TrailSkin Ambassadors
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My Story
Dave is the driving force behind TrailSkin, and he is driven by a passion for adventure and performance.
This is his story.
"I was a runner is in my youth and into my early 20s.
Then I wasn't. Until 2019.
In 2019, I signed up to my first half marathon. TBH, I was unfit and overweight. A busy work and family life and too little time for exercise had created a version of me that I needed to change.
The 1st Mile is always the Hardest!
My 1st training mile was more walking than running. I think the furthest I ran in training for that half was 9 miles.
In Oct 2019, I completed my 1st Half Marathon. It may not have been pretty, but I got it done. I then signed up to a 110k race for Oct 2020. Due to Covid, it was 2021 when I completed that. - NC110, a great Race by Climb South West.
Now, I have a Gold ARC buckle, I have ran the Cotswold Way, Race to the Stones, UTS 100k and more.
And now I am running a Running Company."
Whats your story?
I would love to hear your stories of your "1st Mile"
Below you can read about some of our Ambassadors stories.
Sean Merryweather
Most days Sean can be seen running on the trails, having Snowdonia, The Peak District and the Lake district all a short drive away is great, and leaves little excuse not to be out on the hills and mountains.
Achievements:
2025: GB Ultras Chester Ultra 100mile.
Sean won the 2025 GB Ultras Chester 100mile race inan emphatic 16hrs 20mins, taking an incredible 1hr 44 off the course record.
2022:
Manchester to Liverpool ultra 50 mile (1st Place)
GB Ultra Snowdon 50 miles (1st Place)
2021 :
GB Ultra Chester 50 (1st Place)
Europe's Toughest Mudder (12 hour overnight OCR race) 1st place
Tom Joly
Tom Joly is a British Elite runner now based in Spain.
A true force on the trails, Tom has conquered some of the UK and Europe’s toughest ultra.
His acievements include:
Ultra-Trail Snowdonia 2024 (100-mile) -3rd
Ultra Sierra Nevada 2024c- 1st
Translantau by UTMB 2023 - 1st
World Mountain and Trail Running Championships (innsbruck-Stubai 2023) - 11th
And Tom finished as the highest-ranked Brit at UTMB 2023.
We are very proud that tom has choosen TrailShin as his Anti-chafe of choice.
Dawn Nunes
Dawn is a a force of nature on and off the trails. Dawn has conquered some of the world’s toughest ultra-marathons — including Ultra Trail Snowdonia 100miler in 2025, where she was 1 of 12 women to complete this brutal course, the Arc of Attrition 100 miler, the UK’s most brutal winter ultra, and the Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100 miler. And She’s earned three Comrades medals, and most recently had her first foray into European racing at UTMB Val d'Aran.
Hugh Chatfield
Hugh is a trail runner who embodies pure adventure. Whether he’s chasing podiums or exploring remote mountain trails, Hugh brings passion, humility, and relentless determination to every step.
Achievements include:
British middle distance trail champ 2025 (14 Peaks Ultra / SkyRun Eryri)
Ultra-Trail Snowdonia (2024) - 4th
Arc of Attrition (2025) - 2nd
Montane Dragon’s Back Race 2023 - 1st
in all of these Races Hugh tackled thousands of metres of brutal elevation, technical terrain, and wild British weather
Keith Wigley
A true force on the fells and trails, Keith has made his mark on some of the UK’s toughest ultras — including podium finishes at
Ultra-Trail Snowdonia 100km -3rd place (2025 and 2023)
Arc of Attrition 50 miler (2025) - 3rd place
As well as standout performances at the British Trail Champs (2023), Grand Trail des Templiers, and many more.
We are beyond excited to have Keith onboard as a TrailSkin Ambassador
Jack Chamberlain
Jack Chamberlain is an elite British ultrarunner and coach based in Austria, specializing in mountainous, long-distance trail races.
Jack’s no stranger to the long miles. With impressive finishes at some of Europe’s and the UK’s most challenging ultras, he has earned multiple podium finishes, including:
Win at the Mozart 100 by UTMB (2024) and 5th in 2025
4th at Arc of Attrition 2025
5th at KAT100 by UTMB
In his debut at UTMB, Jack placed 25th overall—marking a solid performance, and one which he hopes to improve on this year.
Ioana Barbu
Ioana is on a mission to become the first British woman to complete all four races of the Beyond The Ultimate Global Race Series in a single year.
