Today approximately 300 participants and 160 event team members gathered in Conwy in North Wales to register for the iconic Montane Dragon’s Back Race®. Known for its striking medieval castle, Conwy is the perfect setting for the start of the iconic race which will see participants tackle a 380km journey to Cardiff over the rugged Welsh mountains.

In spite of a forecast for rain, the sun was shining on the Event Centre this afternoon as excited participants arrived to register under the stunning backdrop of the Conwy Castle walls.

*Participants must pass that all-important kit check ©No Limits Photography*

The atmosphere in the registration tent was buzzing as participants collected their race maps, race numbers, dibbers, trackers and underwent a thorough kit check. They were also able to drop off their dry bag that will be transported for them to each overnight camp.

Participants later attended a mandatory briefing from Race Director, Shane Ohly, before enjoying a delicious welcome meal. This was the perfect chance for the participants, known as Dragons, to meet the people they will spending the next 6 days with. Undoubtedly, many people will make lifelong friendships this week as they face the challenges of the Welsh mountains together.

*Event sponsors Montane were at the Event Centre ©No Limits Photography*

Participants were both nervous and excited

Beverley Tucker, from Brecon, had a smile on her face as she queued in the sunshine.

She said: “It’s been a hard year of training so I’m really excited to be on the start line. I’m looking forward to the mountains, the scenery, all the camaraderie and all the volunteers.”

Beverley signed up after being inspired by some incredible female runners. “I read Feet in the Clouds and I was really inspired by Helen Diamantides. And Janet Street Porter walked across Wales in 1996, and I met her on the top of Tryfan. I thought that sounds like a good thing to do. I’m really inspired by the iconic race and the challenge as well.”

*The atmosphere was buzzing ©No Limits Photography*

Daniel Wood is back for more after not managing to complete the full course last year. He said: “Last year was challenging. I completed day 1, albeit got dehydrated. And I had major blisters on day 2, so I pulled out on Day 2. I carried on the afternoon of Day 3 and did the rest but I was non-competitive. I got to Cardiff which was amazing. I feel stronger this year. I’ve got a lot more knowledge this year.”

This time around, he is determined. “It’s really about pushing myself and seeing what happens when I cross those perceived limits and seeing how my mind and body reacts.”

Peter Huzan has volunteered on the event many times and is now back to tackle the challenge himself following a successful Cape Wrath Ultra earlier in the year. “I was getting a bit nervous yesterday and then I thought, why am I getting nervous? It’s going to be a fun week whatever happens. It’s a really great atmosphere on the event – let’s try and enjoy it as much as possible.”

Peter, along with Swedish participant, Niklas Löfgren, may be one of the first people ever to complete both the Cape Wrath Ultra and the Dragon’s Back Race in the same year. “It will be ridiculously amazing if I made it. This race is a lot harder than Cape Wrath. There’s no easy days. And so many hills, so many lovely mountains to go up. But I’ll give it a go and see what happens.”

*Peter Huzan was enjoying his participant number ©No Limits Photography*

Some participants have travelled a long way for their Welsh adventure

Alyson Jay has come all the way from Flagstaff, Arizona to take part in this epic journey. She said, “I’m nervous but excited. Ready to get on with it, and see how it goes. I saw the race years ago and I was supposed to do it for my 40th birthday, but then I got injured so had to postpone and then Covid. So three years late!”

The changeable, temperamental Welsh weather could provide a stark contrast to the hot, dry climate Alyson is used to in Arizona. “I’m in the mountains in Flagstaff so I’ve got a good chance to do a lot of mountain training. It’s going to be a lot wetter here though. We’ll see how the mud is, I guess. I don’t have to do a lot of mud running in Flagstaff!”

Montane athlete, Simon Gfeller, is from Switzerland but has travelled from Spain.

He said: “I’m really looking forward to it. It’s my first stage race. It will be a great adventure and looking forward to the nice Welsh landscape.”

