A Win for Sanna Duthie on the Inaugural Slate Trail Ultra & More Amazing Races: This Week's Trail Tally

Wendover Woods scenery © Centurion Running

Chasing Trails: Week 46

We are so excited to see Harrier PRO Team athlete Sanna back racing and taking the win at the inaugural Slate Trail Ultra! Just as she has done in her FKT attempts, Sanna showed an amazing amount of grit and determination to cover these 91 miles through bogs and long stretches of time in the dark, following her headtorch light and not much else. A brilliant way to end the season. Well done to everyone who braved the trails, from Snowdonia to Wendover and to the heart of England, escaping from Meriden!

Sanna Duthie and Lukasz Sum Win Inaugural Slate Trail Ultra 

Held for the first time this past weekend, the Slate Trail Ultra (91 miles / 147 km long with 12,800 feet / 3,900 m of ascent) took runners back in time to the period when slate mining ruled Eryri. After four years of voluntary work by the Cwm Community Action Group, the Snowdonia Slate Trail was opened in 2017 to welcome tourists in rediscovering a historic area, its heritage, and the amazing trails, views, and quieter areas of Snowdonia. 

Apex Running organised the race starting from Bangor this past weekend, taking in the full Slate Trail through abandoned mines, eerie landscapes, and welcoming villages. The runners set off on Saturday at 6am, with Lukasz Sum and Sanna Duthie taking an early lead and running side by side for a few early miles into checkpoints at Bethesda, Llanberis, Nanttle, and Beddgelert. They eventually grew slightly apart into the night, but each held on to the lead and finished in first position. Lukasz arrived at the finish line in Bangor in 18:40:58, followed by Dave Douglas in second place (25:03:46) and William Ravenscroft in third (25:41:28). A remarkable run by Lukasz, setting the course record for future years.

Harrier PRO Team athlete Sanna put on a brilliant performance, finishing first woman and second overall in a blistering 22:03:10. She was followed in second place by Helen Rennie (26:29:29) and in third by Rachel Owen (28:06:59).

Sanna said: “The course promised a mix of runnable sections and rugged terrain — and it delivered more than I bargained for… Weather and terrain were the biggest variables of the day. The rain had saturated everything. What should have been simple, runnable stretches were often disguised rivers, while the bogs swallowed energy with every stride.”

Although she felt like “every step was a small gamble,” through bogs and flooded trails, Sanna stayed strong throughout and dug deep. She didn’t just focus on retaining her position, but more so on a “battle with the course, the conditions, and myself.” She was pushed through by wanting to make her dad proud… and she delivered in heaps! Congratulations from us all!

Sanna Duthie Winner of Slate Trail Ultra

Congratulations also to the runners who took on the Ultra Tour of the Quarries, a smaller yet still mighty run on the Slate Trail Ultra, covering 50 miles and 7,500 feet of ascent (80 km / 2,300 m). In the women’s race, Zoe Murphy took the win in 10:02:13, followed by Leigh Jenkins (14:03:26) and Isabelle De Vugt-Soljak (14:12:48). In the men’s race, the win went to Llyr Williams (8:56:50), who was joined on the podium by Jack Walsh (9:13:49) and Carl Everall (9:42:11). Well done to everybody!

Wendover Woods Wins for Veronika Gill and Joe Turner

Over in the South of England, the Centurion Running Wendover Woods 50-miler tested athletes with its five loops through beautiful autumnal forest trails. With smooth descents and runnable climbs, this was another fast challenge, although it threw in some steep sections, too.

Veronika Gill secured the win in the women’s race, finishing in 9:16:30. She took the lead from Zoe Smith, who finished second in 9:30:35. Third place went to Rebecca Di Luzio in 9:43:50. Joe Turner was the winner in the men’s race, running a fast 7:17:43 to cross the line not far over the course record (currently held by Stuart Leaney, set at 7:16:59 in 2018). Second place went to Daniel Weller in 7:41:01 and third to Johnny Hesnan in 8:03:34. 

Brilliant running from everyone!

Veronika and Joe © Centurion Running

Escape From Meriden Celebrates 10 Years 

Meriden is known as the centre of England, marked by a 500-year old cross from where an annual “escape” is organised to see who can get the furthest away in 24 hours. Runners can only travel on foot and can compete solo or in pairs, or even chained together as in a traditional “prison escape.” The route is completely up to them and the final distance is calculated as the crow flies, so some may travel on roads, others on trails, and of course, a mix of terrain. Whoever is the most efficient in route choice and navigation gets the furthest!

The 2025 male champion is James Collet, whose final position was 147.3 km (91.5 miles) from the start (however, he may have run a lot further to get there!). Alice Coffman reached the 145.7 km (90.6 miles) mark in the women’s race. And, as a tenth anniversary special, there was also the option to continue for 48 hours. Ammon Piepgrass got the furthest (214.8 km / 133.5 miles) in the men’s race and Sam Bagnall was the leader in the women’s event (165.8 km / 103 miles).

Great running, all!

Runners at the 24-hour mark © Richard Weremiuk on Facebook

What a fantastic weekend of dot watching following Sanna’s progress on the Slate Trail Ultra! It is always exciting to see events showcase new parts of the world, putting the spotlight on the rich history of an area, and this new race did exactly that, while testing the grit of the participants with an unforgiving November start. Great job to everyone who took this on, looking forward to following the 2026 edition!

- Alecsa Stewart