Epic displays of determination and resilience on Day 4 of the Montane Dragon’s Back Race while Hugh and Robyn retain their leads
Runners were treated to a cooler start to the day today, with some welcome cloud cover as participants of the Montane Dragon’s Back Race ventured into the Elan Valley. While today’s route featured less elevation than previous days, the forested and secluded Elan Valley still provided the runners with plenty of delights, and those more accustomed to road running were given the chance to stretch their legs on another 70km day.
103 participants today were on the full course, with a further 155 on the Hatchling course, who chose to either run the first part of the day to Elan Village, or the second part of the day. Organisers arranged buses to transport the Hatchlings to the insert points, allowing them to make the most of the same incredible journey without the time pressure of cut offs.
Gary Thwaites of Tea and Trails looking strong on the final tarmac section ©No Limits Photography
The steep climb out of camp was a tough start to the day
While the participants are noticeably weary, there was certainly an air of positivity on the start line this morning. Participants are now halfway through their journey, and with this comes a kind of cautious optimism, that the dragons are now beginning to believe they might actually make it to their end destination in Cardiff Castle.
We spoke to Sanna Duthie as she set off at a determined pace up the hill. She said, “I think once I get today done I’ll feel like I’m on the home stretch, I felt really down yesterday but today I feel buzzing, ready to go.”
Sanna has a good reason for running the Dragon’s Back Race. “I’m raising money for the Welsh Air Ambulance which is a huge part of our community in Pembrokeshire because of how rural we are.”
Sanna Duthie runs with a group through the Cambrian mountains ©No Limits Photography
Graham Dawson was looking forward to getting Day 4 behind him. He said, “It’s seems a long way still for me, but I’ll get today out the way and it’ll seem a whole lot better. I enjoyed after Mccynlleth yesterday. I thought I was dead and buried at the first checkpoint, but yesterday was a really good second half.”
He had enjoyed the camp life as well, saying, “The atmosphere has been fabulous. It’s a war of attrition, but everybody’s so friendly and supporting each other. We’re all in the same boat.”
Zukie Tandathu was looking strong as he climbed out of the camp. He said, “I feel good. I can almost see the end in sight but not quite. The best bit so far is probably the beginning of yesterday. It was more free-flowing – I was able to lengthen out the legs just that little bit more than previous days. It’s part of the challenge to push yourself and do something you’re not quite used to. That’s how you grow I suppose and get better.”
Zukie Tandathu is having an amazing run ©No Limits Photography
Elizabeth Gatherer seemed cheerful on the first climb. We asked her what was keeping her going. She said, “My friend Kevin did this last year. He’s yet to complete but he’s such a legend. He fell on Tryfan last year and had to go to hospital, but he carried on. He almost did the whole thing. He’s so inspiring so when I’m struggling I think of him.”
“I’ve gone through every single emotion. I think I’ve cried every day – happy, sad! I’m still on the full course. It’s absolutely brutal but amazing at the same time. I feel very privileged to be doing it actually!”
Kelly Harrison was also motivated to get to Camp 4 and beyond. She said, “I got to a checkpoint yesterday and I didn’t bail out, so that’s keeping me going. Quite a few people dropped out and that spurs you on a little bit.”
The cooler weather of the morning was a blessing at the Elan Village Support Point
While most runners would celebrate sunny weather, after three days of heat, the cloud cover was much appreciated by participants as they came into the checkpoint in Elan Village. There was even a rare and treasured occurrence of rain for a few minutes, which cooled down the hot runners.
Jakub Wolski, who is currently in second, was having a good run when he came into the Support Point. He said, “The weather is very nice. I’m just trying to take it a little bit easier than previous days to make some room for tomorrow. I’m not following Hugh because that would be crazy. Just doing my thing – enjoying myself. I thought I would be here in over four hours but it’s not four hours!”
Jakub Wolski is consistently strong this week ©No Limits Photography
Hugh Chatfield was going well, and had a smile on his face as usual. However, while the running has been just another day’s work for him, the other aspects of the race have been proving a challenge. He said, “I felt good and now I feel a bit low sugar-wise. I can’t believe the amount of food I’ve been eating. 120-130 grams of carbs an hour. The running’s easy relative to the food and the sleep and things like that.”
After losing a few minutes to Victoria Thompson yesterday, Robyn Cassidy, who is currently leading the women’s race, was back on strong form today. She was enjoying the cooler weather as she came down from the hill.
2nd lady, Victoria Thompson set off thirty minutes behind Robyn, hoping to chase her down. She said, “I’m feeling better than this morning. I think I tried to eat too much for breakfast. When there was rain I was thinking this is great!”