Simon enjoyed success at the Montane Spine Race earlier this year. He is now looking forward to a new challenge. He said, “I always wanted to try a stage race. I’ve heard many good things about the race, the organization, the place itself. I’ve finally made it to Wales.”

Dennis Pemsel is racing having travelled from Germany. He said, “I love Wales and the landscape. That’s the reason I’m here. To travel through Wales from north to south. What makes this race special is we are all together, in tents, we see each other every day, so it’s like a small family atmosphere. That’s the reason for me.”

*It was a beautiful day in Conwy today ©No Limits Photography*

Defending champion, Simon Roberts, is feeling confident

We caught up with Simon Roberts as he made his way through Registration. He emerged victorious at last year’s race, and is now back to defend his title.

“I feel I can take the win again,” he said. “I’m feeling confident and fit and strong. So no excuses.”

He is feeling well-prepared for the challenge that awaits. “This is my third time on the course now so I know it well. I’m looking forward to tomorrow. That’s the best day – day 1. That’s where the proper hills are. I’m looking forward to all of it really. All days have their bad bits and their good bits. So I’ve just got to ride it out.”

He has been working to iron out his weaknesses. “Last year I was bad on the roads running against Russel Bentley, but that’s a little tool I’ve worked on, so looking forward to hitting the roads fast.”

When asked who his main competition would be, he had a simple answer. “Me,” he said with a laugh.

*Simon Roberts is looking to hold onto his title ©No Limits Photography*

2019 winner, Lisa Watson, is also returning

Lisa had a storming race in 2019, back when the event was five days long rather than six. “I’m really looking forward to the new finish and getting all the way to Cardiff Castle,” she said.

“I had such a good time last time. I guess it’s going to be hard to top the experience, but I’m going to have a go. I’m just looking forward to having a really nice time running in the hills for six days and meeting lots of cool people. I had just a great time last time. It’s such a cool race, such a cool route. I’ve got some friends doing it this time, and the new course makes it extra exciting as well. Why wouldn't you want to come back really?”

*Our Event Team are on hand for kit check ©No Limits Photography*

Behind the Scenes

Spotlight on… Course Operations

While the participants have a tough challenge ahead of them, so do our Event Team. Today we caught up with Philip Wilkinson, the Course Operations Team Leader, who has already been working hard on logistics.

“I’m the course ops team leader. It’s a combination of roles. We’ve got a couple of people who we’ve termed our wranglers now. They’re doing various things – a few caution runners signs, speaking to landowners and fixing any problems. We’ve also got ten people putting checkpoints out. They all need to be in exactly the right place, well in time for the participants to get there. So we have teams out now a day ahead of the event putting those out.”

*Participants must weigh their dry bags before they can drop them off ©No Limits Photography*

He has volunteered in the past as a Course Wrangler, which has left him with some funny stories to tell, including an incident where he had to literally wrangle some horses.

“We got to the end of a lane and there’s a gate, and between me and the gate are about thirty horses – mares and foals. They are really skittish. I take one step towards them and they’re going pretty quickly, then I take another step, and they’re all rearing up, and then take another step and all thirty charge me again. I’m stuck in a bush and these thirty horses are coming past. If you think about a few hundred runners going past with these 30 horses, there are going to be some accidents.”

“These horses had broken a fence from the field that they were in and had been trapped in this lane. So we had to go fix it. I went back to the camp, got some support and we went in and we had to actually wrangle the horses and corner them to get them back in this field. We had to rebuild the fence. At the time we just used cord and cable ties, anything we could to lock the fence up. And there it was. The route was safe again for the next day - no horse-related injuries. We did our job. Proper wrangling that was.”

*The dry bags are transported between overnight camps for the participants ©No Limits Photography*

Tomorrow, the adventure begins

The start tomorrow is set to be a magical experience, with our Dragons setting off from inside Conwy Castle at 6am tomorrow morning. It will be an epic journey, with many memories made over the course of the week.

Follow the dragons on their journey