11 March 2015

With a little under 200 days to go until the 2015 World Mountain Running Championships, which are set to descend on Betws y Coed, Wales this September, preparations continue to gather pace as Arriva Trains Wales have been announced as principal partner for the Championships. In addition to this exciting news, entries to World Masters Mountain Running Championships and the Open Events festival of running are now open.

The week-long festival from the 12th to the 19h of September will be the latest major running championship event to be hosted in Wales following on from the success of the IAU Trail World Championships in 2013, and the Commonwealth Mountain and Ultra Distance Championships in 2011. Along with attracting the world’s best mountain runners, from across the globe, racing this September will incorporate the World Masters Mountain Running Championships on the opening weekend. The races will be hosted in Betws y Coed, with athletes being based in Llandudno.

In addition to the championship races the week will see a host of events that encapsulate the area, including open mountain races, an uphill only race to the iconic local peak of Moel Siabod, junior events, seminars and film sessions and a series of schools races to be facilitated by the Conwy County Borough Council sports development team. 

Entries to these events will start from as little as £10 and the organising teams from UK Athletics, Welsh Athletics and Conwy County Borough Council are confident that racing will be highly competitive and have added international flavour as runners are expected from across the globe. 

Open event race co-ordinator Steve Brace states :

"We have a fantastic programme planned. The events will be challenging as you would expect in this part of the world, but they will also be accessible to all, and perhaps most importantly be centred around the hub of Betws y Coed meaning that supporters and families can enjoy all the area has to offer across the week. One of the highlights will be the Uphill Only Open Race on Moel Siabod on the Weds afternoon, followed by post-event food and seminar at the Siabod Cafe.

"Of course the World Masters will be a tremendous occasion, with up to a thousand competitors likely to take part in races on the first weekend of the Championships. The route for this will be challenging and memorable for those taking part, with some of the views and vistas across to Snowdonia simply breath-taking."

Regarding the principal partnership deal, Ben Davies, Stakeholder Manager for Arriva Trains Wales says:

"We are delighted to be involved in sponsoring this prestigious event that will attract runners and media attention from around the world to this stunning part of the country – helping to put Betws-y-Coed and the Conwy Valley on the world map as a top mountain running destination. What a great way of show-casing the natural beauty of the area and traveling on the most scenic Conwy Valley line – this is definitely a winning event in terms of attracting more tourists to the area and assisting in the sustainability of the area and hopefully attracting more events like this in the future."

Welsh Athletics’ CEO Matt Newman was instrumental in securing the deal, adding:

"Arriva Train Wales are the perfect Principal Partner for these Championships. They have an affinity with the area and share our vision of showcasing Wales in the mountain running sporting environment. We’re really excited and looking forward to working with the Arriva Trains Wales team in the coming months. 

“We’ve very proud to have won the bid for the Championships and are excited to be delivering what is sure to be an exciting week of mountain running. Wales is certainly ready, and we can’t wait to invite the world to enjoy the beautiful surroundings of the Snowdonia National Park and the spectacular mountain running opportunities on offer.”

Entries to the World Masters Mountain Running Championships and the Open Event programme are now live and can be accessed via www.wmrcwales.org

Further updates on the 2015 World Mountain Running Championships are available via the WMRC Wales website www.wmrcwales.org, Twitter and Facebook pages