Mourne Mountains become world stage for record-breaking Skyrunning!
This weekend, the Mourne Mountains were the battleground for the 20th stage of the 2025 Merrell Skyrunner® World Series and U23 Trofeo Esteban Olivero series, as well as the Skyrunner® UK & Ireland Series, including its SkyUltra® Series, U23 Series and Irish Skyrunning Championships, where all champions were decided!
This year, SkyRun the Mournes® included not only the classic Mourne Skyline® and the SkyUltra® — back for a second year — but also the inaugural Mourne SkyTrail, as the concluding race in the UK & Ireland U23 series. Across all races, 500 Skyrunners of 30 different nationalities lined up to do battle in a field stacked with both local legends and elites from around the world.
THE ROUTES
The Mourne Skyline® 35km & 2,700m+ route links ten summits via technical and rocky trails, at times handrailing the impressive Mourne Wall. Runners followed the Brandy Pad trail to Hare’s Gap before climbing to Slieve Bearnagh, followed by Slieve Meelmore. Next, a descent to the aid station at Fofanny Dam follows, before a short road section gave access to the trail up Slieve Loughshannagh. From here the race travelled eastwards, culminating in the descent of Slieve Commedagh and subsequent brutal climb up Slieve Donard (the tallest summit in Northern Ireland), before runners returned to Donard Park via a long quad-busting descent for the finish. For a reminder of the full route, see our Strava account HERE.
The undulating profile of the Mourne Skyline was noted amongst many international runners!
Ultrarunners in the 50km/3,500m+ Mourne SkyUltra® raced through Donard Forest, before following the Mourne Wall up Slieve Donard. Dropping from here, they stayed low to call at the first aid station at Carrick Cottage, before linking the many Slieve Binnian summits above Silent Valley. Dropping to the second aid station at Fofanny Dam, they then joined the classic Skyline route heading east, finishing with an ascent of Slieve Commedagh SW top before a final dash to the finish line. Revisit the full race route on our Strava account HERE.
The 20k/1300m+ Mourne SkyTrail™ is a rollercoaster route that strikes out towards Hare’s Gap before turning back, taking in the highlights of the eastern Mourne Mountains and finishing with the 850m climb up Slieve Donard – the iconic peak towering above Newcastle! Designed as a stepping stone into the Skyrunning circuit, this superb sea-to-summit route drew the biggest field of all three races this Saturday. Revisit the full race route on our Strava account HERE.
THE SCOOP
Although the day dawned mild and dry, low cloud hugged the race route, providing both atmosphere and added navigational challenge for visiting athletes. The competition was fierce, with elite talent from the UK, Ireland, Spain, France, New Zealand and beyond, all on the start line.
Mourne Skyline®
In the weekend’s female race, Spain’s Naiara Irigoyen (Open Team) delivered an outstanding performance, claiming her third victory of the season on the world circuit, setting a new course record of 4:13:15 in the process. Tipped as a pre-race favourite, Irigoyen lived up to the high expectations, chasing fellow Spaniard Marta Martínez (La Sportiva) up the first major climb before overtaking her at the summit of Slieve Bearnagh — a lead she never relinquished!
Irigoyen comments: “Today was a good race but it was not easy and I suffered. The race was beautiful. It had a lot of ups and downs, which is different to what I am used to – normally one big climb and one big descent – but I was able to adapt and I’m really happy to have this third win and looking forward to the SkyMasters next month, where I hope to finish my season in a very high position in the overall ranking.”
Spain’s Naiara Irigoyen executed a dominant performance in this year’s Mourne Skyline © Darragh Loughran
After a spirited duel with the UK’s Natalie Beadle, Martínez held strong to secure second place, crossing the line six minutes behind Irigoyen. Beadle completed the podium less than a minute later, rounding off the most competitive women’s race in recent Mourne Skyline history.
Impressively, Beadle now ranks 11th in the Skyrunner® World Series – but she wasn’t the only UK athlete in the top 10. Kirsty Oldham, who represented Scotland for the first time at Snowdon International Mountain Race this year, also delivered a stellar performance, fishing 5th in 4:30:50, with Beth Logan (4th in the overall national series prior to this race) coming in just outside of the top 10 (finishing in 11th position in 4:53:27).
