2025 Skyrunner® UK & Ireland Season starts at Scafell.
The SKYRUNNER® UK & IRELAND 2025 Series is back with a bang! This weekend will be first in the 2025 series and will kick-off with two great races - one returning classic and one new bucket-list ultra, both taking in Scafell Pike, the highest summit in England.
RAB Scafell Sky Race – The Classic
The 40km/2,800m+ RAB Scafell Sky Race first took place in 2017, and is the brainchild of Charlie Sproson, owner of Lake District Sky Trails & Mountain Run - one of the key instigators of UK Skyrunning since 2015. You can discover the route in full on our Strava account HERE.
This quad-busting route is sure to test even the hardiest of Skyrunners!
This Saturday, a stacked field of over 300 runners will be toeing the Scafell Sky Race start line at 08:00. A big field with plenty of big names, all pitting themselves against this much-loved, technical course. Starting in the Great Langdale Valley at the New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel, competitors will run some of the most challenging fells and scenic valleys of the central Lake District, in a rollercoaster ride that keeps giving until the very end. Memorable highlights include a full traverse around Great Gable past Napes Needle, the Corridor Route to Scafell Pike and the unique Great Slab descent off Bow Fell.
The infamous Great Slab is guaranteed to boost concentration ©Tanya Raab
Course Record holder Georgia Tindley, who was due to race but has pulled out due to injury, has this to say; “the Scafell Sky Race is a really challenging course and one of the most interesting races in the Lakes. There are so many great sections that all have a different appeal. I’ll definitely be back - maybe for the ultra next time, as it looks like a fantastic route!”
RAB Scafell Sky Race CR holder Georgia Tindley in action in 2023.
And there’s LOTS to play for! This year, Scafell Sky Race is the UK Short Distance qualifier for the World Mountain & Trail Running Championships in Canfranc-Pirineos in Spain, which will take place on 25-28 September. It also doubles up as the designated UK National Championship race of the UK & Ireland Series for 2025, offering the top 3 M/F finishers automatic SkyMasters qualification (for Marato dels Dements in Spain on 8th of November), as well as +50% bonus Series points awarded to all finishers and an exclusive National Champion vest for 1st M/F overall champions!
Keep your eye on the prize, as there’s a handy £200/£100/£50 up for grabs for the top 3 M/F finishers in both SkyRaces, as well as some tidy prizes from event presenting partners Rab – check out their full range of mountain running clothing & equipment HERE.
You can find out more about the Scafell Sky Race on its website HERE. Why not also follow on social media via the Facebook Page HERE or Instagram HERE.
Ones to Watch
The Scafell Sky Race has been blessed with some very hot, dry conditions in the past few years but this weekend things are looking more mixed – an overcast, possibly drizzly and relatively mild day is forecast, with temperatures in the mid-teens. And watch out for some pretty blustery weather on the tops!
But a mixed bag of weather won’t deter the leaders from chasing those course records*, which stand at 04:30:54 (Tom Evans – 2022) and 05:48:36 (Georgia Tindley – 2022) for M and F respectively (*current route starting in Langdale).
Jack Scott in action at the 2022 edition of UTS 50K ©Ian Corless
Favourites in the men’s field include Altra athlete and Elite Trail Team member Keith Wigley (UTMB Index 848), who will be feeling confident after recent a win at the UTS 100M. But chasing him will be INOV8 athlete, Jack Scott of Spine race fame (UTMB Index 836). He may have something to prove after a recent Cocodona250 DNF (thanks to a hamstring injury) but we can expect he’ll have some fun over this shorter distance, back on UK turf. The field also has a very strong Cumbrian contingent this year, plus Bertie Houghton (UTMB Index 835) who will be fighting-fit after his win at Trail Du Laudon in France earlier this month. We’ll also be watching 2024 Overall Series Winner and Skyrunning National Champion, Alex Hill (UTMB Index749) who won Snowdon SkyRace® last year.
Alex Hill winning Snowdon SkyRace last year ©Hollie Harmsworth
Member of last year’s UK team at the World Skyrunning Championships Ed Brewer (UTMB Index 697) and Robin Downie (UTMB Index 721) are excited to be lining-up this weekend. “Having not raced in the Lakes before I’m expecting this weekend to be lots of fun – plenty of good climbs and technical sections, plus a top British mountain running field!” says Downie, who finished top 10 in the iconic Jura Fell race last week.
Both 2024 UK Skyrunning National Champions will be back racing this weekend.
The women’s field is an equally impressive line-up with favourites including Holly Wootton, Sara Willhoit and Naomi Lang. Holly Wootton (UTMB Index 718) is an Altra athlete and local runner who won the Rab Helvellyn Sky Ultra last year, as well as the classic Three Peaks Race and Scafell Trail Marathon the same year. She’ll be keeping a close eye on GB Mountain Runner and Rab/Scarpa athlete, Sara Willlhoit (UTMB Index 699), who finished 8th in the Mountain Running World Cup 2023 and was English Mountain Running Champion that same year. Willhoit has been racing hard on the international stage, most recently representing her country and finishing in the top 10 at the Trofeo Nasego in Italy. But she’s not the only competitor to get a selection! Nichola Jackson (UTMB Index 712) was also part of the that team and will be racing on Saturday. Jackson first represented GB&NI in 2017 at the World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships in Italy and is the current English Fell Running Champion, winning the Three Peaks Race 2025 just last month.
