A heart felt Race Directors report for the 11th edition of the Helvellyn Skyrunning Weekend

The sun shone and you came, we organised and you ran and raced. Although it was hot, the weather was kind to us all this weekend and plenty of families and friends soaked it up and enjoyed the atmosphere eating Himalayan street food by the local KatVandu husband and wife team, Ice Cream by Yorkshire Ice cream, based nor-but a stones throw away in our neighbouring country of Yorkshire and drank coffee, tea and hot chocolates supplied by the local coffee roasters, Podda and Wren. We served you some refreshments in the form of alcohol and pretty spicy race routes courtesy of Charlie [me] and Team. 

This was the 11th Edition of the Helvellyn Skyrunning Weekend, this year supported by Rab Equipment, Voom and Running Poles UK. I dedicated this weekend to a good friend to many, Little Dave Cumins who took his own life a week after the Rab Scafell Skyrunning Weekend 2026.

We started in Ambleside back in 2015 on a race route known as the 'Lakes Sky Ultra' - skyrunning had not long been in the UK, my dog had died, I had a place to Trofeo Kima [iconic skyrunning race] that I never took due to the death of my dog, Scratch, and so this race was an ode to both those two things. 

I had met a guy, Little Dave [LD], back in 2012 whilst planning my first race routes for Ourea Events for the Great Lakeland 3 Day Challenge, an event that was designed and developed by Joe Faulkner from Nav4 Adventure. 

LD was a top bloke, becoming one of the integral volunteer marshals on my races and also Ourea Events, regularly seen racing in a Pink Tutu, with a pink mohican or fully pink hair. LD found joy in the mountains away from the hardship of his brain after suffering war as a marine in Afghanistan and Iraq. This was always with LD, but when in the mountains running, he could free himself of the damage created whilst at war. 

LD and I had many adventures, in the Lakes outside of the race season, and then in Wales, Scotland and the Lakes on our beloved sky race routes and further afield during the race season. 

LD was a friend to many and loved helping runners less fortunate than himself, giving hours and hours to many many folk, increasing their confidence, helping with their skill, alway in a volunteer capacity, always trying to help runners better themselves. 

As I say, LD was a top top bloke and could no longer cope with the things happening around him. I knew he was down, rock bottom for sure, I did not know he would move to take his own life after our Scafell Skyrunning Weekend. It was needless to say, a huge shock, not just to me, but all that knew him.

I'm writing this and have 'raised' it in my online safety briefings for the Rab Helvellyn Skyrunning Weekend, as we are at an all time high with suicide, many folk struggling to comprehend what is happening around them and what has happened to them. Its bigger in males than females and it is not good for us not to feel like we cannot talk about how low we are or even how someone actually decided to end their own life due to struggles mentally - it seems its not talked about enough. 

So please please, check in with each other regularly, if you know someone is struggling, take some time, talk to them on 'their level' and lets help each other to reduce these awful deaths that are occurring all too regularly. 

LD helped to make the Lakes Sky Ultra what is has now become, the Helvellyn Skyrunning Weekend and he helped me plan, mark out and aided the delivery of many of your favourite mountain races. He would have been very happy to see our weekend and how it was played out for 2026. 

LD will forever be in the mountains and I know he is smiling, even though he was once sad. 

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Changes for 2026

This year we decided to allow more time in all our races than in previous years to allow more folk to come and enjoy the routes without fear of being cut-off. 

1 hour was added to the Helvellyn Sky Ultra [HSU], 2 hours to Pinnacle Ridge Extreme [PRE] and 2 hours to St Sunday Sky Race [SSSMR], the PF15 and SG850 remained unchanged. 

The other change we made was to start 30 minutes earlier on the HSU and PRE, start the SSSR 1 hour earlier and start the PF15 at 4pm rather than 11am in previous years. 

Some of this worked, some of it didn't. I know as runners you will have appreciated the earlier starts to avoid the heat of the day for some, although I know some of you run through the heat of the day, no matter what time we start the races. 

In the main this worked well, but with the St Sunday Sky Race starting 1 hour earlier, it did leave the events field slightly quieter towards the end of the day. 

I did not think to start the music earlier and so we are looking at this for 2027 and will add in 3 artist slots for the Saturday's racing. 

Changes we are looking at for 2027

We are looking to develop the Sunday, as we still have the events field for the Sunday and so what we are toying with are the long threatened kids race, moving the PF15 back to the Sunday, offering some more folk/acoustic music on both days and maybe looking to add another race to the calendar for those wanting less technical but longer racing. 

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Skyrunning UK Race Report for the Rab Helvellyn Skyrunning Weekend 2026:

If you want to read up on the racing at the front, the best place to get the intel is on Skyrunning UK's website: 

https://www.skyrunninguk.com/n...

A Record Fell: 

It was great to see another record fall this year on the Rab Pinnacle Ridge Extreme with Ben Rothery, British Fell Running 'tied' champ for 2024, taking 50 seconds off Tom Simpsons fantastic record from last years race - it would be amazing to see a bunch of fast skyrunners pushing this limit, as we feel there is certainly another 10 minutes in this time to the right person. 

But our skyrunning weekends are not about the elite runners, they are about having fun in the mountains with a safety net of marshals and mountain safety teams offering support, so everyone can come and enjoy the awesomely technical roller coasters you are used to from the LDST Team. 

Skyrunners who finished later in the day were lucky to find Jon Bowie playing his fantastic blues and then Bill Lloyd either singing, playing his banjo or piping runners over the line with his amazing selection of bag pipes. This is what our weekends are about!

The SG850 had record numbers and brings a fantastic element to the weekend where its only about the Vertical and nothing to do with heading back down again. 

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Highlights Video and Photography:

The videography from this years event will stand out for years to come as Adam Laister [Purpose Built Films] brought his very special style to filming the action on Pinnacle Ridge and we are super excited to show case this. 

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Our media team was: 

6 photographers, being Jed Darley, Sam Davies, Tanya [can't stand still] Raab, Evan Davies, Josh Turner and Callum Robinson and 3 videographers capturing the action, who were Adam Laister, Harry Holmes [2nd place in the SG850 whilst filming] and Callum Robinson.

We hope you are enjoying the images captured and hope you enjoy the film edit.

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Looking to 2027:

We have some very exciting news to announce, but until its 100% confirmed, you will have to wait and see what is coming for 2027.....

Watch this space!

 What we can say is; kids races, more trail orientated routes, maybe a new eXtreme race route, a beer mile, more to do at the events centres and camping for the Scafell weekend. 

What we can say from the heart is; we will have the same formats, some awesome skyrunning and racing, some amazing lakeland weather [that can be harsh and wet or sunny and well... harsh], the event weekends fall the same as they have this year, so 4/5 June and 16/17 July, there will be more music, more fun and definitely more joy for those with a love of hard and technical race routes. 

Until then enjoy the rest of the Skyrunning UK season with the following weekends happening in Wales, Ireland and Northern Ireland. 

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