Why UTMB?
Croeso i Gymru! or Welcome to Wales (So google says anyways). I’ve been trying to start this paragraph for the last 25 minutes and although I have the race blog etched in my mind, I can’t help but feel I’ve got to somehow justify why this race and my journey with the UTMB is right for me and anyone else interested in footing the line in Chamonix at what is arguably the “Super Bowl/World Cup” of the trail running world.
So as with most things in life we are inspired by things we consume through various media, this might be a running buddy sharing their experience of a must do race or through a plethora of visual media that we just accept as the norm nowadays. My inspiration for running was spawned by a timely choice to get fitter and working with someone who had completed a multitude of events of various distances and disciplines. This timely combination propelled me into the world of Fell Running and ultimately gave me the perfect foundation into Fell, Trail Running, which lead to consuming as much media as I could on the two disciplines.
Killian Jornet is in my opinion the Messi or Ronaldo of Trail/Mountain Running and in consuming more and more YouTube clips of the top ultra runners around the world and Killian’s name kept coming up time after time. I sometimes relate to when I was younger me and my brother would watch martial arts movies and then pretend to replicate the fighting scenes while holding a settee cushion and getting kicked onto said settee, all while my brother made Bruce Lee sounds waaaaahhaaaaa! I find this so relatable to when I watch a running documentary or YouTube clip about a race or route, but unlike the martial arts movies we tried to replicate I get to actually be in the movie or in his case the race (probably make some funny noises while doing it as well).
If you’re a football/Soccer fan, you could only imagine what it would be like to play in a cup final or even play with your sporting heroes. Now don’t get me wrong I don’t for a second believe I’ll be running alongside my running heroes or even competing for similar times, but it’s possible to run in the same race or route as them and experience it first hand. Not only do you get to experience the race first hand you are the runner at the start of the UTMB in Chamonix in your own documentary/movie and what a memory to be able to hold and even tell. I love a good quote and said to a good running friend the other day “I don’t plan on talking about what I could have done in 20 years time.” and I don’t.
Ultra-Trail Snowdonia (Eryri) 50k
Planning, Parking, Accommodation and Kit Check
Most races I’d travel across the day/night before and get registration sorted, sleep in my car and then race. it came apparent that large swaths of Snowdonia has restricted parking and the parking wardens and keen (I walked past a layby near Pen Y Pass on the Friday and all the cars parked up were ticketed). So by luck Andrew Morley had posted he’d got a dorm booked at the Youth Hostel near Bethesda and had some spare bunks of which I secured one. This left me to park up there on the Friday, hike over the mountain for 4 miles and 2,000ft of ascent, before hitch hiking to the event village.
The event village is something different again for me and had a very chilled vibe to it along with everyone wanting to talk about ultra running and the races they were sign up for in the future. kit check and bib collections was very smooth and before I knew it I was just chilling drinking a iced frappe while relaxing in the sun. I met up with Andrew who I was sharing the dorm with and we chatted ultra running of course and then went for a quick pizza and beer before heading back for an early night ahead of our races.
Lots of noise in the youth hostel as everyone washed and got ready for bed and no sooner had I fell asleep I was up at 2am to use the toilet. Knowing I was up at 3am meant I couldn’t get back to sleep, which is kind of nothing new for me as I don’t sleep well before races. No sooner had the 3am alarms gone off was we in the car on our way, a small panic with Andrew misplacing his phone to soon be found once we arrived at the carpark. Time was ticking on before the 100k start so Andrew jogged ahead and I dropped his drop bag off, while recording the start of the UTS 100k.
Pre-Race Preparations
My race prep wasn’t all that great ahead of the UTS 50k, partly because I’d chosen to have a packed racing schedule and not target a specific race with also a bucket list “holiday” planned 2 weeks before hand. Some decent hill training and a weekend on the Isle of Skye enable me to get some hill work in, but not being able to get some long run sessions left me feeling less confident in being able to run the entire race how I’d like to.
What I did manage to do ahead of some serious quad sapping down hills in Snowdonia is a hill rep session (14 reps of my favourite local hill Roseberry Topping). I definitely felt the benefit of this session to prepare my quads and recently read a study that just one session of downhill running 3 weeks before a targeted activity promotes fatigue resistance (think it was this article after a quick google).
Race Day
Here I am on the start line, weirdly not phased at all. I say this because the plan is to just enjoy it, don’t race, don’t get caught up in other people’s race and finish leaving my body in the best possible condition ahead of next week’s Hardmoors 110 (yes I know, I’m about to start one of the hardest 50k races in the UK the week before a 110 mile race).
3… 2… 1… and we’re off in wave 2/3 (I need to work on that index to get into the 1st wave). steady run out of Llanberis towards the Llanberis path and quickly into our first taste of the day being the tarmac steep road that leads to the trail head. I try to have a few chats and jokes with the runners alongside me, but appreciate not everyone is hear for a good time and unlike me some are lucking to push themselves for a good time or even just complete this immense race for the first time. as we work our way up Snowdon/Yr Wyddfa for the first time the sun is already raising it’s head and giving a hint of what the day has in store for us.
Before we know it we’re descending down the Pyg track through some fairly technical bits with a mixture of boulder built paths. This soon leads to our first chance at getting some water on board and a quick toilet stop if required. It’s at this point a gentleman raises his distain for people descending with there poles and decides no one should be using poles to descend the pyg track, I looked up to see if this was Killian Jornet offering advice, but sadly not. So be warned if you are not going to start from the front, can’t ascend as fast as others but are a confident descender you might want to work on your ascending or patience as it’s busy on that first descent.
