Mourne Skyline joins Skyrunner® World Series
Today, APEX Running are thrilled to announce that the Mourne Skyline™ – first hosted in 2014 – will join the Merrell Skyrunner® World Series in 2025! Next October, the world’s best skyrunners will descend on the Mourne Mountains of Northern Ireland and do battle along this route’s 35km & 2,700m+ in a bid to claim their stake of a whopping €6,000 prize pool, as well as valuable World Series ranking points!
The rugged Mourne Mountains will host the Merrell Skyrunner World Series next year © No Limits Photography
SkyRun the Mournes™ Race Director Mike explains:
“After a two-year hiatus and following this year’s grand return of this classic event, I’m thrilled to be bringing the Skyrunner® World Series back to the UK next year! First hosted in 2014 and with a rich history in skyrunning, the Mourne Skyline™ is a real beast and a worthy addition to the World Series. I can’t wait to showcase the stunning Mourne Mountains to the skyrunning world with this race next October.”
Irish athlete Isobel Oakes wins this year’s event. © Evan Davies
The Skyrunner® World Series last visited UK shores in 2021 at APEX Running’s Snowdon SkyRace®, so we’re delighted to once again be elevating the status of skyrunning across the nation, with another race that now also boasts an international profile.
Ryan Maxell, Co-founder of the Mourne Skyline™ is also excited to see this long-term vision realised at last:
“Justin and I are absolutely delighted to hear the exciting news that the Mourne Skyline™ will be part of the Skyrunner World Series in 2025. It was always our ambition to have the Mourne Skyline™ in the World Series. It’s incredible for our sport and for Northern Ireland, both in terms of competition opportunities and for raising the profile of Northern Ireland and our incredible running scene. I feel that the Northern Irish welcome, our amazing terrain and stunning scenery will add immense value to the Skyrunner World Series!”
Do you dare take on this notorious skyrunning route next year?
Starting on the coastal town of Newcastle – situated between Belfast and Dublin – the classic Mourne Skyline™ route is an icon of Northern Irish skyrunning, remaining relatively unchanged since inception in 2014 and for good reason! Its 35km & 2,700m+ encompass many of the notable peaks of the northern Mourne Mountains, traversing a plethora of technical and rocky trails and frequently handrailing the impressive Mourne Wall. Without doubt, next year’s more international cohort will be in for another grand day out! Take a deep dive into this classic SkyRace route HERE.
Scotsman Caleb Nonhebel was a breakthrough U23 athlete of 2024! © Evan Davies
In even more exciting news, we’re delighted to share that the inaugural 20km & 1,300m+ Mourne SkyTrail™, which takes in the highlights of the eastern Mourne Mountains (and much of the Skyline route) will also proudly be part of the World Series’ U23 Trofeo Esteban Olivero ranking, and will also be the final race of the Skyrunning UK U23 Series. Discover the route in full HERE.
The perfect introduction to skyrunning awaits at the Mourne SkyTrail™ next year.
Entries to all races, including the 50km Mourne SkyUltra® and new Mourne SkyTrail™ are now live HERE. Don’t delay: enter NOW if you want to join us on the start line next year, as given the above exciting news, it’s anticipated entries will sell out well in advance of race day next year!
