Entries close in record time at Snowdon International
Tessa Hill at Snowdon 2012
After one of the greatest ever races last year when Scotland’s Murray Strain buried the ghost of 2011 and took a famous victory at the 2012 Tyn Lon Volvo International Snowdon Race / Ras-yr-Wyddfa, anticipation of the 2013 event is as high as ever…
…with 600 places for this year’s event being snapped up in just 4 days!
The race, now it’s 38th year, is considered as one of the greatest in the world of mountain running, and attracts some of the best racers in Europe. However, the event has grown over the last four decades to be one on the bucket-list of mere mortals across the world, as just completing the 10-mile race from Llanberis to the summit of Snowdon and back is something thousands aspire to, but only hundreds achieve, year-on-year.
Robbie Simpson
Evidence of this popularity has once again been visible as the 600 places available online went on sale on the 15th of March. By Monday the 18th all but a few had gone and Race Organiser Stephen Edwards was able to ‘close the book’ on 2013 entries later that day.
“Once again we have been overwhelmed with the support and demand for this race. Little could the organisers of that inaugural race in 1976 have realised what this event would become some 37 years later.
“We take 600 runners via 200 who have run the race before and the rest of the allocation goes to runners who haven’t run before but who have the relevant mountain running experience.
“To be honest we could take thousands of entries for this event, but the mountain and infrastructure just couldn’t cope on a busy summer’s day in July. Snowdon is now recognised as the UK’s busiest mountain and that is part of the attraction for those runners who get that ‘Tour de France feeling’ as they ascend the crowds of people cheering on the slopes come race day”.
Edwards is keen to point out that the event is now much more than just a race, with major sponsors, attractions and a sense of festival which almost brings Llanberis to a stand-still on its traditional third-weekend of July race date.
“It’s amazing really. The buzz in this little village come Snowdon Race weekend is unbelievable, you have to be here to be able to understand that. This race means so much to the area and the people of Llanberis, they are proud of the race and what it portrays to the thousands of visitors that come here for the race and the weekend.
“We will have Ty’n Lon Volvo as our headline sponsor once again in 2013, we have a brand new website and have a very special announcement to come over the next few weeks regarding an addition to the racing programme for the day too. 2013 is basically going to be bigger and better than ever!”
.jpg)