Natalie Beadle placed top Brit in third overall © Darragh Loughran
Amazingly, the top 12 women all went under the previous course record of 05:30:02 (set at the 2018 event), which is undoubtedly testament to the ever rising standard within the women’s competition. Local athlete Bernadette Quinn was the first Irish athlete across the line in 15th place and is now secure at the top of the Irish Skyrunning Championship rankings.
Female age category winners in the Skyline were V40-44 Joanna Wheeler Connon (in 6:34:47), V45-49 Claire Stone (in 7:34:24), V50-54 Stephanie Bastrenta from France (in 5:49:00) and V55+ Anne Lyons from Ireland (in 9:04:37).
Top five at this year’s Mourne Skyline © Evan Davies
In the men’s race, Manuel Merillas (New Balance) was in a class of his own, controlling the race from the opening climb and never faltering as he stormed to victory in a new course record time of 3:23:36.
Merillas comments: “I saw this event and I thought it looks like my home so I have to come and race here in the Mournes. The race was tough and of course, it’s always difficult when you hear that people got lost. For me this was an important race and so I gave it my all and this paid off.”
Spain’s Manuel Merillas led from the start © Darragh Loughran
With Merillas untouchable out front, the battle for the remaining podium was a real nail-biter! After a navigation error forced the leading trio off course (Jackson Cole (New Zealand, La Sportiva), Gontzal Murgoitio (Basque EMF), and Alain Santamaria (Open Team)), the door was suddenly open for Damien Humbert (France, New Balance) and Oier Zubeldia (Basque Country). Zubeldia ultimately secured second place, finishing 13 minutes behind Merillas, with Humbert close behind in third.
Despite their setback, Santamaria, Murgoitio and Cole fought back impressively to finish inside the top ten, showcasing remarkable resilience and form.
This weekend the top 5 men in the Mourne Skyline® all went under the previous course record of 3:41:46 established in 2018). Scottish elite Jacob Adkin and also Harry Bolton from England both finished inside the top 10 on Saturday, playing to their strengths in more familiar conditions and terrain. Adkin crossed the line in 3:50:17, with Bolton 6 minutes behind him.
Ed Brewer placed top Brit in 14th © Darragh Loughran
Meanwhile UK skyrunner Ed Brewer (2nd in the overall National Series going into Saturday) pulled out another strong performance, finishing 14th in 4:12:22. Irish runner Niall Trearty crossed the line in 19th this weekend and will be looking forward to seeing whether this result secures him a win in the men’s Irish Skyrunning Championship. Rankings across all series will be updated later this week – so watch this space for confirmation of final positions.
Age category winners in the Skyline were V40-44 Ian Stevenson (in 5:19:45), V45-49 Robert Gerardo (in 5:33:18), V50-54 Derek Mullen (in 5:05:03) and V55+ was Donal Riordan (in 9:49:32). Provisional results now available to view HERE.
Top five at this year’s Mourne Skyline © Evan Davies
Mourne SkyTrail
The Mourne SkyTrail, running alongside the classic event, served as the penultimate round of the 2025 MSWS U23 Trofeo Esteban Olivero Series and National U23 Series, drawing a strong field of emerging young talent, eager to secure crucial points before the series finale. It was no surprise then that the U23’s dominated the leaderboard with two UK athletes making it onto the podium.
In the men’s race, Tom Spencer (UK, Inov-8) led from the start but was dramatically overtaken in the final 100 metres by Ibai Larrea (Basque Country), who surged past to win by just three seconds. Finlay Grant (UK, Scarpa) completed the men’s podium, seven minutes behind.
Eventual winner Ibai Larrea from the Basque Country pursues Brit Tom Spencer up Slievenaglogh © Erin Walker
The depth of talent from the Basque Country was seriously impressive, with 7 out of the top 10 finishers hailing from the region. Local legend Eoghan Whelan, who is currently topping the Irish Skyrunning Championships and the U23 Series finished in 11th place in 2:07:58 to secure the win in the U23 Series.
“I knew that I was coming in good conditions and also that Tom was very fast” said Larrea at the finish. “Uphill he was really quick and at some points I couldn’t see him in the fog but on the downhill, I pushed really hard and was able to catch him” he explains.
