Popular event on June 6-7 is won by team from North West England.

After 61 teams finished last year, led by Pontypridd Roadents, 65 squads signed up for this year’s event, the 41st. Since its inception in 1983, the event has featured a series of individual races based upon the many castles in the principality.

However, Pontypridd were unable to defend and victory went to Salford from Pontypridd and Meirionydd as all of the first three teams had five individual stage wins.

Day 1 (June 6)

There had to be a change to the first stage from Caernarfon Castle to Penygroes as local road conditions meant a reduction to 7.8 miles from the normal 9.1 miles and three Welsh clubs dominated.

Pontypridd won overall last year but on this first leg, it was Meirionydd’s Ifan Daffydd, second on this stage last year, who won by nearly a minute from Swansea’s Ed Slaughter, with the holder’s Jack Blackburn third.

For the women’ Bridgend’s Kate Roberts, in her first outing for over a year, took the plaudits.

Stage two saw Highgate’s Grey Grierson put down a marker with a 55:38 clocking for the 10.7 miles, ahead of veterans Lee Stopford and Karl Dary for Stroud and Salford, while Katrina Ballantyne-Chalmers put Leeds women on the leader boards.

Swansea too put their name on the leader board on the 12.3-mile-long ‘mountain’ stage three from Criccieth Castle to Maentwrog, as Kristian Jones, in his first outing for more than two years, took the stage in 61:10.

This headed Owen Jones and Alex Lepretre as the event showed up the high standard on show this year but could make little impression on the overall lead.

Here the women had been led home by Clara Evans-Graham’s stage record of 66:14. The 32-year-old had set a personal best 31:13 over 10km in Spain, earlier this year followed by a 2:27:03 marathon.

After four stages, Salford, second last year, snatched the overall lead from Meirionydd thanks to their Alex Ediker, who won the 9.5-mile race on to Harlech in 49:51. Here, Stroud led the vets’ and Chorlton the women’s, by eight minutes from 2025 winners Les Croupiers, thanks to Andreja Zevnik’s 61:38.

A second stage record came on the 9.6-miles leg 5 on to Barmouth, as top ranked M35 800m runner Harry Wakefield showed his distance pedigree with a more than four-minute victory in 47:24.

This gave Salford a big lead that extended to more than eight minutes on leg six up to Dolgellau over Swansea, Highgate, Pontypridd and Meirionnydd, who were all within seven minutes of each other.

Here, Swansea’s Conor Rogers had taken the stage in 44:42, as the distance was a little shorter than advertised.

With a climb of 449-metres over a 10.1-mile stretch, mountain stage 7 up to Dinas Mawddwy, is the toughest. Pontypridd’s Jake Smith, who ran 2:12:19 in the recent London Marathon, demolished Swansea’s Dewi Griffiths by more than three minutes. This was with a 50:33 stage record, more than four minutes quicker than the previous best, as both clubs edged closer to the Salford lead, but Swansea still led the ‘King of the Mountains’ race.

Yet another stage record came on the next leg, stage 8 on to Foel, where Adam Jones, for Meirrionydd, took nearly a minute from the previous mark with 55:41 for the 10.8-miles stint.

Salford’s advantage had begun to slip and, by the end of stage 9, which was won by Swansea’s 18-year-old Zac Beddows, in yet another stage record, was down to just over two minutes, as Pontypridd Rodents were also close.

In addition to the new men’s mark of 43:32, the women’s stage best was also to fall, as 21-year-old Annabel Wallace ran 46:26 for the 8.5-miles on to Llanfair Caereinion.

With the overnight stop at Newtown looming, the stage ten runners had a 338-metre climb over the half-marathon distance on the third of the Mountain legs.

It was Salford’s Dave Bennett who increased his club’s lead to more than nine minutes over holders Pontypridd.

He was pressed by Jacob Allen who closed his Highgate team to third on this the third Mountain stage of the race but it was Salford who now led here too.

For the women, holders Les Croupiers comfortably led overnight from Chorlton, as Team Bath led the vets.

Stage 1: Caernarfon Castle to Penygroes (7.8M, 138m): 1 I Dafydd (Meir’dd) 43:37; 2 E Slaughter (Swan) 44:25; 3 J Blackburn (P’pridd) 44:46

M40: 1 M Holmes (E Chesh) 44:58 M50: 1 A Buckley (Leeds) 47:32. M55: 1 S Wood (Cleve) 48:51

Women: 1 K Roberts (B’end) 50:38

Stage 2: Penygroes to Criccieth Castle (10.7M, 113m): 1 G Grierson (High) 55:38; 2 L Stopford (Stroud, M40) 55:50; 3 K Darcy (Salf, M40) 56:07

Women: 1 K Ballantyne-Chalmers (Leeds) 61:24; 2 N Sutton (R4All, Neath, W35) 62:03

Stage 3: Criccieth Castle to Maentwrog (12.3M, 288m):1 K Jones (Swan) 61:10; 2 O Roberts (Meir’dd) 61:26; 3 A Lepretre (High) 61:34

Women: 1 C Evans-Graham (P’pridd) 66:14

Stage 4: Maentwrog to Harlech Castle (9.5M, 149m): 1 A Ediker (Salf) 49:51; 2 C Booth (Swan) 51:40; 3 A Richardson (High) 51:42

Women: 1 E Davies (Neath) 55:26

W40: A Zevnik (Chorl) 61:38

Stage 5: Harlech Castle to Barmouth (9.6M, 139m): 1 H Wakefield (Salf) 47:24

M40: 1 S Lewis (P’pridd) 52:48

Women: 1 S Vilar-Eluch (San D, W35) 65:36

Stage 6: Barmouth to Dolgellau; Distance (9.0M, 201m): 1 C Rogers (Swan) 44:42; 2 T Hodgson (Salf) 46:10; 3 P Graham (P’pridd) 46:43

M40: 1 O Williams (Les C) 47:51

Women: 1 T Freeman (B&R, W40) 58:23

Stage 7: Dolgellau to Dinas Mawddwy (10.1M, 449m): 1 J Smith (P’pridd) 50:33; 2 D Griffiths (Swan) 53:43; 3 T Cornthwaite (Salf, M40) 55:14

Women: 1 A Gascoigne (T Bath, W40) 64:46

Stage 8: Dinas Mawddwy to Foel (10.8M, 310m): 1 A Jones (Meir’dd)) 55:41; 2 J Griffiths (P’pridd) 56:42; 3 L James (T Bath) 57:06

M40: 1 M Snow (Leeds) 62:20

Women: 1 V Hill (SWRR, W45) 70:47

Stage 9: Foel to Llanfair Caereinion (8.5M, 98mt): 1 Z Beddows (Swan, U20) 42:37

M40: 1 J Tyler (Meir’dd) 44:59. M60: 1 M Roscoe (Leeds) 49:39

Women: 1 A Wallace (T Bath) 46:26

Stage 10: Llanfair Caereinion to Newtown (13.1M, 338m): 1 D Barratt (Salf) 67:39; 2 J Allen (High) 67:44; 3 D Griffith (Meir’dd) 68:35; 4 C Lewis (Les C) 69:13

M40: 1 T Charles (Chorl) 72:54

Women: 1 G Palmer (Les C) 86:12

Day 2 (June 7)

Another Salford win came on the first stage of day 2. It was another mountain stage and saw last year’s runners-up extend their lead to over 10 minutes in the open class and to five in the mountain standings.

Josh Birmingham ran the 10.5-miles with its 378 metres of climbing in 56:40, or his club’s fourth stage win, as Meirionnydd’s veteran Russell Bentley followed.

A second women’s stage record came on these hills as Sarn Helena’s Polly Summers shaved 28 seconds from Amber Gascoigne’s 2024 mark with 66:49.

Salford were then pegged back on leg 12, as Pontypridd’s Ben Hughes’ 56:52 for the 11.2-miles from Llanbadarn Fynydd to Crossgates gained a minute.

The 13th, on to Builth Wells saw the stage 1,2, Pontypridd’s Oliver Price and Highgate’s Malik Ouzier, nibble into Salford’s overall lead, but it was still well over eight minutes at the line.

Another Mountain stage followed on the 10,8-miles to Drovers Arms and it was Pontypridd’s Adam Bull who took another minute out of the Salford lead, in both overall and Mountain classifications, with a 58:34 clocking for the 10.8-miles with its 493-metres of climb.

Calum Rowlinson’s second spot for Salford kept up the pressure as Tomos Roberts edged Meirionnydd closer to Highgate’s overall third spot.

Pontypridd then boosted their chances of a trophy retention by claiming the next two stages, albeit by small margins over their rivals.

First it was Gavin Stuart on 15, then Dan Nash on 16 but only by a meagre six seconds over Salford’s George Beardmore, whose effort secured the Kings of the Mountains trophy.

Then Meirionydd popped in a stage win over the 8.7-miles from Torpantau to Cyfarthfa Castle, with 45:51, but veteran Bruno Lima was close but, more importantly gaining more than three minutes on Pontypridd.

Fourth placed Mike Burrett was given the Geoff Wood Award as the first M50 to finish the stage, in memory of Wood who collapsed and died here in 1998

All this meant that, after 17 stages the Salford lead was now over ten minutes on Pontypridd, as third placed Meirionnydd still had three minutes leeway on Highgate.

The penultimate stage from Abercycnon to Nantgarw saw Ben Porter win for Meirionydd, but little change to the overall standings but there was another record for the women, as Lizzie Rayner covered the 7.7-miles in 44:49.

Then it was all over on the run down to Cardiff Castle and Joseph Moores celebrated Salford’s overall race win with yet another stage victory, their fifth, this time in another record: 48:36 for the 9.1-miles from Caerphilly Castle.

Olivia Tsim took the final women’s stage win in 59:49 but it was long-time leaders Les Croupiers who retained their overall title despite a lowly final leg finish.

Stage 11: Newtown to Llanbadarn Fynydd (10.5M, 378m): 1 J Birmingham (Salf) 56:40; 2 R Bentley (Meir’dd, M45) 58:41

Women: 1 P Summers (Sarn H) 66:49

Stage 12: Llanbadarn Fynydd to Crossgates (11.2M, 154m): 1 B Hughe (P’pridd) 56:52; 2 C Haywood (High) 57:17; 3 T Potter (Salf) 57:37; 4 D Franks (Leeds) 58:00

M55: 1 N Grinnell (Neath) 61:56

Women: 1 V Ratcliffe (T Bath, W50) 70:28

Stage 13: Crossgates to Builth Wells (10.6M, 158m): 1 O Price (P’pridd) 56:17; 2 M Ouzia (High) 56:35; 3 L Williams (Meir’dd) 56:40; 4 E Kenyon-Betts (E Chesh) 56:57; 5 P Henderson (Salf) 57:04

M45: 1 D Craig (Les C) 60:12

Women: 1 A Domville (T Bath) 65:06

Stage 14: Builth Wells to Drovers Arms (10.8M, 493m): 1 A Bull (P’pridd) 58:34; 2 C Rowlinson (Salf) 59:49; 3 T Roberts (Meir’dd) 61:42

Women: 1 C Merwood (CDF) 70:49

Stage 15: Epynt Visitor Centre to Brecon (12.8M, 151m): 1 G Stewart (Meir’dd) 65:34; 2 H McMurtrie (T bath) 66:08; 3 M Ward (P’pridd) 66:35; 4 G Priestley (Salf) 66:37

M40: 1 M Hobbs (Swan) 71:44

Women: 1 E Bassini-Gazzi (Lwes C) 83:38

Stage 16: Brecon Canal Basin to Torpantau (12.5M, 360m): 1 D Nash (P’pridd) 67:34; 2 G Beardmore (Salf) 67:40; 3 R Owen (Meir’dd) 69:39

Women: 1 L Flynn (Les C, W40) 82:37

Stage 17: Taf Fechan Station, Torpantau to Cyfarthfa Castle (8.7M, 127m): 1 B Harding (Meir’dd) 45:51; 2 B Lima (Salf, M40) 46:04

Women: 1 A Roberts (Macc) 54:27

W60: 1 S Avery (Chesh Dr) 58:26

Stage 18: Merthyr Tydfil Rhyd-y-Car Centre to Abercynon (Navigation Park) (9.1M, 123m): 1 M Rees (Swan) 48:08; 2 2 O Morris (Les C) 48:47; 3 J Vicente High) 49:17; 4 M Burrett (Leeds, M50) 49:27

Women: 1 L Marland (Les C, W35) 55:41

W50: 1 R McKean (T Bath) 57:21

Stage 19: Abercycnon to Nantgarw (7.7, 85m): 1 B Porter (Meir’dd) 41:16; 2 T McCarthy (P’pridd) 41:29; 3 K Cann (Salf) 42:04

M45: 1 M Harvey (Swan) 43:33

Women: 1 L Rayner (T Bath) 44:49

Stage 20: Caerphilly Castle to Cardiff Bute Park (9.1M, 63m): 1 J Moores (Salf) 48:36; 2 J Hall (Leeds) 49:23; 3 E Foster (Les C) 50:27

M45: C Callaghan (Buckley) 53:57

Women: 1 O Tsim (P’pridd) 59:49

Final standings

Overall (209M): 1 Salford 18:08:54; 2 Pontypridd 18:27:04; 3 Meirionydd 18:32:30; 4 Highgate 18:36:10; 5 Swansea 18:49:47; 6 Les Croupiers 19:28:50

M40: 1 Team Bath 22:25:12; 2 Les Croupiers 23:14:02; 3 Pontypridd 23:29:24

King of Mountains: 1 Salford 6:09:44; 2 Pontypridd 6:13:25; 3 Meirionydd 6:19:13

M40: 1 Team Bath 7:12:52

Women: 1 Les Croupiers 23:19:28; 2 Chorlton 24:16:02; 3 CDF 25:02:55

Queens of Mountains: 1 Les Croupiers 7:41:31

Business Team: 1 South Wales Police 24:19:18

65 teams finished