits system, which aims to eliminate any financial barriers to entry of our events. Read more HERE.