Day 1: It’s shaping up to be a competitive race as the adventure begins
The atmosphere was electric as 264 intrepid Dragons set off on a 380km journey from Conwy Castle to Cardiff Castle this morning.
Day One of the Montane Dragon’s Back Race® is one of the most spectacular. The Dragons must journey 49km with 3,800m of climbing over some of the toughest, gnarliest terrain in Wales. First they must tackle the grassy slopes of the Carneddau, before turning their attentions to the rugged boulder fields of Tryfan and the Glyderau. They must make the cut off time at Pen-y-Pass, where runners will also often stock up on ice creams and drinks. The crux of the day is Crib Goch, a thrilling knife-edge arête, which has been known to leave many people with wobbly knees. The run to camp involves the famous Snowdon Horseshoe, where participants can rest and refuel in the shadow of Snowdonia’s most beautiful mountains.
There was a nervous excitement in the castle this morning ©No Limits Photography
“This is the best start to a race in the world”
The Castle was lit up in all its glory, with the sun just coming up as our Dragons gathered.
There was an excited buzz filling the Castle as runners adjusted their bags and readied themselves for a hard day ahead. The Maelgwn Male Voice Choir sang a beautiful and haunting set to send the runners off on their journey, creating a magical feel to the spectacular setting.
Jonathan Whilock was particularly impressed with the atmosphere. He said, “This is the best start to a race in the world. There’s so much tension and you can feel it in the air.”
Female front runner, Lisa Watson, was also enjoying the atmosphere. She said, “It’s kind of surreal. It’s really impressive I think the way it’s lit up is really gorgeous. It’s quite atmospheric. It always makes you really nervous though. You can’t underestimate it can you?
“You’ve just got remember that nerves and excitement are the same emotion really – it’s how you frame it.”
Participants lined up nervously for their big adventure ©No Limits Photography
Helen Brown, who ended the day as second female runner, was feeling good. She said, “I feel really calm now. I’ve been so nervous for the last three days and I was in a really nervous state at the registration last night but I feel completely calm now.”
“I’m looking forward to thinking of it as a life experience rather than a race, it’s the only way to approach this sort of thing, which is a different approach for me. I’m looking forward to trying to really enjoy it and focus on that genuinely.”
Justin Tracey said, “I’ve done the day distances on events but never back to back. What a place to be, it’s fantastic, a good atmosphere, I’ve not been on an event as well planned as this, it’s amazing.
Heather Driscoll added “It’s going to be a brilliant adventure. I think every moment’s going to be special. I’m going to enjoy each day, each moment –that’s the best way to think about it.”
It was a magical setting ©No Limits Photography
Ogwen Valley was the first support point of the day
Simon Roberts was looking strong as he came running into the support point. However, Chris Cope and James Nobles were hot on his heels.
After seeing the other runners arrive in the support point just behind him, he pressed on at pace up the hill. “I haven’t been paying attention to what’s behind me,” he said, with a clear focus on the goal ahead.
Simon was first out of Conwy ©No Limits Photography
James Nobles was the second through, and set off at a rapid pace after Simon. “I’m just trying to keep up with Simon – keep him in my sights. Keep chipping away at him.”
The third through the support point was Chris Cope, who had a storming run, finishing the day overall in first place. He had a huge smile on his face as he propelled himself up the rocky steps of Tryfan. “I’m loving it! Really enjoying it. It was a bit misty at times but I got some cracking views as well.”
Lisa Watson was the first female runner through. She didn’t stop at the support point for long, choosing to press on upwards so as not to lose precious time. She said, “I’ve got some faff to do on the way up the hill, but I always prefer to do it when I’m moving – it just feels like a waste of time. If I sit down I always seize up.”
It was a beautiful dawn on Conwy mountain as Lisa Watson was heading up the trail ©No Limits Photography
Helen Brown was the second woman through. She was feeling strong on the rocky terrain, but was a bit apprehensive about the challenge of Crib Goch. She said, “I like technical ground, so I’m happy from that point of view. There is a lot of climb and exposure on Crib Goch. At least we’ll get it over with.”
Helen Brown was looking strong today ©No Limits Photography
We caught up with Sam Skinner on his way up Tryfan. This is his second time tackling the Dragon’s Back Race®. He said, “I broke my foot on day 5 last year. I’m hoping just to have a clean run this year.”
He has a good reason for running. “I’m doing it in aid of my mate who was going to do it, and he sadly passed away this year. We’ve been raising money for him.”
Nikki Sommers, Lou Beetlestone and Sarah Harmon were running together when we saw them marching up the hill together. They seemed in particularly high spirits, singing renditions of the Lion King to keep them going.
“Girl squad smashing it!” Nikki said with a grin. “We’re all a bit faster than we expected. That’s how you get it right. If you’re slow enough to speak or sing.”
The Dragons left Conwy Castle for the rugged terrain of the Welsh mountains ©No Limits Photography
Runners enjoyed a respite at Pen-y-Pass before tackling Crib Goch
Despite the weather looking like it could take a turn for the worse, the conditions were perfect for runners as they came into Pen-y-Pass, with the sun shining, but a moderate wind keeping runners cooler. However, it was at times rather blustery on the summits.
