More warm weather carried the 2019 Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race runners to the finish line in Llandeilo today. The final day took the runners into the Brecon Beacons National Park with a few stings in the Dragon’s tail.

From tranquil rural landscapes to the scarp of The Black Mountain and many of the highest summits of south Wales, there were plenty of ups and downs in the 63km route with a total ascent of 2,200m.

The competition at the top of the female leaderboard in the 2019 Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race heightened today, while one of the main contenders for a podium throughout the race was forced to drop out. Meanwhile, in the men’s camp the top two continued to run hand-in-hand - and pull away from the rest of the field.

Blisters on blisters, sore knees, hips, shins and ankles, miles of colourful kinesiology used to strap up ailments and sunburn lines that look sore and raw. Yet, despite the obvious aches, pains, niggles and agonies of the 264 runners still in the 2019 Berghaus Dragon’s Back, the mood on day four was very upbeat.

While the fastest men chose to run day three of the 2019 Berghaus Dragon's Back Race together, from start to finish, at the top of the women's leaderboard it was a day of mixed emotions.

With 71kms ahead of them, some 328 runners set out to run from Dolgellau to Ceredigion this morning, hoping to “break the back of the Dragon”. For some, the mental and physical strain became quickly obvious as they broke down in tears and groaned agonisingly.

The volunteers – 120 this year – are a crucial part of the organisation of the 2019 Berghaus Dragon Back Race. There are a wide range of jobs including erecting the campsite each day, manning checkpoints, transportation, safety monitoring, course checking, medical assistance, catering and general administration. Many of the runners have spoken about how much they value the “slick”, “effective”, "friendly" and "smiley" team working behind the scenes of the event.

Both the male and female lead runners pulled ahead in day two of the 2019 Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race. While Galen Reynolds, of Canada, finished 42 minutes ahead of the second place runner, British runner Sabrina Verjee also extended her lead to 29 minutes.

The upbeat atmosphere of the 2019 Berghaus Dragon Back’s Race continued today with sunshine and plenty of smiles out on the 58km course. Catching up with the runners on the first summit Cnicht (689m) and then again at the Roman Steps, just after the Support Point and some two-thirds of the way through the race, it appeared that most participants were enjoying a generally more runnable course compared to day one.

More than 400 runners and a strong crowd of supporters, flanked by many of the volunteer team, gathered in the stunning ruins of Conwy Castle, north Wales, early this morning for the start of the 2019 outing of the Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race.