There is a fine line between providing a first class race service and still allowing competitors to remain self reliant, and this was in evidence at the first camp on the Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race.

As expected, day one of the 2017 Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race took its toll on the 223 starters. Faced with a distance of 52km, with 3,800m of climbing, including Tryfan, the Glyders and Snowdon via Crib Goch, just 25 competitors either failed to reach checkpoints by the cut-off times or retired from the race for other reasons. Even the most experienced runners in the field had their fare share of troubles in North Wales, with the event leader suffering a time penalty for a technical infringement of the rules.

It may have been a fine morning for running at the Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race, but the afternoon could have been better. So could the timing as dense low cloud and stronger winds blew across the Snowdon range and Crib Goch ridge just as the runners were passing through.

In most races the lead contenders will most likely know each other and have raced against their rivals before, but that is not quite so true of the Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race. Some here will know each other by reputation and results, the British mountain runners will have raced against each other, but even so the first morning is a chance to settle into a pace and then look to see who is around you.

A stream of runners ran along the turreted town walls of the North Wales coastal town of Conwy this morning, setting out on the Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race 2017. They were starting the first of 5 days of extreme mountain running, following a route down the mountain spine of Wales and the start released the pre-race tension. The 223 international runners face a daunting challenge and now , at last, they were underway!

The world’s toughest five-day mountain race got underway this morning in North Wales. At 7:00am, 223 competitors from 24 countries set out on the 2017 Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race from Conwy Castle. Over the next five days, some of the planet’s leading ultra-runners will attempt to complete a course of 315 kilometres, including 15,500 metres of ascent (almost twice the height of Everest).

The Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race is about mountain running, endurance, determination and so much more, but it can of course be reduced to numbers. Time and distance will be constantly in the thoughts of the racers in the days ahead and also of those watching their loved ones on the live online tracking system.

Without going into the full nitty-gritty, which generates many, many long and complex spreadsheets in the planning stages of the race, here are some of the key numbers for the next 5 days.

The first Dragon’s Back Race took place in 1992 and attracted some of the very best mountain and ultra runners in the world. (I’m not sure the name ‘Trail runner' was even in use then.) The 5 stages along the mountain spine of Wales tested them to the limit, and with the backing of an oil company as sponsor the press coverage was extensive, helped by the fact the race was won by a mixed pair, Helene Diamantides and Martin Stone.

The start of the fourth edition of the legendary Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race is imminent.

On Monday 22nd May at 07:00 the toughest five-day mountain race in the world begins at Conwy Castle, North Wales.