2025 Skyrunner® National Series Returns to the Lake District.
Focus on the finish and don’t look down! ©Tanya Raab
This weekend marks the halfway point of the 2025 Skyrunner® UK & Ireland Series and we have three exciting points counters on the menu:
Rab Helvellyn Sky Ultra: 57km & 3,700m+ (also third race of the SkyUltra® Series).
St. Sunday Sky Race: 29km & 2,050m+ (also second race of the U23 Series).
Rab Pinnacle Ridge Extreme: 28km & 2,700m+ featuring super-technical Grade 3 scrambles!
This trio of SkyRaces is the brainchild of Charlie Sproson, owner of Lake District Sky Trails and Mountain Run, and one of the key instigators of UK Skyrunning since its inception in 2015.
Over 350 competitors, spanning 23 different nationalities will toe the start line on Saturday in this, the second 2025 skyrunning weekend from Lake District Sky Trails. This year the event is part of the ITRA national series and also the Dutch & Belgian Skyrunning Club Championships, which has attracted a high number of international entries.
The forecast is currently looking mixed, with warm temperatures and light rain but everyone will be weather watching as the race weekend approaches, as stormy weather is a distinct possibility.
It’s all about the technical ridgelines at this event. ©Tanya Raab
Helvellyn Sky Ultra
The HSU (previously the Lakes Sky Ultra) is a demanding 57km/3,700m+ technical course that incorporates a number of hands-on Lakeland ridgelines, including the Helvellyn Edges (Striding Edge and Swirral Edge), as well as Cofa Pike, Hart Crag, Dove Crag, Red Screes and High Street. Runners will set out at 07:00 from Patterdale Hall and as last year, the race will be part of the SkyUltra® Series as well as the overall series. Discover the HSU route in full on our Strava account HERE and find out more about the event on its website HERE. Why not also follow Skyrunning UK on social media via the Facebook Page HERE or on Instagram HERE!
A super technical day of Skyracing awaits all this Saturday! ©Tanya Raab
Many dot-watches will be disappointed to hear that although Mark Darbyshire is on the entry list, he will no longer be racing this weekend and the same may be true for his challenger Gavin Dale (UTMB Index 778), who has developed a stress fracture. This might be good news however, for Salomon athlete Rob 'Sinco' Sinclair (UTMB Index 769) who is back on the course after winning (the then Lakes Sky Ultra) in 2018. Hot on his heels we can expect to see Scarpa athlete Harry Holmes, winner of the Scafell Sky Ultra 2025, Spencer Shaw (UTMB Index 731), plus some highly ranked Dutch skyrunners including Max Bergkamp (UTMB Index 731), Diederick Calkoen (UTMB Index 729) and Daan Nieuwenhuis (UTMB Index 707).
Rob Sinclair (here on Pinnacle Ridge in 2018) will be looking for a win at HSU 2025 ©Ian Corless
It’s also going to be a super exciting day of dot-watching for those following the women’s race, as we welcome 2024 winner Holly Wootten (UTMB Index 718) to the start line. Wootten also finished 2nd in the 14 Peaks Ultra last month. She will go head-to-head with Skyrunner UK & Ireland Series 2023 champion Alicia Schwarzenbach, who finished second in this race that year. Other names to watch are Anwen Darlington (UTMB Index 593) and Belgian athlete Ann Andries (UTMB Index 593), who recently won the Grand Trail Des Lacs Et Chateaux (GTLC) GT85.
Holly Wootten will be focused on the win, pictured here at last month’s 14 Peaks Ultra. ©Joel Jameson
Pinnacle Ridge Extreme
For the next-level dot watching experience, don’t forget to tune in and follow the action in the Pinnacle Ridge Extreme alongside the HSU, which starts at 08:00 the same day.
This 28km notorious route may be short by comparison but it packs a gigantic punch with 2,700m of ascent, weaving its way around the Helvellyn massif and taking in some of the best lines on the mountain, with no less than eight sections of graded scrambling/extremely technical descents (all of which are marked on the race map here)! Runners will need to hold their nerve and keep their wits about them over this, the only ‘extreme’ SkyRace in the UK!
The Rab Pinnacle Ridge Exreme is ideal for those who like to get hands-on! ©Tanya Raab
This year’s highest ranked male entrant is Swiss athlete Michael Furrer with a UTMB index of 751, following some top 10 finishes in the 50K and 100K distance last year. He can expect to be battling it out with James Caspian on Saturday, another highly ranked athlete with endurance racing form (UTMB Index 741). Caspian was winner of Ultra Great Britain and finished 2nd in the 100K Race to the King in 2024. Finishing 5th in the UTS 100M in 2025, he was chasing a podium finish. Tune in to see how these top trail runners fair over this much shorter and more hands-on course?
