SkyRun the Mournes® hosts Merrell Skyrunner® World Series and UK & Ireland Series finale
Excitement is building ahead of a momentous weekend of skyracing, as the world’s best skyrunners prepare to do battle with the Mourne Mountains of Northern Ireland at the 20th race in the Merrell Skyrunner® World Series and 12th stage of the MSWS U23 Trofeo Esteban Olivero series. The Green Isle will host three epic SkyRaces at SkyRun the Mournes® this weekend, which will conclude not only the 2025 Skyrunner® UK & Ireland Series but also the U23 Series, SkyUltra® Series and Irish Skyrunning Championships!
With over 500 runners representing 30 different nationalities racing this weekend, the hills will be alive with the sound of lung-busting, quad-trembling, cowbell-ringing thrills! — and the notorious Irish weather is even making an effort for the occasion. A band of dry weather with mild autumnal temperatures and low winds is expected, paving the way for rapid racing and fast finishes. Who will take home their share of the huge €6,000 prize pool on offer in the Mourne Skyline? Read on to find out.
Ones to Watch
Mourne Skyline®
World class athletes and local runners will rub shoulders on the start line of the Mourne Skyline® in Donard Park, Newcastle on Saturday. At 9am, 193 runners from 21 countries will set off to tackle the high peaks of the Mourne Mountains - including Slieve Bearnagh, Slieve Meelmore, and the highest point in Northern Ireland, Slieve Donard.
This classic mountain race was first hosted in 2014 and is an icon of Northern Irish skyrunning — featuring a gruelling 35km course with over 2,700m of ascent. The route snakes through the Mournes linking steep climbs and rocky, technical trails, closely following the famous Mourne Wall before descending to the aid station at Fofanny Dam. From there, the race turns eastward, leading runners back towards the coast via lesser-known trails, only to face a final tough test: the relentless climb up Slieve Donard. From the summit, a fast, furious descent leads to the finish line at Donard Park. Discover the full route on our Strava account HERE and find out more about the event on its website HERE. And while you’re at it, why not also follow Skyrunning UK on social media via the Facebook Page HERE or Instagram HERE!
Elites will already be travelling to Northern Ireland from around the world to compete this weekend, some following the Gorbeia Suzien Skyrace in the Basque Country, Spain just two weeks ago. The field is stacked with talent in both the men's and women's races, with top contenders vying for vital (and in some cases final) points toward their ranking in the Skyrunner® World and UK & Ireland Series’.
2024 Skyrunning World Champion Alain Santamaria is ranked pre-race favourite for victory in the Skyline © Ian Corless
The 2025 Mourne Skyline® will see strong representation from Spain, with top runners Dimas Pereira (Team Asics) and Alain Santamaría (Open Team), joined by seasoned competitors Manuel Merillas (Team New Balance) and Gontzal Murgoitio (Team Basque Selection/Brooks). But these overseas athletes will face stiff homegrown competition, including Jacob Adkin, Brennan Townshend and Harry Holmes from the UK, in addition to France’s Damien Humbert (Team New Balance) and Jackson Cole of New Zealand (Team La Sportiva).
Brennan Townsend claimed victory at the Skyline in 2018 © No Limits Photography
Also keep a keen eye on U23 maverick Caleb Nonhebel from Scotland (2024 Mourne Skyline® winner and Skyrunner® UK & Ireland Series winner 2024) and Ed Brewer (currently 2nd in this year’s overall National Series). But with a third of competitors at home on Irish soil, how will the local talent stack up against this international field? The Mourne Skyline® also serves as the concluding race in the Irish Skyrunning Championships and a strong finish from Niall Trearty this Saturday could see him move up from third position to take the championship win.
Spain’s Naiara Irigoyen is tipped as pre-race favourite in Saturday’s Skyline © Diego de la Iglesia
The women’s race is set to be just as competitive, with Spain’s Marta Martínez (La Sportiva) and Naiara Irigoyen (Open Team) going head-to-head against a strong international line-up, including the UK’s Natalie Beadle, Sweden’s Lina El Kott (Merrell), France’s Iris Pessey (Scott Running), and Norway’s Liv Richter Melby (Salomon). We can also expect great things from Bethan Logan, who this year won both the Rab Pinnacle Extreme and the Copper SkyTrail and is currently 4th in the overall National Series ranking, as well as Cat Wain-Hobson, who is two places above her in 2nd place. Bernadette Quinn will be hoping for a solid finish on Saturday, to guarantee her top the spot in the Irish Skyrunning Championships. And as always, there will be underdogs, toeing start-line without a ranking but with strong legs and a point to prove. It’s all to play for out there…
Natalie Beadle in action at last year’s Scafell Sky Race © Tanya Raab
After this weekend, runners with the most points (best three race results count to final series standing) will be crowned the Skyrunner® UK & Ireland Champion of 2025 and each take home a cool £500. The top 3 M/F overall will also be invited to the end of season SkyMasters race; the Finals of the Skyrunner® World Series where a huge prize purse is up for grabs!
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The anticipation is already excruciating as athletes complete their final preparations and make their way to the Green Isle. We’re expecting some blisteringly fast times across the board this weekend, with dry conditions out there on the trails – but will course records tumble? Only time will tell.
Live GPS tracking is available to view HERE and regular updates throughout the day will be shared on the Skyrunner® World Series’ Instagram HERE, as well as the Skyrunning UK Facebook Page HERE & Instagram HERE.
