A Great Start to the Summer with Success on the Roads, Fells and Mountains
- ydyffryn
- Jul 27
- 5 min read
Updated: Jul 31
The start of the summer has been another incredibly busy few months for Eryri Harriers, with members representing the club across Wales, England and beyond. From mountain marathons in the Lake District to British Championships, local community races, junior competitions and our own flagship events, club members have once again shown the strength, depth and spirit that makes Eryri Harriers such a special club.
Saunders Lakeland Mountain Marathon
Several Eryri Harriers travelled to the Lake District to take part in the renowned Saunders Lakeland Mountain Marathon, one of the UK's classic mountain navigation events. Competitors spend two days navigating challenging terrain while carrying all of their overnight equipment, testing endurance, navigation and mountain skills.
Congratulations to all our members who took on the challenge )under the banner of Eryri Orienteers).
A family and friend’s day out for the Hockleys. Anwen Hockley and Bethan Billington completed the event with a very respectable performance in their class, 3rd Female Pair Overall. This made even more impressive as it was Bethan's first ever mountain marathon. Jules Hockley and her teammate also successfully completed their course. Neal and Deri also produced an excellent performance, finishing 3rd in their category.
Meanwhile, mountain marathon stalwart Adrian Moir, partnered with Ellie Salisbury, finished 5th Mixed Pair and 2nd Mixed Veterans in the event's only score class, involving seven hours of navigation on day one and five hours on day two. Remarkably, this marked Ellie's 128th completed mountain marathon, a streak stretching back to 1988.
Well done to everyone who ran in one of Britain's toughest mountain events.
Eryri Summer Fun Fest Run Week
The club's Summer Fun Run Week proved a success, bringing members together for a fantastic week of running, socialising and supporting local races.
A huge thank you goes to Lucy O'Donnell for coordinating the week's activities, along with all of our volunteer Run Leaders who make these sessions possible throughout the year.
Part of the week was the Felinheli 10K
Thirty-one Eryri Harriers were among the 351 finishers at the ever-popular Felinheli 10K.
Congratulations to Elliw Haf Roberts, who produced a superb performance to win the women's race, while several other Eryri athletes collected age-category victories. Including a wonderful moment for local boy Noa Vaugan winning the John Roberts Memorial Shield
Our thanks go to race organisers Sioned and Dilwyn Rowlands and everyone involved with the Gŵyl Felin team for delivering another excellently organised community event.
British Fell Running Championships – Pen y Fan
The British Short Fell Running Championships at Pen y Fan attracted some of the country's strongest mountain runners.
Congratulations to:
Tom Wood – 3rd Overall
Sarah Barnwell – 1st FV60
Outstanding performances against elite national competition.
Tal y Fan Race
Another successful Tal y Fan race saw Jez once again take victory.
Congratulations also to Megan and Emily, who overcame some navigational adventures to safely reach the finish line!
A huge thank you, as always, to all of our marshals, gate monitors and volunteers, particularly Ann and Sharon for managing the race administration.
Without volunteers, races like these simply couldn't happen.
Welsh Junior Mountain Running Championships
Many of our talented junior athletes competed in this year's Welsh Junior Mountain Running Championships.
It was fantastic to see so many young Eryri runners representing the club across the various age categories, continuing the club's proud tradition of developing mountain runners for the future.
Well done to every junior who competed and to all the coaches, parents and supporters who make these opportunities possible.
Shrewsbury 5K
Despite wet and windy conditions, three Eryri Harriers travelled to the fast five-lap course at Shrewsbury Sports Village.
Results included:
Huw Gwynn – 24th Overall – 16:20
Gemma Moore – 3rd Female & 2nd F40 – 18:18
Efa Baines – 8th Female – 19:33
A strong set of performances against a competitive field of 162 finishers.
Pentir 4.5km Fun Run
Nineteen Eryri Harriers joined 97 runners at the Pentir Fun Run.
Congratulations to:
Ian Edwards, who claimed victory for the third time in 16:47
Owain Hunt Williams – 2nd Overall (17:16)
Tony Hall – 1st M60
Margot Saher – 1st F50
Mike Snell – 1st M70
Brian Robbins – 1st M80
Many thanks to the Pentir community for another warm welcome and a brilliantly organised event.
Member Blog Spotlight
If you haven't already done so, don't miss Mike Whyatt's excellent Members' Blog covering his experience at the World Masters Mountain Running Championships.
It has quickly become one of our most popular website articles and Mike will soon be following it up with a report from Sierre-Zinal, one of the world's most iconic mountain races. Read more here: Member's Blog - Mike Whyatt World Masters Mountain Running Championships
Ras Wyddfa
Our home race once again showcased everything that's great about mountain running.
From outstanding elite performances to hundreds of volunteers, supporters and competitors, the event was another tremendous success and highlighted the incredible effort that goes into delivering one of Wales' premier mountain races.
Thank you to everyone who helped make another memorable Ras Wyddfa possible.
Race the Highland Train 5K
This year's Race the Highland Train attracted a record 278 finishers, with 28 Eryri Harriers taking part on a warm summer evening from Dinas to Caernarfon.
Huw Gwynn led the club home in 4th Overall with an excellent 15:36, while several Eryri athletes collected age-category awards.
The biggest thank you goes to the enormous team of volunteers who made another record-breaking event possible.
From registration, timing, children's races, railway coordination, marshals, sponsors and countless behind-the-scenes helpers, events like this simply could not happen without your commitment.
Special thanks go to race organiser Mike Blake and his team for delivering another outstanding evening.
Holyhead Breakwater Race
Sixteen Eryri Harriers competed in the Holyhead Breakwater event.
Strong winds and waves crashing across the breakwater forced organisers to shorten the race for safety reasons, demonstrating excellent decision-making in difficult conditions.
Despite the revised course, Eryri enjoyed an outstanding evening.
Highlights included:
Josh Keogh – 3rd Overall (20:49)
Anna Drinkwater – 1st Female (24:07), continuing her excellent return to racing (only 8 weeks after giving birth to little Huw)
Margot Saher – 3rd Female Overall & 1st F50
Ian Edwards – 8th Overall
Collectively, these performances secured the Team Title for Eryri Harriers.
This race also marks a 1 anniversary to one of our members. This was Phil Boaks’ First race in an Eryri Vest exactly a year ago. Since then, he has been consistent racing at local (and further afield) races, with a smile on his face. Da iawn Phil – diolch for being a great Representative of the club
Congratulations to Kevin Clark and the Cybi team for delivering another well-organised event despite the challenging weather. Congratulations to every runner, volunteer, coach and supporter who has contributed to another memorable few months. We look forward to seeing what the rest of the season brings.
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