Holly Wooten en route to winning last year’s Helvellyn Sky Ultra ©Tanya Raab
Another one to watch is Naomi lang, who has the highest UTMB index in the women’s field (748), thanks to lots of strong performances racing in France and Italy last year, including a 7th place finish in the 2024 Golden Trail Series final in Ascona Locarno, Switzerland. And of course, it goes without saying that we can expect great things from Victoria Thompson (UTMB Index 660) – Overall Series winner in 2024, coming in 1st place at both the Seven Sisters Skyline and Snowdon SkyRace® last year. Thompson is no stranger to technical terrain and finished 15th in the legendary Trofeo KIMA last year.
As always, there will be some talented underdogs and skilful newcomers who will take the course by storm and surprise us all. So tune in for all the real-time action on the day (details below)! Why not also follow us on social media via the Facebook Page HERE or Instagram HERE.
Be sure to follow the racing live via Open Tracking HERE.
Spectacular views and technical singletrack on the homeward leg into Langdale ©Tanya Raab
Rab Scafell Sky Ultra — New kid on the block
The new ultra-distance Rab Scafell Sky Ultra will start just two hours before the Sky Race at 06:00 – and it’s a whopper! This new ultra is a technical 65km with 4,400m+ that will test the endurance and stamina of both experienced and aspiring mountain ultra athletes. Starting at the New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel, competitors will battle it out over sections of the Scafell Sky Race before branching off after the 1st feed station to take in an extension over Kirk Fell, through Wasdale and up and over Scafell Pike, before taking a different line into Great Langdale. Oh but it doesn’t finish there, there’s more to come! Heading back out and over to the Coniston Fells, runners will be treated to the impressive Prison Band between Swirl How and Wetherlam before finally heading back to the event centre for the final time. This 'Tour de Force' of the Central and Southern Lakes is expected to become yet another firm favourite in the Lakeland skyrunning calendar.
The new ultra rollercoaster, complete with uber technical trails and jaw-dropping ridgelines.
Favourite in the women’s race is Polish athlete Karolina Woloszczyk (UTMB Index 566), who made it onto the podium in the Scafell Sky Race in both 2023 and 2024. She’ll be looking press the advantage of her knowledge and experience over the shorter course in tackling this longer distance format. Woloszczyk finished 4th in the Overall Series ranking in 2024.
Karolina Woloszczyk en route to finishing 3rd in last year’s Scafell Sky Race ©Tanya Raab
Another leading lady is Steph Knapman (UTMB Index 590), who produced a top 10 finish in the Scafell Sky Race last year and is looking to build her distance. It seems to be going well, as she won the Ultra X Jordan (Wadi Rum Ultra) in autumn 2024. Knapman also made it onto the podium in the KvK (a Kilometre of Vert in Kernow) earlier this month. Hot on her heels could be trail runner Jennifer Clark (UTMB Index 593), winner of the Lake District 50K or Zane Agapova (UTMB Index 448) from Latvia who has had some strong race finishes in the last few years and narrowly missed out on the podium at the Ultra X England in 2023.
A bloodied Spencer Shaw at Scafell Sky Race in 2021
In the men’s race, all eyes will be on Spencer Shaw (UTMB Index 721) who finished 6th in the UTS 50K this year and came 4th at the Marbella Epic Trail 100K, just missing out on the podium. Another athlete with a top UTMB Index is Alexandre Pereira (686). Pereira has a ton of race experience from all across Europe, including a strong finish (top quarter of the field) at the fabled HOKA UTMB Mont-Blanc in 2024! Tim Morgan (UTMB Index 686) has been SkyRacing since 2017 and finished 12th in the Rab Helvellyn Sky Ultra in 2024. But we’ll be watching Richard Bannister (UTMB Index 638) for the 45-49 age cat win (and more), following his 4th place finish at the Seven Sisters Skyline 55k and top 10 finish at the SkyRun Eryri® 14 Peaks Ultra in 2024. Bannister last raced the Scafell SkyRace back in 2021, where he narrowly missed the podium in 4th place. Perhaps the longer race format will better suit his extensive experience – watch this space!
Be sure to follow the racing live via Open Tracking HERE.
A fest of technical Lakeland skyrunning awaits this weekend! ©Tanya Raab
The Skyrunner® UK & Ireland Series
The 2025 Skyrunner® UK & Ireland Series is made up of 13 SkyRaces across which points will be awarded to the top 300 finishers in every race. For the runners with the most points, the best three race results will count to a final series standing. To learn more about the Overall Series structure, prize pool and how the points ranking operates, please see HERE. To learn more about each of this year’s races, see HERE.
Which SkyRace will you be doing this year? Your best three results from any race count to your Overall Series standing!
A selection of these SkyRaces count towards the SkyUltra® Series (INFO), U23 Series (INFO) and Irish Championships (INFO). All races contribute to the Masters Age Cat Series’ (INFO) too.
If you’ll be at Scafell this weekend, don’t forget to swing by the Skyrunning UK stand to learn more about each race in this year’s Series (more info) and grab a product sample from our series supplements partner Wassen.
The Mineral Experts
Wassen harnesses the power of nature's minerals to provide scientifically selected, sustainable and ethically sourced nutritional supplements.
Follow Along Online
Keen to see how the races unfold on Saturday? Live GPS tracking will be available to view HERE & HERE and regular updates throughout the day will be shared on the Skyrunning UK Facebook Page HERE and Instagram account HERE.
We hope you’re as excited as we are about this year’s season of SkyRacing! In the meantime, stay tuned for the race report arriving on Monday to get the full scoop on how Saturday’s action unfolds.