Morning four of the Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race was a busy one as camp was broken down and the runners set off – in a variety of directions.

The majority left to run day 4, into the Elan Valley and across some of the most remote country in Wales. It is another 71km and the forecast is for it to be very hot again.

One of the top women runner’s Carol Morgan, set off at a really fast pace, but some time later she came back into the start area! It looked like she had set off the wrong way and come back for directions.

Others too were wandering as the trackers showed a large group of runners on the first hills descending into a very remote valley, well off the route. It looked like a classic ‘follow my leader’ case, where the leader does not really know where they are going! (With more runners in this race that has happened a lot.)

On day three of the Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race, the cumulative effect of hard days of mountain running was very evident. The medical tent was busy and there were more retirements overnight. The pre-race advice was that, statistically, those who complete day three stand a good chance of completing the full distance, so for many this was regarded as the crux day. However, it was a long one, 71km, with almost as much ascent as day two, and that is a daunting prospect with heavy legs and aching limbs.

It was a game of two halves today, and race leader Jim Mann scored an own goal in the first and was run off the pitch in the second.

For much of the first half of the day dense cloud settled over the mountains and it was in the mists on the summit of Cadair Idris that Mann made a major navigational mistake. He set off last and was on his own. From the summit the route followed the Pony Path down, but Mann took a different ridge line, and didn’t realise for a long time. He only started to correct after losing a lot of height, and then wandered off track again. He was having a bad day.

On a day of mixed weather conditions, with both dense fog and extreme heat competitors in the Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race have been racing 71km over the hills of mid-Wales today.

Their camp site for the night was a large field beside the A44 and the runners came in after crossing Plylimon Fawr saying what a superb afternoon it had been, but a HOT one.

When Jonathon Davies came in he said, “That was a lot better than yesterday as I used much more sun cream, dived in any rivers I saw and stuck my head in puddles. I think I’ve drunk 9 litres today!”

The noticeboard in camp at the Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race warned everyone setting off this morning that it would be hot with reminders about using sun cream, but was no need to worry. A dense mass of cloud settled over the coastal mountains, sinking right down into the valleys, so there was little chance of direct sunlight, or seeing the views from Cadair Idris. Much of the time it was hard to see a runner 20m ahead of you.

On the morning of day 3 of the Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race the cumulative effect of two hard days of mountain running is evident.

The medical tent is busy (it always is) and runners are up and about well ahead of their start time to be sure of setting off as early as possible for the long day ahead ... or they are having a lie in having decided their body can take no more punishment and it is time for a rest day.

During event week, it’s fair to say that the Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race exists in a bubble. The runners are focused on the major challenge of completing the course, while the organisers and volunteers are equally focused on staging an efficient, safe and exciting race. All of that, combined with the often remote terrain and poor connectivity, means that those involved in the event are a little removed from the world ‘outside’. However, some news does penetrate that bubble, so competitors and the race team shared the horror of everyone else when word of events in Manchester emerged overnight.

Jim Mann built on his advantage on the second day of the Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race, completing a 58km route across the Moelwyn and Rhinog hills in a time of 7 hours 52 minutes. The defending champion set off last at 9am and in the course of the day passed everyone except Marcus Scotney, who just managed to finish ahead of him.

At 14.50 at Cwm Brychan, the support and cut-off point on day 2 of the Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race there were almost 20 people resting in the shade around the race tent. Others were coming down the rocky hillside and there were still 32 kit bags laid out on the grass, which meant those runners had still to arrive. The cut-off for the day was at 15.00, and everyone had to have handed in their kit bag and left by that time