The Original Mountain Marathon Heads To North Wales For 54th Edition

After more than 30 years, the OMM returned to the stunning yet unforgiving landscape of Eryri (Snowdonia) this year, with around 1,500 competitors gathering for an unforgettable weekend in the mountains.

This year’s event presented some seriously testing terrain, as well as courses with some of the highest altitude gain yet. As is the OMM tradition, races follow a format that demands strong navigational skills, tenacity and a healthy amount of moxy as much as they do hill fitness! Teams must be self-sufficient throughout the race, carrying all the kit prescribed by the official kit list, as well as any ‘luxury’ items they deem necessary for their own comfort and enjoyment (highlights this year included fluffy bed socks, Irish whisky cake and ‘Pass The Pigs’).

Teams navigated challenging, unmarked terrain to locate checkpoints hidden among the tussocks and rocky outcrops of the Carneddau and Glyderau, encountering their fair share of wet grass, slippery rock, scree and bog en route to the overnight camp. Runners were up against poor visibility and high winds on the summits, yet almost all teams arrived before nightfall with the remaining teams accounted for and moving well despite the darkness. With competitors safely installed in their tents, the weather closed in and teams endured a less-than-peaceful night as wind and rain lashed the overnight camp.

On Sunday, competitors reluctantly left the relative warmth of their sleeping bags as a chilly wind and drizzle persisted into the morning. Luckily for them, our resident bagpiper was once again on hand to herald the second day of the race (alarm clocks don’t get much better than that!) and runners began to emerge, bleary-eyed but cheery enough, from their tents. The dreich conditions soon turned a touch brighter, and teams headed into the wilds of North Wales for a final day. The weather forecast once again proved gloriously inaccurate with the rain holding off until almost all competitors had completed, crossing the finish line in autumnal sunshine.

Of the 788 teams to set out, 706 completed their courses. Teams comprised of OMM veterans and regulars, family pairings, friends old and new and inter-generational teams, as well as first-time entrants to the event. One all-female team threw down the gauntlet in the elite category – Lisa Watson and Despina Berdeni, while in the Short Score, Matthew and Seth Lawson took the Family Prize and came in 4th overall. The father and son team entered the OMM at the last minute, after special permission was granted for Seth to compete at the age of 14, with his 15th Birthday falling on the Saturday of the event.

‘It’s not like Seth is just running along or following, he did two thirds of the navigating, which is absolutely brilliant,’ said Matthew.

Seth also claimed the title of the youngest competitor this year, crossing the start line aged 14, whilst the oldest entrant was 80 years old. The registration team noted a higher than usual number of first-timers getting a taste of mountain marathon madness this year, including mixed Short Score team May-Ann Ochota and Pat Downie, who met on a navigation course and paired up for the event.

‘It’s that thing where it seemed like a really brilliant idea many weekends ago,’ Mary-Ann laughed.

‘What’s great is it isn’t all about the athletic challenge. I’m not a fell runner or an athlete, but it’s about strategy and skill and route choice. It’s also a really nice way of hanging out with your friend in the hills for the weekend.’