About Us
All about us, our story, and why we love doing this crazy trail running thing
It all started here in 2013 - on a crisp and sunny November afternoon in Betws-y-coed
Community group Betws Ymlaen had been looking at ideas for events to promote the village and raise money for good causes. Some of the volunteers met with Jayne Lloyd, Race Director of Snowdonia Marathon, and the idea formed for a trail race through the woods around Llyn Elsi behind St Mary’s Church.
Over the next nine years Trail Betws grew from strength to strength, becoming a firm favourite in the trail racing calendar, while supporting Help For Heroes and local causes.
In 2022 Trail Betws started a new chapter as Jayne Lloyd and former Betws Ymlaen volunteer Jon Davies joined forces, creating Mucky Boots Events to take this event forwards and develop new events with a similar ethos. Using their combined skill sets, Jayne and Jon are developing a series of trail running events that deliver a great technical and scenic experience for participants, and make for a rewarding and fun day out for all involved - runners, spectators, marshals, and volunteers alike.
Despite no longer officially being a not-for-profit venture, fundraising and support for our charity partner Help For Heroes and local causes remains at the heart of our activities - in fact we are looking to grow our events so they raise even more.
Jayne Lloyd - Race Director
Jayne has been working as an events organiser since 2004 and has worked on a number of sporting events including the prestigious Snowdonia Marathon which she has coordinated for 18 years. A former Welsh International Mountain runner, Jayne likes to make the race day experience as fun and challenging as possible for the runners, spectators and volunteers alike. Community is at the heart of everything she tries to achieve through her events, she works closely with community groups and local residents to ensure that they have the opportunity to benefit from the impact that the potential visitor numbers bring to their area.
Jon Davies - Race Co-ordinator
Jon left the automotive industry in 2005 because he was having too much fun, and became self-employed with his partner, artist Alison Bradley. Their first gallery was in Betws-y-coed for over ten years before moving to Chester and during their time in Betws, Jon was involved in organising several events including Betws-y-coed Trail Challenge, Snowdonia Arts Festival, and Nadolig Betws. He is the chap who sits quietly in the background, looking at spreadsheets, and making sure everything runs smoothly. Jon and Alison have supported Help for Heroes through their galleries since 2008, and continue to do so with Mucky Boots Events.