Registration nerves and excitement at the 2021 Montane Dragon’s Back Race®
More than 400 participants arrived in the picturesque seaside town of Conwy, north Wales, today to register for the world's toughest mountain running event, the 2021 Montane Dragon’s Back Race®.
The atmosphere was a mix of excitement, anticipation and trepidation as men and women queued throughout the afternoon for the kit bag weigh in, a check of mandatory items and also to pick up race numbers, maps and GPS Trackers.
Ahead of the runners over the next six days is a 380km stage race, with a total ascent of 17,400m, to complete a journey down the wild and mountainous spine of the country. For the first time, runners will finish in Cardiff Castle after the race was extended by a day to take in a long traverse of the Brecon Beacons.
The on-going impact of Covid-19 means the event capacity has not been increased for this year’s race and there are competitors from fewer locations worldwide, although some 24 countries are still represented.
Shane Ohly, race director at Ourea Events, said: “The highlight for me today is being here after a tumultuous 18 months for us and everyone due to the pandemic. It’s fantastic to be here and I just want to get the show on the road.”
Participants reveal nerves and excitement at registration 2021. ©No Limits Photography
Race director Shane Ohly talks to a competitor. ©No Limits Photography
‘We’re looking forward to getting started’
For many participants, the Montane Dragon’s Back Race® is an unknown. A few have taken part in the race before and some have competed in the sister event, the Cape Wrath Ultra®, but most are not sure what to expect. With six days of running ahead there was a broad mix of feelings, from confidence to excitement, to nerves and trepidation.
Darren Holman (310), UK, said: “I am apprehensive but quite excited to get started. It has been quite a long journey to get here but I am here in one piece and that is the first challenge overcome. I expect this to be a bit more real than any other race I have done before.”
Friends Alasdair Moffett (48), from Scotland, and Charlie Lowis (54), UK, hope to enjoy the race journey together. Alasdair said: “I feel excited but also have a little bit of trepidation.”
A couple, Juli Arias (41) and Al Decesaris (417), also plan to run the race together. They met four years ago while walking the long-distance trail in Europe, the Camino de Santiago. Al, from Washington, US, said: “We will stay together. We have done other events together and we get on well.”
Juli, who is from Colombia and lives in London, said: “ I am nervous but looking forward to it. My training has been good but hard. You always wish you had done more, I guess.”
A trio of competitors, Patrizia Strandman (293), Simon Gräsberg (297) and Henrik Ortman (294), are from Sweden and have met thanks to the race.
Simon said: “By coincidence, we are all from the same place but we have got to know each other because of this event. I am feeling a bit anxious about the race but I am also psyched. I am ready to hit the trail. I think I will enjoy it.”
Patrizia said: “I’m really excited and a little bit scared but I think good goals should be like that. I have not done anything exactly the same as this race and this is a bit more than what I have done before but I think you should always push your limits.”
Henrik is a veteran of Ourea multi-day races. He finished his first Dragon’s Back Race in 2015 and completed the Cape Wrath Ultra® in 2018. He said: “I wanted to return to this race to do the extra day. I also hope to be a bit faster.”
Another Cape Wrath Ultra® finisher is Mike Schneider (56), from Canada. He said: “I did the Cape Wrath Ultra® in 2018 and I am looking forward to the extreme challenge of the Dragon’s Back Race. I am quite anxious, for sure.”
For Mogens Gisselbaek (223), of Denmark, the Dragon’s Back Race is unfinished business. While he finished the Cape Wrath Ultra® in 2016, he was timed out on the second day of the Dragon’s Back Race in 2019.
He said: “I am feeling excited and I look forward to getting started. My training has been up and down and Covid has destroyed all my plans to train in Wales and the Alps. Of course, there are not a lot of hills in Denmark but I have done what I can and I am hoping to finish this time.”
Runners at registration day. ©No Limits Photography
Caroline Upton (18), UK, described her feelings as “somewhere between excited and terrified”. She said: “I have not done a race of this length before. Also, I am from Lincolnshire, which is flat, so my training has been a bit limited. I have done recce runs in Wales once Covid restrictions allowed. But I have done as much as I can.”
Richard Ward (274), UK, said: “I am absolutely terrified. People must be insane if they are not terrified – or not understanding.”
Stephen Braithwaite (237), UK, said: “I’ve done the miles in training so I am feeling good I think. I am pretty relaxed about the race.”
Peter Hutchinson (172), UK, said he is “excited and keen to get running”. He added: “The weather looks good and while I have not done something like this before I don’t have any nerves. I think it will all be fine and I am eager to get out there.”
Francis Bradley (258), UK, said: “I am excited and a bit daunted. But I am looking forward to the adventure and I just want to get to Cardiff. “
Sam Skinner (151), UK, revealed he is feeling good about the race. He said: “I am bit nervous about the heat but I am really looking forward to challenging myself in the Dragon’s Back Race.”
A competitor heads through the registration process. ©No Limits Photography
Race organisation and checks in Conwy. ©No Limits Photography
Who to look out for at the front of the race
It’s predicted that the men’s 2021 Montane Dragon’s Back Race® will be competitive. The 2017 race winner Marcus Scotney (419) has returned with the hope of reclaiming his title. He is joined by fellow Montane athletes Mark Kerry (359) and Tom Hollins (128), both of whom bring race winning and record setting experience to their debut attempts at the event.
Kim Collison (396) will be hoping that his fastest known time (FKT) on the Paddy Buckley Round in Wales earlier this year is a good omen for his return to the country, as will Race Across Snowdonia 2021 winner Simon Roberts (114).
Meanwhile, Robert Barnes (422) will be aiming to improve on his third place in the 2019 Dragon’s Back Race. Also on the starting line will be Steve Birkinshaw (80), also a big name in ultra running, who is attempting the event for the first time since he won it in 2012.
Other notable starters in the men’s race include Stuart Anderson (39), Wolverhampton South West MP and ex-British Army, whose foot is partially paralysed due to a gunshot wound. He will be raising money for two charities in his constituency and he is the first MP to take on the race.
In the women’s race, strong competitors are likely to include Elaine Bisson (394), who was first women in the 2020 Spine Challenger and finished second in the Lakeland 100 this year; Montane athlete Chloe Lumsdon (5), who has many strong fell running performances to her name; Zoe Murphy (21), a winner of the Autumn Centurion 100 mile 2020 and Lakeland Trails 55km Ultra 2019; as well as Cat Slater (2), who triumphed in the Lakes Sky Ultra 2017.
Watch the first daily highlight film:
Day 1: Conwy Castle to Nant Gwynant
The race starts tomorrow with a 49km (30.5 miles) day with 3800m (12,467ft) of ascent in Northern Snowdonia. It’s a gentle climb from Conwy Castle before the route gradually becomes rockier with unrelenting ascent and descent. The big obstacle of the day is an airy ridge scramble across Crib Goch. The finish is Nant Gwynant.