Craig Lowe at last year’s Mourne Skyline. ©Evan Davies
There are also some familiar faces on the start line, who have raced UK technical courses before – Craig Lowe (UTMB Index 724), Jeremy Swainson (UTMB Index 709) and Ed Brewer (UTMB Index 705). Lowe was 3rd in the overall series last year and has had several previous podium finishes in the Snowdon SkyRace. Meanwhile, Brewer and Swainson were 1st and 2nd respectively, in the same race just last month. Brewer is currently sitting at 2nd in the overall series ranking. We can expect some exciting dot watching as the battle between titans unfolds!
A focused Ed Brewer en route to victory at last month’s Snowdon SkyRace. ©Evan Davies
We can expect no less at the sharp end of the women’s race as Beth Logan (UTMB Index 741), winner of the 2025 Copper SkyTrail and Cat Wain-Hobson (UTMB Index 535), winner of the Snowdon SkyRace, battle it out for a top spot. While Logan has had some strong finishes in challenging trail races, Wain-Hobson has shown an aptitude for the rockier terrain, so it’s all to play for. As always however, UTMB indexes aren’t everything and we have several unranked runners flying under the radar. Keep an eye out for last year’s winner Kelli Roberts, who finished 7th overall in 2024 and will be pushing for the win, and local runner Rosie Watson, who raced the Trofeo Kima Extreme Skyrace in 2024.
Can Kelli Roberts take the win at Pinnacle Ridge Extreme again in 2025? ©Tanya Raab
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St. Sunday Sky Race
At 10:00, the third edition of the St. Sunday Sky Race (previously the St. Sunday Mountain Race) will get underway. Discover the race route in full on our Strava account HERE. This 29km/2,050m+ SkyRace climbs its namesake, St. Sunday Crag, before weaving through the eastern fells on a spectacular route, but without the extreme terrain or ultra distance of the weekend’s other races. At sub-ultra distance, this race offers competitors some fast and furious racing against a spectacular Lakeland backdrop!
Sara Willhoit en route to 2nd place at this year’s Scafell Sky Race. ©Tanya Raab
Favourite in the women’s race is Rab athlete Sara Willhoit, who is in good form having represented England in the six nations champs at Trofeo Nasego race in May and coming 2nd at the Rab Scafell Sky Race last month (UTMB Index 710). We’re also expecting some fast times from Lakes-based runner and INOV8 athlete Kat Townshend (UTMB Index 555) and also visiting Belgian elite Tara Van Delm (UTMB Index 555). Petra Brewer (UTMB Index 534) and Elke Markey (UTMB Index 511) will also be hoping for a strong race and will have their eyes on a podium finish.
Kris Jones in action at last year’s Copper SkyTrail. ©Tanya Raab
In the men’s race, we have master of the shorter distance race, Kris Jones (UTMB index 888) who won the Arc of Attrition 25K this year and also the Copper SkyTrail in 2024. But Jones will have his work cut out against local elite Brennan Townshend (UTMB index 822) as well as Overall Series winner (and U23 Series Champion) Caleb Nonhebel (UTMB index 737). Nonhebel will also be hoping to score top points in the U23 Series, of which this is the second counter after the Copper SkyTrail last month.
Caleb Nonhebel is back for 2025 and will be gunning for the win. ©Tanya Raab
Live GPS tracking is available to view HERE and regular updates throughout the day will be shared on social media via the Facebook Page HERE or Instagram HERE!
If you’re looking to take your first steps into skyrunning, then you can still enter on the day for the Place Fell 15K, also on Saturday 19th, or the 6km uphill race, the Swirral Grind taking place on the afternoon of Friday 18th (neither are part of the Skyrunner® UK & Ireland Series).
The 2025 Skyrunner® UK & Ireland Series: which races will you be doing this year?
It’ll be all to play for across the three certified SkyRaces this weekend, with £200/£100/£50 up for grabs for the top 3 M/F finishers, as well as prizes for age cat winners U23 and V40 upwards, plus giveaways from presenting partners Rab!
Skyrunning UK Director, Mike Jones will be soaking up the good time vibes at race headquarters this weekend, so don’t forget to swing by the Skyrunning UK stand to learn more about this year’s National Series and grab some product samples from our series supplements partners Wassen and VOOM!
Stay tuned for race reports arriving on Monday, for the exclusive on how the weekend’s action played out…
