UTS 2022 Race Preview
The fourth edition of Ultra-Trail Snowdonia by UTMB, and the first edition since the event joined the new UTMB World Series, is set to be a real treat for dot watchers and trail running enthusiasts alike!
This year’s event sees 1024 entrants in total, with 43 nationalities represented. UTS 50 in particular has grown significantly, with 687 keen trail runners all set to enjoy a grand day out in Eryri/Snowdonia!
Last year’s 800-runner event was successfully hosted in nearby Capel Curig. However, to cope with the anticipated increase in demand for UTS in coming years, it was important we secured a new host venue that could adequately cope with 1500-2000 runners. We’re delighted to be hosting this year’s event at the stunning National Slate Museum in Padarn Country Park, Llanberis (full announcement HERE), where are a range of other attractions are available for family/friends to enjoy during the long weekend.
This year, elite runners in the 165k, 100k, and 50k will have the extra carrot of competing for guaranteed places on the start line of UTMB, CCC or OCC respectively – the UTMB World Series Finals – with the choice for the Top 3 finishers to take up their spot in either 2022 or 2023. As the UK and Ireland’s only UTMB World Series race, finishers in all races will also gain Running Stones necessary for entry to the 2023 UTMB Mont-Blanc ballot, with 2/3/4 on offer for 50/100/165 finishers respectively. We are also adding a brand new 25k race to the event next year, which will offer 1 Running Stone to finishers – watch this space!
The inaugural UTMB World Series Calendar
In terms of who’s who on the start lines this year, read our race previews below by Sarah Brady (iRunFar) to learn more about who will be challenging for the podiums when those dots start moving next weekend.
The action kicks off on Friday, July 1st at 11:00 with the start of the notoriously challenging UTS 165. The hundred-mile race, which packs over 10,000m of elevation in two technical loops is known for its high attrition rate. With that in mind, this year we will be launching our Humans of UTS project, tracking two runners on their personal journey to complete this arduous task, with video commentary along the way. This year, on the women’s side we will follow Amy Norfolk, a dentist from Cumbria, who DNFd the 165 last year and is determined to get to the finish line. Keep an eye on her on the tracker and your fingers crossed! On the men’s side, we will be following stalwart of the UK ultra-scene, Antonio Codina.
Amy in action last year’s UTS 165. © Andy Milton
South African runner Nicolette Griffioen goes into the 165 as women’s favourite. The 29-year-old has a long history of running ultras and won the 100k Ultra-Trail Cape Town when the race was in its infancy in 2014. She has since placed fourth in the same race in 2019, amongst a bigger and more competitive field. She also won the 100k Ultra-Trail Drakensberg that same year and has form in ultra-distance skyraces, which will be very relevant on this technically challenging course.
Linn Sahlström is no stranger to UTS. In 2019 she won the 52-miler, then went on to place fifth in the Ultra Tour Monta Rosa that same year, and won the Jurassic Coast 100 Mile along the way. She’s kept up the good work since that and placed third in her last 100 miler, the Autumn 100 Mile Race in October 2021. She shouldn’t be far off the front.
Linn Sahlström winning the 2019 UTS 50-miler
UK runner Amy Fulford knows exactly what she’s getting into running 100 miles in Snowdonia! She won the 173k Snowdon Ultra last year and the 82k at the same event in 2019. She’s also won the Beacons Way Ultra 173k and the Dragon 100 Mile and logged a respectable finish at the Glen Coe Skyline. She should be a strong contender for a podium spot.
In the men’s race, will anyone be able to beat last year’s UTS 100 winner Mark Darbyshire? Mark had a stormer of a season last year, winning the 73k Beacons Ultra and the 122k Tsunami 24, as well as the inaugural UTS 100. He has form in the 100-mile distance too, having previously won the Centurion North Downs Way 100 and broke the course record at Lakeland 100. His warm-up for UTS this year was a third-place finish in the 106k race at the popular Penyagolosa Trails in Spain.
Mark Darbyshire en-route to victory at last year’s UTS 100. © Ian Corless
Giving Mark a run for his money is Montane runner Simon Roberts. Well versed at winning races in Snowdonia, Simon took victory in last year’s multi-day Dragon’s Back Race, as well as the Race Across Snowdonia. He also placed third in the competitive Scafell Skyrace and this year won the first edition of the brutal 160-mile Spine Challenger North.
Simon Roberts en-route to victory at last year’s Race Across Snowdonia. © No Limits Photography
New Zealander Louis Schindler should make a strong impression in the 165. He raced well at home last year taking third in the Tarawera Ultramarathon 100 miler and winning The James Stampede 50k and the Northburn 100 Miler — this race boasts 9,460m of elevation and Louis got round in just under 24 hours, which bodes well for his chances on a course dubbed “beautiful beyond belief, savage beyond reason.”
When these runners are approaching sun-up on their second day, the fun will just be starting for the 100k runners, with UTS 100 starting at 04:00 on Saturday July 2nd.
Last year’s second place finisher at UTS 100, Josh Wade, goes into this year’s race as a strong favourite. Wade has a good track record at UTS and also won the UTS 50 Mile back in 2019. He’s had a blazing start to 2022, winning the 174k Spine Challenger and placing 12th (11th male) at the 115k Madeira Island Ultra-Trail.