In February 2025, she won the Ice Ultra in the Arctic Circle, finishing 2nd overall.
This extreme trail series tests endurance in the world’s harshest environments. Ioana began with the Jungle Ultra in the Amazon Rainforest (June 2024), followed by the Desert Ultra in Namibia. She will revisit both later this year.
Her final race, the Mountain Ultra in Kyrgyzstan’s Tian Shan Mountains, is in July 2025.
She’ll also take on the Highland Ultra (April) and the For Rangers Ultra (September).
TrailSkin is proud to support Ioana on these incredible challenges and you can support Ioana at makesomenoise.enthuse.com/pf/ioana-barbu
Alex Welch
Alex is a true adventurer.
In February 2025 Alex completed and WON the Beyond the Ultimate Ice Ultra, becoming the youngest winner of this awesome event.
Alex has plans for more BTU events, and will be seen at the UTS 100km event in May.
Alex has raced in the 2024 Marathon Des Sables where he finished in the top 30 (& a sub 30 hr completion time), as well as being a top ten finisher at the 2023 Race to the King, Alex has some great adventures planed for 2025, kicking off with the Beyond The Ultimate Ice Ultra in February 2025, followed by UTS in May and some more exciting adventures later in the year, possible heading back to the desert.
TrailSkin are proud to support Alex with his upcoming adventures.
Veronika Gill
A force on the trails, Veronika is no stranger to tough terrain and big goals. She embodies grit and passion.
3rd at 2025 North Downs Way 50 (her first 50 miler)
KvK (24 km / 1000m vert!) in St Agnes in 2:18:59
2nd female (and 3rd overall) at Serpent Trail 75km (2025)
Veronika isn’t just about race stats - she’s a mum of two and a buggy runner, a self-declared proud heel striker and a dream chaser. Trail running is her happy place - she’s all about having fun, not taking herself too seriously and running ultras in a rockstar style.
We can’t wait to support her as she takes on the next adventure and helps inspire more runners to believe in what’s possible.
Veronika’s message to all mums/runners: “You can rock both the parenting and running game! Don’t you dare feel guilty for having big dreams and running after them with all you’ve got!”
Sara Eydmann
Sara is attempting to be the first documented female to run the North Coast 500 route in Scotland.
The route consists of 516miles and 10,000meters of elevation.
The route itself is around the top of Scotland's coasts with rugged roads and challenging climbs.
Sara will be attempting to set the fastest known time for the route to show that gender shouldn’t be a barrier when accomplishing dreams.
The Challenge:
- 516 miles.
- 10,000meters of elevation.
- Under 5 days and 23 hours (current fastest known time).
- Rugged exposed roads around the North Coast of Scotland following the North Coat 500 route.
- Starting Wednesday 4th June 2025.
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TrailSkin is proud to support Sara on this incredible challenges and you can learne more about Sara's challenge at www.saraeydmann.com/
Oliver Burton-Taylor
Oliver Burton-Taylor
Oli emailed me his amazing story after the National Running Show in January 2025.
It struck a chord with me. His story is very similar to my own, and I believe that the first mile you run is the hardest.
Oli ran that 1st mile!
Now in his 5th year running, he has completed some great races and has many more planned.
We are proud to support Oli, and all runners who take that step to run their 1st mile.
Oli's Story:
Oli is a 40 year old trail & ultra runner based in Oxfordshire.
Running was a massive part of his life as a child & teenager competing at national X-country competitions & even an international Trethalon competition.
However, as a hockey, tennis & cricket fanatic Oli gravitated away from running after school, university and younger adult years. Family life started & the sport stopped & it was 2019 when he looked at holiday pictures of himself & didn’t like what he saw, and decided to start running again.
Oli is now into his 5th year of competitively running & despite turning 40 last year is running stronger now more than ever. Past races have included UTS (x2), Race to the Stones, Brecons Way Ultra, Lakes Osprey, Beast of the Beacons, Beast of the Blacks, Ultra X Madeira, Country to Capital, the South Coast Challenge, the South West Challenge & various Maverick events such as the Original Cotswold, and the Original Hampshire to name just a some.
James (Jim) Graham
Jim is an Ultra runner with a few great races and FKTs to his name.
He is too modest to write a Bio, so I did it for him!
2nd place at 2024 Montane Spine Challenger South
Winner and Course Record Holder at Devon Coast to Coast 2022.
Winner at North Coast 110M 2021 (Course Record)
