Race Report: Ultra Trail Snowdonia 50K

KADS athlete Luke Jones recent completed the UTS 50K race in stunning Snowdonia in North Wales. It's not flat around there but he had stunning weather for it! Here's Luke's report from the race.

​Pre-Race
Bathed in factor 50, I had sourdough bread with peanut butter and jam, a banana, and sipped on a carb mix on the way to the start. I’d been preloading electrolytes most of the week. Suddenly feeling the nerves...

Llanberis (Start) to Gwastadanas (CP1)
Another glorious day in Wales—does it ever rain here?
I started toward the back of the first wave, which made for a slow, crowded start, but I stayed relaxed and just rolled with it. Took it easy on the Llanberis Path, pulled out the poles, and settled into a rhythm.
The sun was already hot, and I was sweating more than usual, so I alternated between sipping my carb mix and electrolyte mix. Before I knew it, I was at the Finger Stone, still feeling calm and controlled.
I stashed the poles on the approach to the Pyg Track and took a salt tab and started the first decent. By then, I’d broken through most of the crowd and settled into a steady descent. The traffic probably held me back just enough early on—which ended up working in my favor.
I ran out of water halfway down but spotted a tap at Pen-y-Pass and refilled a bottle. Cruised into the first checkpoint feeling good. I topped up two litres of water, grabbed some waffles, pretzels, and watermelon for the road, downed some Coke, and was out. The volunteers were fantastic—super efficient with my bottles.

Gwastadanas (CP1) to Bron-y-Fedw (CP2)
I really started to feel the heat through the woods. Nausea crept in, and I felt bloated from the water. Took a fall just before the Watkin Path—landed on my back, and my caffeine gel exploded. Sticky and sore, I slowed down to regroup.
Held my position through to the South Ridge, where I noticed others beginning to slow or even stop. I started overtaking steadily on the climb to the summit. Jon Albon passed me here—pretty cool moment.
I ran out of water by the summit, which was the busiest I’ve ever seen it. Managed to navigate down to the Ranger Path which was also super busy and took my time descending into CP2. The atmosphere was amazing—it felt like a finish line. Seeing my dad spectating gave me a massive boost.
Again, the volunteers were brilliant. I dropped to three bottles here, since the next CP was closer. Ate some nuts, waffles, pretzels, and drank more Coke while they refilled my bottles. Grabbed some watermelon and headed back out.

Bron-y-Fedw (CP2) to Betws Garmon (CP3)
Now the race started to come alive. The field had spread out, and I was still overtaking people. I remembered how steep the Mynydd Mawr climb was from my recce, so I was mentally prepared.
Felt slow on the descent at first but then clicked into a flow state and settled in with a strong group. I was surprised at how well I was moving through the runnable sections.
Rolled into the final checkpoint ready—bottles out, quick refill. Two volunteers helped and I was back on the trail in no time. Ate more nuts and pretzels, still feeling sick from the carb mix and gels. Just one stretch to go.

Betws Garmon (CP3) to Llanberis (Finish)
This section was all about maintaining effort—trotting the runnable bits, power hiking the climbs, keeping forward momentum.
The trail through the woods was technical and tricky, but I kept moving well. At the turn up Moel Eilio, I got my head down and dug in for the final big push. I kept my poles out on the descent knowing there was a final hill, then thinking I was done climbing put the poles away—only see yet another hill! Poles back out, cracked that last climb and hit the gravel path.
I had had my map screen on so far. Finally checked my time: 8:10. I was buzzing. Let rip down the gravel, overtaking two more runners. My feet and legs still felt surprisingly good - proof I’d paced it just right. Hit a small hill near the end and realized I was pushing a bit too hard, so I dialed it back slightly.
Running back into Llanberis felt like floating. I’d pictured that moment for months. The finish line atmosphere was electric. Crossed in 8:46 - faster than I ever expected, especially in that heat.

Post-Race Reflection
This was, hands down, my best race experience so far. Everything came together—from training and recces to nutrition, pacing, and coaching. I handled the heat, managed the lows, and finished strong. Still plenty to learn, but this one left me proud and hungry for more.

P.S. if you're interested in the UTS events in Snowdonia, here's a promo video with some of the highlights from the 2025 events: