Emily Gelder winner of the women’s race at the 2012 Snowdonia Marathon Eryri ©Sport Pictures Cymru
After a one of the most successful races ever, the 2012 Snowdonia Marathon Eryri has been party to plaudits from many quarters – from runners, to sponsors, to the media and charity partners. Now in its 30th year the marathon is regarded as one of the toughest and most picturesque in the UK and this year saw one of the most successful events in this iconic race’s history.
This year’s race on the 27th of October produced two great winners in the form of local favourite Rob Samuel and Welsh ultra runner Emily Gelder, who were both effusive in their praise for the organisation of this great race. However, the compliments have been strongest from hundreds of runners and the numerous partners of the event, who flooded social media channels with positive feedback after the race.
National Trust Wales have avidly supported the Snowdonia Marathon since its conception 30 years ago and marked the special anniversary with 10 charity runners from all over the UK running to raise money for the Snowdonia Appeal to fund vital conservation work.
This year also saw yet another a record field of competitors, with over 2000 entrants and almost 1600 hardy runners finishing the race. Sponsors and local businesses were engaged once again, as the event delivered on its promise to put Wales, the local community and local economy foremost. This year the event also began a new charity partnership with Welsh cancer charity Tenovus.
Jayne Lloyd has organised the race since 2004 and has been central to the event’s growth and development in this period:
“The 30th Marathon Eryri is now behind us but the legacy of an event like this is a constant factor to community life here in North Wales. The race is not a huge participation event relative to some of the great city Marathons but the exclusivity afforded to it by the limitation of places makes it one that people are literally desperate to get in to. This is great for the local economy as they are now guaranteed a full entry year after year which, in turn, ensures that visitors come to Snowdonia for a whole weekend at what would otherwise be a quiet time of year. This year we had more international runners than ever from the US, Sweden, Holland and Germany, and they take their stories away from Wales hopefully encouraging even more international visitors in the future.
“Events like this don’t just generate income from visiting participants, but are also crucial in promoting the services of local businesses. Here in North Wales we are lucky enough to have excellent providers of event services from timing and on line entry services,to professional event commentary and communication systems, it’s all available to us locally. We have a duty to try and source as many of our event needs from within the local business sector and we are able to do so 90% of the time.
“However, the legacy of such an event like this is not just financial. Marathon Eryri brings together a huge team of volunteers from various groups and concerns with the local community to work together creating a truly unique race experience for our runners. Year after year they tell us how warm and welcoming they found the people of North Wales to be. This, in turn, means they are more likely to come back which is essential to an area that relies so heavily on tourism. The Snowdonia Marathon is about bringing a community together and creating a sense of well being and pride in the beautiful corner of the World.
“Our race partners are also extremely important to us. Whether commercial sponsors, local authorities or charitable organisations, we have some very long-term relationships. They all encompass the ethic of the race and we feel that year-on-year they grow with us and understand more and more what this event is all about.”
Steve Dunnico lives in Förslov, Sweden, but has returned to run the Snowdonia marathon consecutively since 1995. Running for the Snowdonia Marathon Eryri’s charity partner
Tenovus Steve ran to help those who supported his father during his treatment of major skin cancer which was removed last year, meaning his father was given a clean report. Steve said the race was just as challenging this year:
“I’d managed to get a few longer run training sessions in before the race, the last one being in Stockholm the weekend prior. Even so, Snowdownia still managed to force me to walking pace as I got through Waunfawr and up to the last climb.
“From previous experience, there are always runners to chat with along the way. This year the highlight was Horst Priesler. Herr Priesler, from Germany, has completed more marathons than any other person in the world – while jogging up to Waunfawr I asked him how he was, he answered “Fine thank you, just the same as I’ve been through most of the 1,760 something I’ve completed so far. I’m not likely to reach that many completed marathons, but I hope that the £320 I have raised for Tenovus so far will help those who have been affected by cancer, and I am looking forward to coming back next year to do it all again.”
Lianne Toye, Head of Corporate & Sponsored Events at Tenovus added:
“We are extremely privileged to be working in partnership with the Snowdonia Marathon in their 30th anniversary year, and are excited to continue working with such an established and well-respected event going into Tenovus’ own anniversary celebrations in 2013, which marks our 70th year of supporting cancer patients and their families across Wales. We would like to thank Jayne and Phil (Jones) for making us their partner charity and who do an incredible job year on year with an event that the whole community get involved with and enjoy, and as Wales’ leading cancer charity, we look forward to being an even bigger part of that community in 2013.”
Looking forward to next year’s event, Jayne Lloyd concludes:
“The 30th race was the most successful to date and, once again, Marathon Eryri Cyf will be donating thousands of pounds to local community causes. Runners are already queuing up to enter the 2013 race which will take place on October 26th. We might be small but we have still been voted Best Marathon in Britain, more than a match for our big city rivals!”
IAN CORLESS 