Pushing on and down some nice trails that start to flatten out taking us to our first major checkpoint and a mass of activity. A couple of runners were thinking that there maybe some snacks here, but again to reiterate the details on the website its just a water station here so be sure to have enough nutritional supplies to get you to checkpoint 2 (which is after you have ascended Snowdon twice). With quick fill of the water bottles and a snack it is a lovely meander through the valley, trees, while the river runs along side us.
After a quick dip in the river to cool down ahead of the next big climb and start running down a narrow path to be met by the biggest bull I’ve seen in a while, yes a F***ing Bull. Not sure how he’d got there, but he wasn’t in the slightest bothered by the runners either trying to squeeze past him on the path or diving over the fence to avoid him totally. I’m not sure what got my heart rate higher, ascending Snowdon or meeting Bully.
After the excitement of bumping into Bully, we turned onto the Watkin Path, which starts off fairly nice and meanders up towards Snowdon to slowly get steeper and steeper with many false horizons. The Sun and heat continued to blaze down on us and I took to the river for another plunged, this time fully submerged. There were only a few of us doing this, but this was a great way to reduce the body temperature as we proceeded up towards Snowdon. Along the way many people were having to stop, stretch, rest and even sit down probably contemplating there life choices at this moment.
I helped a couple of runners handing them salt tablets and another gentleman I shared half the remaining water I had as he was totally out and sat on a rock. We soon were running along the short ridge before a quick and steep final ascent to the top of Snowdon and the masses! Tourists, charity walks, charity rowing at the top (yes a rowing machine at the top) and no doubt a whole host of Instagram’s finest aspiring influencers queuing for there chance to be at the top of Snowdon.
It was definitely a relief to have summited Snowdon and felt the hard bits were out the way now…… sadly not, but I’ll get to that painful part shortly. So the descent from Snowdon I felt strong although was ready for a drink of something else other than water. I don’t normally like to drink fizzy drinks as they usual seem to upset my stomach, but I was going to make an exception this time as it was 26 degrees! The Checkpoint was a hive of activity, with a lot more runners sat/stood around trying to eat, drink and take on board vital energy before they proceed into the mid day sun.
I got talking with some chaps who had been running various UTMB events include most of the Chamonix races and gave me some great advice and although sounded like they had enjoyed the UTMB races I think it was starting to wear on them a little (not sure if that was the event or being a little rude an age thing). I tried to eat a sun dried sandwich, but that wasn’t working so off we go and get these easy last two hills out the way now.
Through a small forest and out onto the open fell working our way up this increasing steep, tiring, hot hill! Things started to take a turn for the worse here, I believe a combination of the hot day and not taking on enough food has lead me to my predicament here. I “choose” to sit down several times working my way up this hill and admire the scenery and finally reach the plateau, with some fantastic views from here, but lets just get this thing done now. I meander down the fell and through a tight forest with another quick dip in the river and then around into the final checkpoint.
Watermelon!! moar!!! watermelon! The checkpoint has a good vibe to it, people sense the end is near and the watermelon is going down a treat. I eat what I can and just want to push on and get this thing done, hoping I can make quick work of this last hill and be finished well under 12 hours…… No sooner am I out the checkpoint and heading up my first hill I just need to sit down, I lay down for 3 mins resting my eyes and realise this is gonna be hard work. I manage to tag on to another guy who is cheerful and talkative and before I know it we’re making our way through the forest and again out on to open fell.
I’m pretty fatigued at this point and start to feel a little sick, especially the thought of trying to eat or force another gel down me. The reality is here, you’ve just got to do it, but for me I struggle up the last hill until almost at the top and ultimately forcing half an energy gel down me. As I crested the top and the gel kicked in I felt infinitely better and almost instantly was able to run, I ran down and power hiked the small climbs as we yoyo’d down closer towards Llanberis and the finish.
I kept a decent pace down the gravel track and across some fell, but the road section was a little hit and miss so a little more walking here. Once the second to last corner had been turned I ran into the finish and the job was done. It feels a little lonely as it was just me at the race and lots of runners had family, friends and even children meeting them at the end so thoughts were immediately of home. I tried to drink the warm finishers beer, I tried to eat the lovely Thai Green Curry and noodles, but I just wanted to get sorted and head home.
A swift cold drink at a local pub, picked up and chat about the weekend with the taxi driver and before I knew it I was changed and in the car heading home.
Things to consider for next years event:
- Prepare on longer/higher hills/mountains
- If I think it might be hot, use sauna to help with acclimatisation before hand
- Do exactly what I did to prepare my quads for this year as had no issues with downhill strength and endurance throughout the event.
- Take more liquid calories if it’s going to be hot (Tailwind etc.)
- Force food down myself at aid stations
- Book accommodation in Llanberis if possible to save all the faff and bring the family
- Enter the 100k once entries open!
In short my conclusion on the event as a whole is great experience and i’m coming back for the 100k in 2025, see you then!
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Author: Justin Bramall
Passionate about all things ultra running, from tackling epic distances to embracing adventurous challenges. I thrive on pushing limits, exploring new terrain, and sharing the grit and glory of the ultra world.