The Water Point Team do a great job of spurring the runners on ©No Limits Photography
Day 4 is characterised by more runnable terrain
For the runners who have become accustomed to the rugged and mountainous terrain of the first three days, the final 10km on road is a challenge. However, it weaves through one of the most peaceful and tranquil valleys in Wales.
We caught up with Paul Trifanov as he came in on the final section of road. He said, “It was cooler in the morning, then after the rest I could push it a bit. After so many days I didn’t expect to feel this strong! It’s because I didn’t start too fast.”
“It’s so strange running on the road! That’s what I do most of the time – but most of the mileage here is up there trail running.”
Robyn was having another incredible run as she smashed out the final kilometres on road. She said, “I’m so much better today. Just that little bit of cloud cover has helped phenomenally. It’s more runnable which is nice. Once you get in a rhythm you can stay with it. It’s the stop-start that kills you off.”
We asked what was keeping her going. She said, “The little Dragon Mail messages – I can’t talk about it or I’ll cry! They’re amazing!”
Hugh was having a tough day today, but a hug from his parents 2 kilometres out from the finish gave him the boost he needed.
He said, “I had a great last few kilometres because I saw my parents and that picked me up a bit. I’m really happy with my time. But how am I going to get up and do this tomorrow? I’m eating so much more food than I planned for which is interesting. I ate myself out of food twice today!”
Across the field, there were smiles at the finish. Augustin is on the hatchling course, and had a brilliant day. He said, “I feel a bit sore but I’m fairly happy with that to be honest. This is my second Dragon’s Back and that’s the earliest I’ve ever been into camp.”
Victoria Thompson using her map to navigate the course ©No Limits Photography
Holly Wootten could be a late contender to shake up the women’s field
While Robyn Cassidy continued to be on strong form, she was not the fastest woman of the day, and nor was Victoria Thompson. The fastest woman on Day 4, and the third fastest overall, was Holly Wootten who absolutely stormed around in just over 8 hours.
Up till this point Holly has flown under the radar, having run the race with a friend from her running club. However, after her friend dropped out yesterday, she has now decided to get competitive. The rumour is this year is a practice race for her, and she intends to come back next year for a competitive time.
Holly has 10 hours to make up if she wants to take on Robyn, which at this stage seems like a tall order. However, it is certainly adding more excitement into an already exciting race, and it will be interesting to see how Holly fares next year if she is indeed intending on returning.
Holly’s strong performance also means that three of the top five fastest runners of the day overall were women.
Hugh Chatfield once again extended his lead against his competition. He shows no signs of slowing down, though Jakub Wolski is once again looking strong coming in at second.
However, today third fastest man was Owen Rees, who was seven minutes faster than Tristan who is in third in the men’s field.
With another tough day ahead though, it is really still too early to call. It is certainly not unheard of for the field to change completely even at this late stage.
Robyn Cassidy still has a strong lead ©No Limits Photography
Results
Top 3 women overall
Robyn Cassidy (37:11:34) - 3rd overall
Victoria Thompson (38:20:51) - 5th overall
Alyssa Clark (40:34:35) - 8th overall
Top 3 men overall
Hugh Chatfield (32:06:22)
Jakub Wolski (33:53:19)
Tristan Stephenson (38:17:22)
American runner Alyssa Clark retains third place after another strong run ©No Limits Photography
Top 3 women on Day 4
Holly Wootten (08:01:18) - 3rd overall
Robyn Cassidy (08:31:28) - 4th overall
Victoria Thompson (08:36:29) - 5th overall
Top 3 men on Day 4
Hugh Chatfield (07:37:05)
Jakub Wolski (07:56:22)
Tristan Stephenson (08:48:38)
Hugh chats with the Event Team before setting off this morning ©No Limits Photography
Follow the Journey
At today’s camp the participants had two treats awaiting them – one was a gloriously cold river, which provided welcome relief after the humidity of the day. The second was a pub right next to camp! Many participants took the opportunity to avail themselves of the facilities here, with the pub buzzing with the excited chatter of tired but satisfied dragons, who could now see the end in sight.
However, they haven’t broken the back of the Dragon yet. Tomorrow is another epic mountain day, with runners venturing into the Brecon Beacons. It is going to be a tough, tough day, but for runners who make it through, they will almost certainly make it to that final destination they have dreamed about – Cardiff Castle.
Follow our runners as they cross the Brecon Beacons tomorrow ©No Limits Photography
Feeling inspired?
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Take on a fantastic journey in 2024 ©No Limits Photography