Ultra-Trail Snowdonia by UTMB 50km 2024

[@ourwilliam2405]

Great video, congratulations🎉

[@will_hargreaves]

You do great trail running videos Graham. I hope you keep going with them 👍

[@grahammethold]

Thanks - that's kind of you to say so

[@will_hargreaves]

@@grahammethold You’re welcome. I also did the 50k in Snowdonia the other weekend. Looks like I came in about 15 minutes behind you. So very well done 👍

[@Jts1992]

Incredible video Graham, I did the 25k this year as my first foray into the UTMB world, already got my eyes set on the 50k for next year and this video really struck a chord with me! Taking notes on your water strategy as I underestimated it myself this year!

[@grahammethold]

Thanks - much appreciated and good luck for next year. Plenty of hills during training, plenty of water and electrolytes during the race - do this and you won’t go too far wrong!!

[@ActiveIdeas]

Excellent shot of the runners all cooling themselves down in the stream ❤Great video & congrats on the finish!

[@SteveKeyPT]

This is such a brilliant video. You’ve worked so hard over the last 12 months. You prepared brilliantly doing all your research. You totally deserved your success!

[@ExploreTheWeekendUK]

Incredible effort! I was half cooked by the time i made it to the top of Snowdon on the 25k, and was in awe of you 50k'ers going past with steely determination and still looking fresh!

[@grahammethold]

I remember thinking exactly the same thing last year. TBH I think the people that the 25k runners see ARE the better 50k runners. Most of us were still at the bottom of the Watkin path when the 25k people hit the top!

[@NickBarsley]

Ahhh interesting -- I did the 25km and felt like when I saw them on Snowdon, the 50kms were in a different league on speed of descent and how fast/fresh they looked. Gives me more hope I could do the 50 next year reading this!!

[@grahammethold]

100%. The 25km runners will have seen the sub 10hr runners. The majority of 50km runners will have arrived atop Snowdon well after that. If you can do the 25k you can ABSOLUTELY do the 50km - if you put in lots of hill work

[@SimonBransfieldGarth]

So well done Graham. All that dedication to training paid off! I did the 25k (inspired by your video last year) and that was quite tough enough for me but very grateful for the advice to take 3 litres of water. I would never have got around on the mandatory one litre, even though it was not quite as hot this year! I hope you feel proud of your achievement!

[@grahammethold]

That’s great to hear! Even up to the last moment, I was undecided re water capacity. Water is heavy. Having run in rain for 4 months it is easy to forget how much water one gets through on a hot race. However 2l of capacity was definitely the right choice, even though I only filled up 1.5l at the start. Having that extra flexibility to load up with more water en route was invaluable and the water filter was a great buy. It just gives you that confidence to push on knowing you always have a plentiful supply of water. Purification tablets are good too but I just found that the taste of anything artificial was really off putting near the mid/end of the race. Many congratulations for completing the 25km - some of the comments remind me how boggy and hot the section after the checkpoint is. And, yes, I am proud!

[@jimmcgourty3780]

Bravo, Sir! 👏 💪

[@kenvinck4316]

Having done the 25k last and this year (as a prep for Val d’Aran by UTMB), I was very much looking forward to your video. Great video, great effort on the trails, very happy for you. Loved the champagne celebration!

[@grahammethold]

Thanks - glad you enjoyed it

[@neilowens67]

Fantastic. Well done!

[@davidtarbuck3532]

Congratulations great video….

[@grahammethold]

thanks

[@runtothetrails]

Brilliantly produced film. Congratulations Graham was brilliant to meet you 😊

[@Snaerffer]

Very well done. Now for the 100!!

[@grahammethold]

Thanks - I've booked myself in for the 80km Arc in January!

[@jamstaa69]

Well done.. I actually “ran” next to you for about 10/15 minutes after CP 3 going up the field, but unfortunately my stomach had long since stopped accepting calories so I was going slow and deep in my nauseous pain cave.. and you looked like you was battling some demons too.. I’d actually given up on the idea of getting in on time, but somewhere going up moel ellio, even though I’d sat down to ease come calories in, I made up some time, and got down the valley with a good pace, and got in at 21:39.. couldn’t believe I’d made it! Very emotional and drained finish.. sat there for a long time taking in some calories, and clapping some others in.. Not going back the 100k just yet though 😂

[@grahammethold]

Well done. It sounds as if we all went through it on those last couple of hills. What an experience, eh?! Once I crested Mynydd Mawr I was fairly certain I was going to make it, as I remembered from my recce that Moel Elio is not a 4 hr trek. That said, I hadn’t taken into account the long run home so it was perhaps tighter than I had anticipated and I’m glad I kept going.

[@EnduranceAaron]

Great video Graham. Loved the drone footage toward the end.

[@TheChrisp1231]

Great race !

[@KC_Cort]

Great account of your run, well done Graham! It was great to meet you! It was a tough day out there! 😊 100k next year 🤔

[@grahammethold]

100k may be too much for me - not sure I have any ambitions there but let’s see. I’m more inclined to do the 25k with some friends - a group run with more time to enjoy the rest of the day, finish line and event village. Let’s see.

[@KC_Cort]

@@grahammethold any race with 100 in the title doesn’t interest me either. It’s nice to go out there and enjoy the experience knowing you can get to the checkpoints. Enjoy your recovery 👍

[@robinmitchell1109]

Well done, Graham. I was up there as well and the heat made everything a lot tougher. I described Mynydd Mawr as a ‘silent death march punctuated by cries of “Are you alright mate?”’ 🤣. I was close to two hours slower than I’d expected but I didn’t get a chance to recce anything so probably a little overconfident. All in all a great day out. 100k next year??

[@grahammethold]

Mynydd Mawr was by far the low point. Still undecided what’s next, although I am running my “backyard” Martian Half in June (“Martian” because it is held on Horsell Common where HG Wells has the Martians landing in War of the Worlds!)

[@emlyngriffith5846]

Good effort….well done! 👍🍷

[@clivepreston2228]

Well done Graham. I know from others that it was a tough day out there. Congratulations

[@rachellloyd5825]

Well done Graham, such a great video! I saw you cross the finish line, you did brilliantly! Any other races planned?

[@grahammethold]

I have a local race in June - the Martian Half - on Horsell Common, but otherwise not much planned. Any ideas of what I should do next? I can apply for a UTMB in Chamonix for next year but I probably need to get something in the diary for this year. I am going to the Lakes for a weeks holiday so perhaps a good opportunity to recce the Lakeland races?

[@dami9n.b]

Well done !!!! I didn't think of that with the beer, I preferred to drink it ;)

[@grahammethold]

Don’t worry - it was cheap Prosecco that my daughter bought for the purpose of wasting !!