2015 race details & date confirmed
The organisers have now confirmed the dates for the third iconic Dragon’s Back Race™ in 2015. The race will depart from Conwy on Monday 22nd June and finish five days later at Carreg Cennen Castle in South Wales.
The legendary Dragon’s Back Race™ follows the mountainous spine of Wales. This incredible 5-day journey is approximately 300 kilometres long with 17,000 metres of ascent across wild, trackless, remote and mountainous terrain.
The original Dragon’s Back Race™ happened in September 1992 and ever since, it has been whispered about with a mix of awe and trepidation. Its reputation had reached legendary status with fell, mountain and ultra runners the World over by September 2012 when the second Dragon’s Back Race™ happened.
Matthew Fortes teetering along the along the Crib y Ddysgl ridge between Crib Goch and Garnedd Ugain. Day one of the Dragon’s Back Race ©Jon Brooke www.rightplacerighttime.co.uk
In the last few weeks there has been a comprehensive update of the Dragon’s Back Race™ website and the majority of details for the 2015 race are now available.
There is bound to be much speculation about the first day of the race, which in 2012 included all the Welsh 3000ft peaks, and the notoriously exposed Grib y Ddysgl ridge between Crib Goch and Garnedd Ugain. Some competitors felt that the route was too hard and we asked Race Director, Shane Ohly for his thoughts.
The daily evening briefing by Race Director, Shane Ohly, for the marshal team in 2012. © Jon Brooke
“Just like 2012, I shall be keeping the details of the final route secret until the competitor briefing on the night before the race. However, the keen eyed will have spotted that the estimated distance for Day 1 in 2015 is 7km / 600m less than 2012. People can certainly infer that the Day 1 route is going to be slightly different, but they should not make the mistake of thinking it is going to be easier!”
Ohly continued, “The 2015 course will be similar, but not identical, to the 2012 route. The 2012 route took its inspiration from the original 1992 Dragon’s Back Race™ and again for 2015, it is our absolute intention to stay true to the original concept of running the mountainous spine of Wales”.
Also new for the 2015 race will be live tracking of the competitors so that friends and family can watch all the action unfold in real time each day.
Many experts consider the Dragon’s Back Race™ to be one of the hardest mountain races in the World. If you are considering entering or just what to experience the awesome challenge offered by the Dragon's Back Race™ we strongly recommend that you watch the multi award winning film of the 2012 race.