A new sponsor and World Cup racing as organisers anticipate “best ever” International Snowdon Race
Llanberis, Wales – With a new headline sponsor and over 650 runners, the 44th Castell Howell – International Snowdon Race 2019 / 44ain Castell Howell Ras Ryngwladol yr Wyddfa promises to be one of the highlights of the sporting year in Wales.
Anticipation for this year’s event is once again high, with some of the UK’s top athletes taking part. World-class runners from Wales, USA, Kenya, Japan, France, England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland and Italy will once again go head-to-head and rub shoulders with club runners over the 10 arduous miles of this famous mountain in the heart of the Snowdonia National Park.
2019 sees the race become a round of the World Mountain Running Association World Cup series. Round 4 of this year’s World Cup hits Llanberis this July and on the calendar are 7 exciting and unique races, in 7 different countries, with over 140km of mountain racing tracks, 9300m+ of elevation and a total prize pool of approximately 56,000 euro across all of the races which includes the overall World Cup competition ranking.
The Snowdon international is considered as one of the greatest in the world of mountain running, attracts some of the best racers in Europe and has grown over the last four decades to be one on the bucket-list of mere mortals across the world, as just completing the race from Llanberis to the summit of Snowdon and back is something thousands aspire to, but only hundreds achieve.
Evidence of the general popularity has once again been visible as the 650 places available online went on sale on the 1st of March. Within 24 hours all but a few had been snapped up and race organiser Stephen Edwards was able to close entries and begin the 2019 race preparations.
Stephen is keen to point out that the event is 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:
“The 2019 race is set to be out best ever! We have a new headline sponsor on board for this year in the form of Castell Howell and we are really excited to have Round 4 of the World Cup coming to Llanberis!
“The team at Castell Howell saw the opportunity to sponsor an iconic race as a great fit for a Welsh company connecting with the local community.
Castell Howell Sales Director Kathryn Jones states:
“We’re extremely proud of our rural roots and supporting the communities in which we operate is one of our core values. Here in North Wales, we’re fortunate to have Snowdon – a nationally-renowned landmark – right on our doorstep and it’s our backdrop when we’re out and about making daily deliveries and visiting customers on-site. We relish the opportunity to support the iconic 44th Castell Howell International Snowdon Race, that welcomes runners from across Wales, the UK and the world.”
Stephen Edwards continues:
“We were offered the opportunity to host a round of the World Cup this year and naturally were very pleased to make it happen. This should raise the profile of the event still further on the global stage via the WMRA’s media reach and will bring an element of world-class quality to the athletes competing.
“From a media perspective we have the usual TV highlights package on S4C the Sunday after the race and will be using Facebook Live to broadcast the finish of the race. We as a voluntary organisation also put hours of work into organising the community aspect to this international event. Local business gets involved every year and thousands of spectators turn out to see the runners, so it really is a win-win situation for everyone involved.
“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. To think what it has become all those years after that very first humble race back in 1976 – it’s incredible really.”
“Equally we really couldn’t put the race on without the continued support of sponsors Inov8, Clif Bar, Snowdon Mountain Railway, the Royal Victoria Hotel, S4C (televised again), Welsh Athletics, DJ Fruit, Steel Scaffolding, Sports Pictures Cymru and all of the Snowdon Race committee and Llanberis community. That is what makes this race so magical – it’s an international event, with a local feel, and long may that continue. I would also like to say a huge thank you to Events Department at Gwynedd Council for supporting the race once again this year especially as it’s part of the World Cup.”
Also taking place this summer is the Inov-8 Snowdon Twilight / Gwylnos yr Wyddfa, organised by the same Snowdon Race team. The uphill-only race takes place on Friday the 28th of June, with over 150 runners expected to tackle the Snowdon slopes starting at 7pm. Entries to this race are now open via the Snowdon Race website.
ENDS
