Day 3: An emotional day while the battle for lead continues
Today 205 participants headed back out into the wilderness on Day 3 of their life-affirming journey through Wales, with 158 still competitive and 47 as non-competitive runners having been timed out earlier in the event. Day 3 is the longest day so far, with the route taking the participants over 70km of undulating terrain. The first challenge of the day was the mighty Cadair Idris in South Snowdonia, before taking the dragons over some lesser-known, though equally beautiful mountains as they headed south, including a brutal out-and-back up Tarren y Gesail. The highlight for many dragons on this day though, was the opportunity to pass through towns and load up on some necessary fuel.
Watch the Day 3 video by Steve Ashworth, Ross Brackley and Jimmy Hyland
However, the end of Day 3 also marks the halfway point of the race, giving our remaining dragons a much-needed confidence boost.
After two days of negotiating the rugged terrain of North Wales, the participants today were presented with a very different challenge, with some much more runnable sections. This perhaps favoured more of the road runners, but there was still a lot of ascent for the strong climbers to shine.
The dragons still had technical terrain to contend with ©No Limits Photography
The morning rain made way for a beautiful sunrise as Dragons arrived on the start line this morning
The morale was still high as Dragons gathered in the start pen for the third stage of their journey. However, you could sense that everyone was a little bit more tired today than previously. The tough first two days had definitely taken their toll on some of the runners.
James Nobles looked strong at the start ©No Limits Photography
The first dragons setting off early in the morning had the wet weather to contend with. This didn’t deter Beverley Tucker though, who was beaming as she left early in the morning. She said, “ I had a really good day yesterday. I got through the cut offs. Made lots of friends. We all helped each other in the Rhinogs.”
“It was a bit of a late finish. I had to push it in the last 3 miles in the dark and the rain, but I enjoyed it and hoping to get around today.”
For Beverley, one of the highlights of her journey so far has been the camaraderie that has developed amongst the runners. “It’s a wonderful experience,” she said. “Everyone’s helping each other in the tents with their injuries and bags. I’ve made lots of friends. I’ve probably doubled the amount of people I know. Everyone’s inspirational here.”
Tim Miller is another participant who is back for more, having completed the Dragon’s Back Race in the past.
This is one of his favourite days on the event. He said, “Day 3 has got a variety. It’s got interest, but it’s also got shops.”
We asked what was motivating him: “I don’t think about not finishing. I naturally think about getting up and getting on. It is a lot harder now – I’m 5 years older than last time I took it on. It’s just, the feeling I don’t want to give up. That’s what drives it more than anything else.”
Heading out for another day of adventure ©No Limits Photography
The Water Point was a hive of activity
Runners looked strong as they came running into the Water Point, having overcome the mighty Cadair Idris earlier on in the morning.
Kirk Hardwick had a good reason to keep him going: “The family at Cardiff, where I’m probably going to cry if I’m honest. Every step, is a step closer to the family.”
Nikki Sommers was also feeling emotional, though she was moving incredibly well by the time she was heading towards the water point.
“I had a bit of a hard start this morning – a bit of a cry,” she said. “I feel better now though. I’m just ticking away.”
The dragons had a day of mixed weather ©No Limits Photography
Bridget Glaister was in excellent spirits. In the women’s race she is proving to be consistently strong, sneaking in as second woman into camp this afternoon.
She said, “I started off with some quite dark thoughts, and Cadair Idris got rid of those so I’m so pleased – we had fantastic views of the sea!”
She was feeling motivated by receiving her Dragon Mail – a service where supporters can send their friends messages of encouragement online. These messages are then printed at the overnight camps to give the participants a much-needed morale boost. It’s proved incredibly popular this year, with over 6,000 messages sent so far.
“To all my followers, they do not know how it keeps you going, laughing and crying,” she said with a grin.
Musa Adamu was working hard when we caught up with him, but was looking forward to stocking up on some snacks later in the day. He said, “I just want to get to the finish line and also go to the Co-op to get some nice, tasty food. Lots of protein.”
“I am having a good time but in a painful way,” he continued. “I just need to keep the legs moving and don’t think of giving up. I just need to keep pushing. It’s not easy.”
Nicolas Hinojosa has come all the way from Argentina to compete. He said, “It’s really good, just being here. I’ve been waiting a long time for this and I’m just happy.”
Lucy Clark, from Australia, and Claire Prosser were running together to keep each other motivated. “It’s good to have some company distracting me,” Lucy said.
“It’s little goals: counting to ten, doing ten strides,” Claire added.
The determination of these dragons is incredible ©No Limits Photography
The Machynlleth Co-op was teeming with hungry dragons
Machynlleth is a rare chance for the runners to pass through a town, and is often a stop that our runners are very much looking forward to by the time Day 3 comes around. After days out in the wilderness, this return to civilisation came as a welcome relief, with participants opting to stock up on their essential running fuel.
Julian Ayres was one runner stocking up, and took us through the snacks he was buying. “I’ve got a BLT. It’s been in my head the whole way even though I’ve got other stuff. And then a milkshake for afterwards and fizzy drinks because I’m a child at heart.”
The Co-op was doing a roaring trade today ©No Limits Photography
Dylan Webber said, “I’ve got a co-op meal deal, some cereal bars. There’s no lager is there? And an orange. I don’t know what I wanted, but this is what we’re having.”
David Jackson had an agenda for what he wanted. “Some fruit. Probably some crisps, coke and rice pudding. Navigating round the shop is never fun though is it?”
