Winter Running from the Black Mountains to Sweden ⚜️

Black Mountains © Blackmountains.wales  

From racing in the Black Mountains to Sweden and Mallorca for late-season races by UTMB, the trail adventures continue even as the days are getting shorter and we’re winding down for the end of the year. Congratulations to everyone who braved the trails and the elements this weekend!

Celebrating Halloween Weekend at the Black Beacon

Iconic tough climbs, brilliant views of the Black Mountains, and an atmospheric Halloween evening start awaited runners lining up to the Run Walk Crawl Black Beacon 100-mile race last Friday. This out-and-back traverse of the Bannau Brycheiniog and Black Mountains was a rollercoaster ride on relatively fast trails compared to some other Welsh ultras, delighting runners who are just stepping up to the 100-mile distance and testing the speed of the more competitive ones.

Congratulations are in order for the two female finishers, Sam Munnis (33:10:8) and Danielle MacGill (37:52:57). In the men’s race, the podium was made up of Joe Coburn (28:29:54), followed by Justin Edwards (29:49:10) and Luke Wyatt (32:37:32).

There were also 50-mile and 50k races to test those looking to do South to North crossings of the Bannau Brycheiniog, and for the 50 miles the Black Mountains, as well as a 21-mile race from Llangynidir back to Hay-on-Wye.

Dawn Winter won the women’s 50-mile race in 14:01:02, followed by Nicola McNally (14:53:41) and Amela Hatfield (15:50:02). In the men’s race, Alex Bennett was victorious (9:31:44), followed by Jeremy Swainson (9:44:37) and Dan Summers (11:00:41).

The 50k female podium was: Megan Briar (7:14:29), Sam Thapa (7:20:11), and Emma McWilliams (7:23:27). Finally, in the men’s race: Dominic Coy (5:22:23), Osian Freegard (6:19:30), and Daniel Loram (6:20:17).

Well done, everyone!

The Black Beacon finishers’ medal

Charlotte Fisher & Julia Davis on the Podium in Mallorca

Over in Mallorca, the UTMB World Series continued with multiple events, this time able to go ahead after many weather-related issues last year. All taking place in the Serra de Tramuntana UNESCO World Heritage Site, unique climbs and Mediterranean views greeted the runners who took on races from 138 km down to 36 km.

The main event was the Serra de Tramuntana 138 km race with 5,350 m of elevation. Charlotte Fisher ran a superb time of 19:43:39 to finish third behind New Zealand’s Isla Smith (18:12:55) and France’s Julie Marini (19:13:34). She is now qualified for the UTMB World Series Final in Chamonix - the big Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc!

And, in the 100k category, we had another female podium finisher with Julia Davis taking third in 12:23:58 after completing 104 km with 3,470 m of ascent. Sonja Kinna from Germany won the race in 11:58:35 and Ana Cervan from Spain was second in 12:18:22. This result qualified Julia for the UTMB CCC next August. 

Great running, ladies!

Aerial shot of Mallorca by UTMB © UTMB World Series Instagram

Kullamannen Success for Joe Farrelly & Andrew Heyes

Further north, another UTMB World Series event took place in Sweden - the Kullamannen by UTMB. Named after a mythical character, either a broken-hearted knight, an astrologer with supernatural powers, or a huge beast, the race series challenges runners with Scandinavian weather and runnable courses, where fast running is required to stay competitive. A “mysterious power” is meant to sometimes intervene as well, pulling runners towards the sea and the steep cliffs!

British runners had the weather acclimation advantage and showed up to claim podium places in the 100k and 50k races. Well done to Joe Farrelly, who was third in the Sprint Ultra 100km in 8:52:45 (the race was won by Finland’s Tuomas Kari in 8:36:19, with Norway’s Aasmund Kjøllmoen Steien coming second in 8:46:02).

In the Seventh Seal 50k, Andrew Heyes was less than a minute behind second place, claiming third in 3:35:03. The race was won by Sweden’s Oscar Claesson (3:32:40), Pierre Galbourdin from France coming second in 3:34:15.

Well done to all the runners!

Runner during one of the Kullamannen Races © Kullamannen Instagram

As the days get shorter and we’re heading into off season for most trail runners, it’s brilliant to still see motivated athletes braving the night and cold, or heading to sunny havens, and inspiring us all! There are still some exciting events coming up though, so stay tuned to the next newsletters! 

- Alecsa Stewart, Journalist