Marathon Eryri
Mountain road marathon in North Wales
The Marathon Eryri is widely considered one of the toughest road marathons in the UK, with over 1,600m of elevation gain across mountain roads. It develops hill strength, descending economy, and the pacing discipline required for mountain terrain - essential skills for athletes stepping up to trail ultras.
- Total distance: 42.2 km
- Location: Llanberis
- Race Date: 24 Oct 2026
- Finish rate: 98%
- Navigation: Fully Waymarked
- Nearest Station: Llanberis (SMR) (0.9 km)
- Aid Stations: 5
- Night Running: 0% in darkness
- Pacing Complexity: Moderate (39/100)
Marathon Eryri Overview
No overview text has been written for this race yet.
Quick Facts
- Entrance Cost: Unknown
- Organiser: Unknown
- Start Town: Llanberis
- Dogs Allowed: Unknown
- Start Date: 24 Oct 2026
- End Date: 24 Oct 2026
- Start Time: 8:30 AM
- Final Cut-off: 9.5 hours
Navigation
- Type: Fully Waymarked
- Closest Train Station: Llanberis (SMR)
- Distance from Start Line: 0.9 km
Eligibility
- Minimum Age: 18 years
- Gender Eligibility: All genders
- Minimum Entry Criteria: Unknown
Terrain & Elevation
The course covers a genuine mix of surfaces, with paved road (44%) and grass (33%) being the most common and neither clearly dominating. The terrain is highly fragmented, switching roughly every kilometre. This demands constant mental engagement and limits the ability to build a sustained rhythm from surface consistency alone. Climbs are mostly on paved road, though the surface varies across the ascents. Downhills are spread across a mix of surfaces, with gravel most common.
- Paved Road44% · 18.4 km
- Grass33% · 13.7 km
- Gravel / Track19% · 7.8 km
- Trail / Path3% · 1.2 km
- Rocky1% · 0.3 km
Distance
42.1 km
Ascent
843 m
Descent
858 m
High Point
373 m
This race has a steady ascent from around km 3, before a long, flat stretch until about 21km, before a long, flat stretch until about 34km, before a steady ascent for the final 8km.
Compared against 27 other races of a similar distance, Marathon Eryri has more total elevation gain than 26% of them, and more elevation gain per kilometre than 30% of them — flatter than most races of this distance.
Source: GPX Data
Climate
Navigation
Marathon Eryri is fully waymarked — runners can rely on course markings to find their way and don't need to carry a map or GPX file as their primary means of navigation.
Source: Not recorded
Aid Stations
Stations
You'll need to keep an average pace of between 3.3 km/h and 6.5 km/h between aid stations to make the cut offs.
Stations
| KM | Name | Gap from Prev | Cut-off | Water | Cold Food | Hot Food | Hot Drinks | Gels | Medic | WC | Bags | Crew |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.2 | 3.2 km | – | ✓ | – | – | – | ✓ | – | – | – | – | |
| 9.7 | 6.4 km | – | ✓ | – | – | – | ✓ | – | – | – | – | |
| 17.7 | Beddgelert | 8.0 km | – | ✓ | ✓ | – | – | ✓ | – | – | – | – |
| 24.1 | 6.4 km | – | ✓ | – | – | – | ✓ | – | – | – | – | |
| 30.6 | Pen y Pass | 6.4 km | – | ✓ | ✓ | – | – | ✓ | – | – | – | – |
None of the aid stations on this course are confirmed to offer vegan food, so vegan runners should plan to carry their own nutrition.
Source: Not recorded
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