In the women’s U23 competition, Claudia Corral (Spain, Scarpa) dominated from the outset, finishing ten minutes ahead of Carodilla Cabestre (Spain, Open Team), with the UK’s Louise Mitchell (the only senior in the top 5) taking third place, twelve minutes behind.
“I knew I was feeling good, so I dug in and pushed hard. The terrain was really fun but very different to what I’m used to” said Corral in her post-race interview.
Irish runner Rebecca Magee was denied a podium position but crossed the line less than 10 minutes behind Mitchell. With Cat Wain-Hobson and Petra Brewer finishing in 6th and 7th respectively, they now wait with baited breath to see how the final rankings stack up. It looks likely however, that Brewer will take the win in the UK & Ireland National U23 Series, while Wain-Hobson will hold on to 2nd in the overall national series, behind the unbeatable Holly Wootton. Provisional results now available to view HERE.
Mourne SkyUltra®
The women’s race was dominated by the hotly-tipped Irish trio Nicola Soraghan, Kristen O’Sullivan and Deirdre O’Gorman. Strongest on paper, these ladies delivered the goods when it mattered, racing consistently throughout. O’Sullivan held the lead early on but Soraghan paced herself brilliantly and took O’Sullivan on the descent to Fofanny Dam – never looking back. By the time she had reached Donard Park, Soraghan had a convincing lead, winning the race in 7:59:29, with O’Sullivan finishing in second place in 8:10:49. O’Gorman completed the women’s podium in 8:17:29 with a 48-minute lead on the 4th lady home, Anwen Darlington.
Nicola Soraghan climbing strong in the early kilometres © Evan Davies
Soraghan also claims first V40-44, while first female V50-54 goes to Rachel Ormrod (11:31:42).
“It was a great day from start to finish. My aim was to go out and enjoy it and that’s how it went for me really. I tried to stay in my comfort zone. It was nice that I ran with Kristen as we had a bit of conversation and it was only in the last 15k that I managed to get ahead” said Soraghan “I really didn’t want a sprint finish!” she added.
The men’s ultra field was dominated by the Polish contingent this weekend, with 3 of the top 5 runners hailing from Poland – but they were not the same Polish athletes flagged by our preview! First athlete home was Maciej Dzieledzak in 6:54:20, who was in 6th position in the SkyUltra® Series going into this race. Above him in that ranking was fellow Polish athlete Adam Armata, who came in 4th on Saturday, narrowly missing the podium – which will surely mix up the series rankings when the dust settles.
Maciej Dzieledzak climbs Slieve Donard in the mist early on © Erin Walker
“I started easy after the Seven Sisters Skyline just two weeks ago, and I just tried to stick with the leading pack” said Dzieledzak at the finish line. “Having raced this course before, and knowing what’s ahead, helped me to pace it well. The course has lots of steep, rocky descents but it was good that it was dry today” he added.
Second position on the podium fell to U23 Ashley Crutchley (in 6:59:47) and third over the line was Polish skyrunner Robert Janknowski (in 7:27:18). Janknowski was also first V45-49 and will no doubt be pleased with his podium spot after finishing 5th in the same race last year. First male V40-44 was James Wilson in 8h08 (5th overall) and V50-54 was Robert Johnston (in 9h07). Last but not least, V55+ winner was Masato Tanaka 8:36:23 from Japan, who returned this year after racing the Mourne Skyline back in 2018! Provisional results now available to view HERE.
The imposing Mourne Wall is a dominant feature in all races © Erin Walker
This edition of the Mourne Skyline has not only concluded the Skyrunner® UK & Ireland Series and all sub-series’, but has also played a decisive role in the standings of the Merrell Skyrunner® World Series and the U23 Trofeo Esteban Olivero series, in which there remain only three races before the SkyMasters Final (Marató dels Dements, Spain on Saturday 8th November).
WHAT’S NEXT?
Find out the final ranking in the Skyrunner® UK & Ireland Series later this week
The top 300 M/F overall finishers in each race now will receive series points and ranking charts will be updated on the Skyrunning UK website in the next few days.
In the meantime, be sure to follow Skyrunning UK on Facebook HERE, Instagram HERE and why not join the Facebook Group HERE or the Strava Club HERE.
