The Carneddau. Photo: Martin Morris

All the competitors in the annual Welsh 1,000m Peaks Race have been found after atrocious unseasonal weather hit the event.

The rescue operation ended late on Saturday evening when the final racer was found. A major search had been mounted involving Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Organisation, the North East Wales and RAF Valley Mountain Rescue Teams along with search and rescue dogs and a helicopter from RAF Valley.

One racer remained unaccounted for earlier in the evening and the search continued into the night after a day which saw eight people have taken to hospital. A spokesman for North Wales Police said: “All persons now have been found safe and well and accounted for and the search and rescue operation is now standing down.”

The event was abandoned as 80mph (130kph) winds, low cloud and near-freezing conditions swept Snowdonia. The search for the stranded fellrunners was centred on the Carneddau north of the Ogwen Valley.
A police spokeswoman said: “Search and rescue teams have been working throughout the day to locate several people who had got into difficulties during the race, due to atrocious weather conditions.

Only 245 competitors started the race, from an expected field of 600, including members of the armed forces as well as fellrunners and mountain walkers. The 35km (22-mile) course takes in Carnedd Dafydd and Carnedd Llewellyn then Snowdon and Carnedd Ugain.

At least one runner is believed to have suffered from hypothermia. RAF helicopters had been unable to reach two stranded runners because of the severe weather.

The operation began this afternoon as runners reported struggling in the race, organised by the Clwb Gorphwysfa and which begins at Aber near Bangor on the north Wales coast.