Stocking up on necessary fuel ©No Limits Photography
The male frontrunners today didn’t stop for food in Machynlleth. Simon Roberts was first through, having regained his confidence after a strong morning.
However, James Nobles wasn’t too far behind him. He said, “It’s going well today. I decided to go a bit slower than yesterday and not run out of energy. I’m feeling good, just going to load up on food again, and then I’ll catch him up again.”
James Nobles is a strong contender in this race ©No Limits Photography
Race leader, Chris Cope had a difficult morning, having broken his poles early on. However, he was in a fighting spirit as he ran through town, and was gaining on James as he flew through.
Lisa Watson was making the race look easy as she came through the town, also opting not to stop in the shop. She didn’t linger long, keen to push on. She was running in a pack with Sam Skinner and Lee Parker who are all vying for top ten positions.
Victoria Morris, third lady overall, was also looking extremely fresh as she passed through Machynlleth, despite having to retrace her steps. from the support point to town to collect her map that she had dropped.
Second lady, former British Fell Running Champion Helen Brown, was late passing through Machynlleth, having set off later in the morning due to a calf injury that was being seen to by the event medics. While she is still second overall, she had slowed today, coming 5th on Day 3.
Victoria Morris took some time to rest at the support point ©No Limits Photography
Emotions were running high at the support point
The Support Point Team were doing a tremendous job of keeping morale high as the cut off time inched ever closer. Ian Owen came in convinced he was going to drop out of the race. However, after much encouragement from the team and moral support, they sent him on his way again with a renewed determination.
Phil Richards was worried about making the cut-offs but still made it in with twenty minutes to spare. She said, “I started late this morning and I knew I’d be chasing the cut-offs all day.”
She had stopped to refuel in the Co-op on coke and watermelon. “It’s a winning combination,” she laughed.
Some runners were cutting it fine to make the cut off. The tension in the air was palpable as Paul Colley-Davies made it through with only twenty seconds to spare. The support point team were doing everything they could to get him through on time, filling water bottles at lightning speed.
The Support Point gave the runners some much-needed rest before tackling the final section of the day ©No Limits Photography
Lisa continues to triumph while the top 3 men battle it out
Simon Roberts had certainly regained some of his mojo, finishing second man of the day after beating James Nobles by less than a minute. He still remains in third place on the race overall behind James, who has been running well right from the start of day 1. It’s clear all 3 men in the top three are fighting incredibly hard to come out on top.
However, despite getting behind earlier on in the day, Chris’s incredible performance is proving difficult to beat. He is consistently putting in a strong performance, generally starting behind James Nobles and Simon Roberts, but flying past them in the latter half of the day.
In the women’s race, Lisa is continually proving her incredible skills, having a nearly six-hour lead on the second lady. Her strength and resilience are shining through, and she has had a smile on her face the whole way round.
Meanwhile, 2nd lady, Helen Brown, has slowed down due to an injury, meaning it is now a very close result between her and 3rd lady, Victoria Morris. She was still 5th on day 3 though, showing she still has some fight left in her.
It’s been an emotional day for many of the dragons, with this being their longest day yet. However, those who made it to camp will have the confidence boost of knowing that they are now nearly halfway through their incredible adventure. Furthermore, the camaraderie developing between the runners has been phenomenal to watch, and will certainly help them through another tough day through the Elan Valley tomorrow.
Lisa led a pack of runners down the tricky terrain ©No Limits Photography
Results
Top 3 women on day 3:
Lisa Watson (09:45:58)
Bridget Glaister (12:11:52)
Nikki Sommers (12:42:48)
Top 3 men on day 3:
Chris Cope (08:43:49)
Simon Roberts (09:08:46)
James Nobles (09:09:39)
Chris Cope is continuing his phenomenal performance ©No Limits Photography
Top 3 female runners overall
Lisa Watson 28h 12m 42s
Helen Brown 34h 27m 51s
Victoria Morris 34h 42m 51s
Top 3 male runners overall
Chris Cope 24h 42m 24s
James Nobles 26h 8m 10s
Simon Roberts 26h 15m 48s
Simon demonstrates his resilience and determination despite his setbacks ©No Limits Photography
Behind the scenes
Spotlight on… Response Team
The Dragon’s Back Race® requires participants to run through some really mountainous and remote terrain. In the wrong conditions things can become dangerous very quickly. Luckily, there is an amazing response team on hand to look after the runners.
We are hugely grateful to the Mountain Rescue teams ©No Limits Photography
We spoke to Rich Griffiths about his experiences as part of the Response Team.
“Primarily, we are here to test all the cafes along the route of the Dragon’s Back,” he joked.
“Our job is to go and find any lost runners, support any injured runners and help manage any incidents that occur during the event. We try and make sure that we don’t have to call out mountain rescue unless it’s a really serious event that needs their assistance.”
“It’s a great thing to do. You meet a lovely group of people. Supporting the runners, supporting your friends trying to actually hit their aim is a great thing to do.”
“We get a huge variety. As far as injuries goes, the majority of them are lower limb injuries – injured ankles, injured knees. We also end up looking for and supporting some of the more exhausted runners towards the end of the day, who have pushed as hard as they can go and are now struggling.”
This incredible team are made up of Mountain Rescue team members, so they are all well-prepared to deal with all the problems the runners encounter out on course.
While the Response Team will usually try not to call out Mountain Rescue, the event still works closely with the local teams. This year, our participants donated a total of £7,200 to the awesome local mountain rescue teams that work along the race route.
Our runners have donated to a terrific cause ©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.
Are you up to the challenge? ©No Limits Photography