The Snowdon Skyrace in Wales is a challenging long-distance race, especially with the technical sections and tough climbs. Naturally, it was the perfect opportunity for Hasnaa to dive headfirst into the world of skyrunning with her very first competitive event! 🔥
And here’s how it all went…

The night before my first Snowdon Skyrace, I spent in my tent, listening to the rain pounding hard on the canvas. The field where we were camped — which was also the race start point — was completely soaked. Walking to the portable toilets was a messy, muddy mission in every sense.

Despite the less-than-ideal conditions, there was an overall mood of cheerfulness in the campsite. People were gathered under their camper van awnings, chatting and laughing. Others joked about the kayak we had with us, saying it might be easier to paddle the route tomorrow instead of running 😅.

Maybe it was this positive atmosphere that made me crawl into my sleeping bag feeling excited and content, rather than discouraged by the idea of running 38 soaking wet kilometres in mountains I couldn’t even see.

The first lesson I learned from my very first skyrunning experience: one hour between waking up and starting the race? Probably not nearly enough.

On the other hand, it’s hard to feel nervous when you’re busy running around frantically: filling up water, getting your kit ready, eating, queuing for the toilets, warming up, and registering.

I felt a brief moment of relief standing under the start arch with five minutes to go… until the reality of what I was about to take on truly hit me.

The Snowdon Skyrace route is 38 km long, with over 3,300 meters of elevation, including famous and challenging climbs like Tryfan North Face and Grib Goch (Grade 1). It passes the summits of Snowdon, Tryfan, Y Lliwedd, and Glyder Fawr, along steep, technical trails that must be completed in under 12 hours ⛰️.

Before the race, I did a decent amount of training, but I had never run a route of this scale and toughness before.

After what felt like an eternity standing at the start line, we finally set off! 🏃‍♀️
Once I started running, the nerves gradually faded, and I began to enjoy the first gentle ascent. I was part of a long train of runners bobbing along the rocky path.

Although it wasn’t raining anymore, the ground was wet and boggy in places, and I watched the faster runners at the front disappear into the mist above me. With fresh legs and a positive mindset, it didn’t feel long at all until I reached the summit of Wales’ most famous mountain, Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa).

It was my first time climbing the iconic mountain, and it was hard to see anything as I was completely engulfed in clouds! 🌫️ I chatted a bit with other runners and discovered that last year’s weather had been particularly awful, so much so that a “bad weather route” was put in place. I carried on, feeling grateful that I could complete the entire route despite the mist.

After passing Y Lliwedd, I descended to the first aid station by Llyn Llydaw, where friendly people greeted me and there was a fantastic array of snacks 🍌.
Although the cakes and sandwiches were very tempting, I only trusted my sensitive stomach with a bit of banana.

I munched on the banana as I started what was probably the easiest section of the route — along the Miners’ Track towards Pen-y-Pass. The path was fairly unremarkable, but by now visibility had improved greatly, and I was enjoying the mountain views as well as the hill walkers cheering me on 👏.

At Pen-y-Pass, the new challenge was dodging groups of tourists and vehicles. But soon I was plodding along a muddy path, feeling much more at home. I went into my own world ascending Glyder Fawr, until suddenly I snapped back to reality when I heard someone calling my name. When I looked back, I saw my boyfriend running towards me a few hundred meters away.

He had been watching me but narrowly missed me at Pen-y-Pass, so he decided to chase me down. As someone famously not fond of running 😅, I was impressed by his dedication! The extra support kept me going until he pulled ahead, and I was running on my own again.

After a few kilometres of technical descents and some minor route-finding issues, I reached the second aid station, feeling pretty good and looking forward to the most exciting parts of the route ahead.

By this time, I had found myself in a pack of runners. Yo-yoing in front of and behind the same familiar faces was kind of fun, and a bit of chat was welcome after hours of running mostly in silence.

The path up to Tryfan was steep, and I started to feel a bit slow and sluggish. But Tryfan North Face — the first of the graded scrambles — lifted my spirits, and I had a blast getting some quality hand-on-rock action 🧗‍♀️.

The descent from Tryfan felt long, but with a new running friend to talk to, a group of energetic marshals, and another surprise visit from my boyfriend, I kept going until the final aid station in the valley. Although I was tired, my mind felt good and was still enjoying the whole race experience.

A guy I was running with told me, “The podium finishers have it easier because they don’t have to run for as long.” 😂
That comment kept me entertained until I reached the epic Grib Goch scramble.

The ridge was amazing, and I managed to overtake a few people, which fired up my competitive spirit! Suddenly, I was back at Snowdon, and all that was left was to descend the same path we had started on hours ago.

The first few kilometres of the descent were great, but once the path flattened out a bit, I started to feel my energy dip. I began walking, but the guy I had been running with came up behind me and said he couldn’t finish ahead of me since we had been together for so long 😅. So I had no choice but to start running again.

We continued together, with the starting field and finish arch clearly in view. Suddenly, a woman I don’t think I’d seen before darted past me, giving me a surge of motivation to chase her down.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t beat her, but I crossed the finish line as the 9th female, and I was very proud of myself! 🏅

I also discovered that I was 1st (out of one!) in the under-23 category, so I sat on the grass happily admiring my dragon trophy, eating sourdough pizza, and soaking up the finish line atmosphere 🍕🐉.

Despite being tired, a bit dirty, and slightly battered, I was thrilled to have completed a tough route while still having an absolute blast! Watching the other runners cross the finish line gave me a fresh surge of motivation, and I started wondering what my next running adventure would be…

All Locations and Postcodes for the Snowdon Skyrace Trip

📍 Pen-y-Pass — trailhead/campsite for Snowdon + Miners/Pyg/Crib Goch
Postcode: LL55 4NU / LL55 4NY
Note: The main starting point for most routes up Snowdon and often the start of the Snowdon Sky Race.

📍 Snowdon / Yr Wyddfa
Postcode: LL55 4NY
Note: The highest mountain in Wales, the upper section of the trail we were running on.

📍 Llyn Llydaw
Postcode: LL55 4NU
Note: A lake on the Miners Track, very close to Pen-y-Pass.

📍 Glyder Fawr
Postcode: LL55 4NU
Note: Glyder Fawr mountain in the same Snowdonia/Eryri area near Pen-y-Pass.

📍 Tryfan
Postcode: Near LL57 3NY
Note: A famous climbing peak north of Glyder Fawr, a common starting point for Tryfan/Glyder hikes and climbs.

📍 Rhyd-ddu
Postcode: LL54
Note: A small village used as an alternative starting point for various Snowdon routes.