The huge landscapes of the Mourne Mountains await this weekend! © No Limits Photography
Mourne SkyTrail
The inaugural Mourne SkyTrail kicks off at 10am and is the 12th stage of the MSWS U23 Trofeo Esteban Olivero series, as well as the concluding race of the UK & Ireland National U23 Series. With some of the world’s best youth athletes taking to the start line, the 20k/1,300m+ rollercoaster route will strike out towards Hare’s Gap before turning back, taking in the highlights of the eastern Mourne Mountains and finishing with climbing the 850m tall summit of Slieve Donard – the iconic peak towering above Newcastle! See the route in on our Strava HERE. Designed as a stepping stone into the Skyrunning circuit, this superb sea-to-summit route has huge appeal, attracting a whopping 203 runners to Donard Park this weekend in its first edition.
In the women’s U23 competition, favourites on paper are Carrodilla Cabestre (Open Team) from Spain, Louise Mitchell from the UK and Claudia Corral, also from Spain. Another youth runner to watch is Petra Brewer, who is currently top of the women’s UK & Ireland National U23 Series.
Spain’s Carrodilla Cabestre Sahún will be one to watch in the inaugural Mourne SkyTrail
Elite talent in the men’s race includes the UK’s Finlay Grant (team Scarpa) and Tom Spencer (team Inov8), as well as Spain’s Ibai Larrea (team Basque Selection) and Jan Balbe (team FEEC). There are even more super-strong U23s visiting from Spain this weekend, including Javier Vives Barreda, Marcos Lopez Galera, Pere Menéndez Ramírez and Francisco Javier Tejonero Valdés, who will all be pursuing a podium spot. Eoghan Whelan from the UK, who is currently topping the Irish Skyrunning Championships ranking after victory at last month’s Seven Sisters Sky Challenge, is also racing the SkyTrail this weekend and will be hoping to first place in the men’s UK & Ireland U23 Series.
Brit U23 athlete Finlay Grant is ranked pre-race favourite in the SkyTrail © Woodentops
Some seriously big climbs await in all races this weekend! © No Limits Photography
Mourne SkyUltra®
First to toe the start line this weekend are the competitors in the 50km/3,500m+ Mourne SkyUltra, departing Donard Park at 7am. Back for its second year, this challenging ultra begins with a full ascent of the formidable Slieve Donard. From there, runners head south toward the first aid station at Carrick Little, then push on to conquer the Slieve Binnian summits overlooking Silent Valley. The route then turns north, joining the classic Mourne Skyline course at the scenic Brandy Pad. From here, it follows the Skyline route past Fofanny Dam, all the way to the finish - mercifully skipping a second climb of Slieve Donard.
This thrilling ultra offers a true grand tour of the Mournes and marks the final event in our SkyUltra® Series. Explore the full route on our Strava account HERE and find out more about the event on its website HERE. And while you’re at it, why not also follow Skyrunning UK on social media via the Facebook Page HERE or Instagram HERE!
Spencer Shaw is back on the start line for his 4th race in the Skyrunner UK & Ireland Series this year, just 3 weeks after taking the win at the Seven Sisters Skyline. He’s enjoyed a stellar season so far and this Saturday will be looking to cement his position at the top of the SkyUltra® Series. Shaw is also sitting in first place in the overall series ranking, just 82 points ahead of second-place Ed Brewer. Brewer is also racing this weekend but will be taking on a tougher field in the Mourne Skyline, leaving Shaw hopeful of securing the National Series win.
Spencer Shaw navigates Crib Goch at June’s 14 Peaks Ultra © Tanya Raab
Challenging Shaw will be UTS 100K finisher Zac O'Neil and Polish athletes Adam Armata and Grzegorz Kieda. Armata was 5th at this year’s Scafell Sky Ultra and Kieda raced the Marathon du Mont-Blanc 90km earlier this year, revealing all these high-ranking competitors to have the legs for this demanding course.
Can Deirdre O’Gorman improve on last year’s 3rd place finish at this race? © Evan Davies
In the women’s field, a strong Irish contingent is taking to the stage with Deirdre O’Gorman, Nicola Soraghan and Kristen O’Sullivan undoubtedly hopeful of seeing off the visiting competition. O’Gorman finished 3rd in this race in 2024 and started strongly this year with a win at the Chianti Ultra Trail by UTMB®. Soraghan on the other hand has a wide repertoire of international races under her belt and a 2nd place finish at the Granite Peaks 50k earlier this year. O’Sullivan finished 3rd in the Seven Sisters Skyline in 2023 and is yet to tackle any of the SkyRun the Mournes™ races.
Debbie Morgan in action at last year’s Snowdon SkyRace © Tanya Raab
Mainland marauders Debbie Morgan (3rd at Snowdon SkyRace® 2024) and Anwen Darlington (4th at the 14 Peaks Ultra® 2024) will also be worth watching closely. No matter the outcome of this race, nobody can now threaten Holly Wooten’s 605-point lead at the top of the women’s SkyUltra® Series rankings.
Live GPS tracking is available to view HERE and regular updates throughout the day will be shared on the Skyrunner® World Series’ Instagram HERE, as well as the Skyrunning UK Facebook Page HERE & Instagram HERE.
Find out your final ranking in the Skyrunner® UK & Ireland Series next week!
Follow Online
If you're an avid dot-watcher, be sure to keep the GPS tracking links above handy throughout the weekend! Live updates will be posted regularly on the Skyrunner® World Series’ Instagram HERE, as well as the Skyrunning UK Facebook Page HERE & Instagram HERE.
UK Skyrunning Director, Mike Jones, will be at the finish line and prize-giving — don’t miss the chance to say hello and pick up some product samples from our series supplement partners Wassen and VOOM!
Watch out for our detailed race reports coming your way next week…
