The final day

Joe Faulkner, multiple Dragon slayer ©iancorless.com

It’s day 5 of the Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race – the final day of this iconic mountain run and those who have made it this far know the finish is within reach ... just 56.5km of and a crossing of the Brecon Beacons still to go!

The overnight camp was by now a familiar routine and those who arrived early enough yesterday ‘enjoyed’ a freezing cold dip in the river, though by evening the dreaded midges were out and everyone covered up as much as they could. Come the morning the weather had changed again, to low cloud and mist with regular rain showers, which is going to make the navigation harder today, but is at least cooler.

The course for the final day takes the runners on a low level route across pastureland, through the town of LLandovey and to the days support point at the Usk Reservoir. This is quite early in the day, with a cut-off at 14.00, and after that come the big mountain finish with the run over the Brecon Beacons, well known as a rugged training area for the British Special Forces.

For the Dragon’s Back Runners however it will be easier running country than much of the terrain they’ve already passed through. Once through the final support point they should have an extra burst of adrenalin to allow them to draw on their last reserves, knowing the finish is the next stop. They will need to be careful with navigation in the mist though, and won’t want to add any extra miles to the final leg.

The finish is in its traditional location in Carreg Cennen Castle, which has commanding views of the surrounding area ... in other words it’s an uphill finish! What else would you expect?

Written by Rob @ Sleep Monsters