Former RAF Firefighter, Mark Peart, was looking strong and feeling good ahead of Crib Goch. He said, “It’s a tale of two halves. The first half was quite gentle and undulating. The second half’s been a lot slower. A lot of climbing and a lot more technical.”
Richard Gardiner was feeling less confident. He said, “I’m not looking forward to it at all. Because it’s a race, my race head is on, so I’m hoping it’s going to have less of an effect on me. I’m hoping the photographs make it look worse than it is. I’ve just got to get over this.”
Jamie Maker was feeling apprehensive but was up to the challenge. “I’ve not done it before. Thousands of people have done it. There’ll be lots of people around. I’m sure it will be fine, just be sensible and take it easy.”
Lucy Clark, on the other hand, couldn’t wait to conquer the famous scramble. She said, “I’m actually excited. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time and the weather is nice so I’m looking forward to giving it a go.”
She has travelled all the way from Australia to compete. “There’s four of us that have come over and used it as an excuse for an overseas holiday.”
Pen-y-Pass last year was a site where many runners were timed out last year. However, this year’s earlier start and more favourable weather meant that only 8 people were timed out at Ogwen or Pen-y-Pass.
Crib Goch is a stunning place to race ©No Limits Photography
Chris Cope was first male runner, while Lisa Watson was first female runner
After a strong battle on Day One, last year’s champion, Simon Roberts lost his lead to Chris Cope. This is particularly impressive, given Chris has diabetes. He said, “My blood sugar’s been a bit all over the place with the stress of starting, but that’s settled down now. It’s all a learning curve – it’s my first stage race.”
Chris Cope proved he was more than up to scrambling ©No Limits Photography
James Nobles came in second place after an impressive run, although Simon Roberts was not far behind him.
James Noble took Crib Goch in his stride ©No Limits Photography
Simon had a fall on Crib Goch and cut his knee open. He said, “I had a great first half, but I was struggling to get food down me. I was slowing down after Tryfan. I was running with James on Crib Goch and then I fell over. I lost my head a bit then.”
He is determined to keep pushing though. “I’m going to try racing tomorrow and see how it goes. If that fails, my back up plan is just to have fun and finish the week.”
Lisa Watson had a strong run, coming comfortably in as first female, and 8th overall. She said, “The challenge of day one is pacing it. You can’t go too fast because you wreck your legs for later.”
Second woman to finish was Helen Brown, followed by Victoria Morris, who both had an incredible start to their race.
While Chris Cope and Lisa Watson have established a comfortable lead, it is still very early days. With five more demanding and epic days to go, there is still all to play for.
Lisa Watson has had an incredible start to the race ©No Limits Photography
Top 3 female runners
Lisa Watson 8h 50m
Helen Brown 9h 52m
Victoria Morris 10h 6m
Top 3 male runners
Chris Cope 7h 36m
James Nobles 8h 2m
Simon Roberts 8h 5m
Chris Cope has established an early lead ©No Limits Photography
Behind the scenes
Spotlight on…Support point
Today we managed to catch up with the awesome Support Point team at Ogwen Valley and the water point team at Pen-y-Pass.
Littledave Cumins is a long-time Event Team volunteer. He was running the Support Point down at Ogwen Valley.
“Support point is here to look after the runners,” he said. “We’ll welcome runners in. They get their drop bag here, so their little bag of goodies – a bag of morale basically. We replenish their water supplies, look after them in any way they need, help them with general admin and stuff.”
The support point is a crucial part for some runners. “The frontrunners will come in and they won’t need much. Other people come in and they need more support. They’ll come in here and they’ll have done a lot of running, and it’s quite an arduous course so they come in a little bit battered. We’re here to give them a hug, get their morale up and get them back on their way.”
Ian was also on support point last year. “Last year we had people who came in at the support point on day 6, and you had tough guys bursting into tears and saying we wouldn’t have finished without you guys.”
Caz was working at the water point in Pen-y-Pass. He was dressed in a pink tutu and colourful bucket hat. He said, “The best is you can make a difference to the runners. If they look at me looking like this, it takes the pain away from their legs. It makes them smile.”
Caz knows how to lift spirits ©No Limits Photography
Littledave Cumins would definitely encourage anyone looking to join the Event Team in the future. “It's one of the most rewarding things you can do. If you go out and do the Dragon’s Back Race, that’s a massive reward. But the way I look at it is I’m helping 300 people do the Dragon’s Back Race, so it’s like doing the race 300 times. It’s brilliant, it’s fun and it’s very, very rewarding.”
The Water Point team are there as moral support for our awesome Dragons ©No Limits Photography
Feeling inspired by our awesome Dragons?
Entries are now open for the 2023 Montane Dragon’s Back Race®.
Join us from 4th-9th September 2023 on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure.
Could this be you undertaking an epic scramble in 2023? ©No Limits Photography