Josh Wade winning the UTS 50-miler in 2019
Latvian international Artūrs Vadzis should do well. He has decent form in some highly competitive races and is following an upward trajectory. He turned a 15:11:00 finish in the Lavaredo Ultra Trail in 2017 (20th male, 22nd overall) into 14:25:57 (15th male, 16th) overall last year. He also made top 20 in TDS in 2018 and has won over a range of distances in Latvia, including the 70k Zvārtes ieža Stirnu buks and the 30k Cesis Eco Trail in 2020.
Irish international Gavin Byrne makes his UK racing debut at UTS 100 and should be very at home with this challenging, mountainous route. The course record holder of Ireland’s Wicklow Round has also previously won the 190k Kerry Way Ultra (twice) and the 80k Eco Trail Wicklow and placed 29th in the 2019 TDS.
Adding to this highly international field of top runners is US North Face runner Coree Woltering. The 1,000-mile Ice Age Trail FKT holder placed 9th in last year’s Canyons 25k and 9th in the Bandera 50k the same year. More recently he’s taken a top 10 spot in the Ultra X 125 Scotland and should be in the mix.
Coree at the 2019 half MDS
Fan favourite Nicky Spinks should be hard to beat in the women’s 100k race. It’s very hard to summarise the experience of this fell running legend, but for those who don’t know her she won the 2018 UTS, where she finished ninth overall. Other standout results include a win at Ultra Tour Monta Rosa in 2018, third in the 352k Tour de Géants in 2021 and 12th at UTMB in 2012. Outside of racing but possibly most impressively, she holds the record for the Paddy Buckley Double Round, which she completed in May 2019 in a time of 57 hours 27 minutes.
Nicky Spinks exploring the UTS routes recently. © Elliott Waring
Poland’s Katarzyna Zajac should do well in the 100. She placed third in the 102k UltraBies Biegi Górskie in Poland in May of this year and cracked the top 20 (18th) at Lavaredo Ultra Trail last year.
Emma Brock is returning after a DNF in last year’s UTS 100 and will likely to be determined to make amends! She placed second in the Jurassic Coast 100 miler last year and won the North Coast 110k the year before. She has the potential to do well and will have learned lots from last year’s experience.
The mountainous splendour of Eryri awaits! © Evan Davies
With these races well underway, at 09:00 the gun will sound for the second edition of the shorter, UTS 50. The little sister race still packs a punch, with 3,100m of climbing on a 50k loop. It also has the most stacked women’s field of the weekend.
Inov8 runner Meryl Cooper will be a strong contender for the win. Her myriad of great results include a sixth place finish at CCC, wins at Lakeland Trails Ultra 100k and Ultra X Scotland 50k – and that’s just last year alone! Her lengthy back catalogue also includes wins in the Grossglockner Ultra-Trail 74k in 2018 and the Transgrancanaria 30k in 2020, and she represented GB in the 2019 Trail World Championships in Portugal.
Meryl Cooper finishing 6th at CCC last year
Last year’s Salomon Serpent Trail 50k winner Kirsteen Welch should put in a big performance. Another GB international, she’s very at home with the marathon to 50k distance, having also placed fourth at the Scafell Pike Trail Marathon last year and won the Snowdonia Trail Marathon in 2019. She also put in a solid performance over marathon distance at the 2019 Mountain Running World Championships in Argentina.
Zoe Murphy is another to watch in the 50. A lot of her recent form is in longer ultras, with wins in the Centurion Thames Path 100 miler last year and the Centurion Autumn 100 miler in 2020, as well as a credible 36th place in TDS in 2019. She’s done well at shorter, snappier ultras too, including a win at the Lakeland Trails Ultra 55K in 2019, and appears to be a bit of an all-rounder.
Late additions: Last year's 50 winner Lauren Woodwiss, as well as recent Lakes Traverse winner and highly experienced runner Katie Kaars Sijpesteijn will both be sure to mix up the competition at the front of this race!
Honourable mention in this deep field also goes to Montane runner and coach Kimberley Cavil, and 2019 Skyrunning UK and Ireland Series winner, Kasia Osipowicz.
Kasia enjoying the UTS 100 route in 2020. © Ian Corless
All of last year’s UTS 100 top three men are returning this year – and each in a different race. Third place Jack Scott is trying his hand at the 50k this year. The 27-year-old inov8 runner has good form in longer ultras, having also placed fifth last year’s Lakeland Trails 100k, which doubled up as the British Ultra Running Trail Championships, and second in the 2018 Exodus Ultra Marathon 160k.
Jack Scott en-route to 3rd at UTS 100 last year. © Evan Davies
Josh Barrow should also do well in the 50k. He placed fifth in last year’s Scafell Pike Trail Marathon and won the Centurion South Downs Way 50 Miler in a cracking 6:15:06.
Jamie Stephenson is another runner who has the 50k distance nailed. He recently placed second at the XTERRA Malta Gozo Ultra Trail 50k and won the 51k Run To The Sea – Bournemouth last year and placed third at the Salomon Serpent Trail 50k.
We can’t wait to see how these stories unfold. See you in Eryri!
To follow along at home, please keep an eye on our Facebook & Instagram channels throughout, which we will be updating regularly. Find and follow us by searching @ultratrailsnowdonia
To see the live race results, please visit UTS.livetrail.run and to follow the GPS trackers, please see the following links: UTS 165, UTS 100, UTS 50.
Keen to enter next year’s event? The provisional date for your diary is 19th – 21st May and we are aiming to re-open entries for the 2023 event, including the brand new 25K race, next Friday. Early bird entry fees will apply to the first 200 entries, so enter ASAP to take advantage of these rates before they rise!
A new era for UTS has arrived. © Evan Davies
