{"id":1710,"date":"2025-09-12T09:52:48","date_gmt":"2025-09-12T09:52:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/guides\/why-ive-fallen-in-love-with-a-running-race-that-ill-never-enter\/"},"modified":"2025-11-11T14:44:23","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T14:44:23","slug":"what-is-the-dragons-back-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/guides\/what-is-the-dragons-back-race\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the Dragon&#8217;s Back Race?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t<header id=\"block_d0734de490086f4d56630abe1bacd037\" class=\"SingleHero skip-lazy default\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"container\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"SingleHero__categories\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/activities\/running\/\" class=\"category\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRunning\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/tag\/trail-running\/\" class=\"category\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTrail Running\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/tag\/challenge\/\" class=\"category\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tChallenges\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/tag\/mountain-challenges\/\" class=\"category\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMountain Challenges\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"SingleHero__title\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t\tWhat is the Dragon&#8217;s Back Race?\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<p class=\"SingleHero__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tPublished on \t\t\t\t\t\t<time datetime=\"2025-09-12T09:52:48+00:00\" itemprop=\"datePublished\">September 12, 2025<\/time>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"dot\"><\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t5 min read\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"SingleHero__thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"660\" src=\"https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/dragonsback-banner.2fd2d093fab3fd0187bc6ad88cb85065.jpg\" class=\"attachment-hd size-hd wp-post-image\" alt=\"Dragon&#039;s back\" srcset=\"https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/dragonsback-banner.2fd2d093fab3fd0187bc6ad88cb85065.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/dragonsback-banner.2fd2d093fab3fd0187bc6ad88cb85065-300x103.jpg 300w, https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/dragonsback-banner.2fd2d093fab3fd0187bc6ad88cb85065-1024x352.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/dragonsback-banner.2fd2d093fab3fd0187bc6ad88cb85065-768x264.jpg 768w, https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/dragonsback-banner.2fd2d093fab3fd0187bc6ad88cb85065-1536x528.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/dragonsback-banner.2fd2d093fab3fd0187bc6ad88cb85065-1376x473.jpg 1376w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/header>\n\n\t\n\n\n\t\t<article id=\"block_f870f409491fafcad80699b15b361a78\" class=\"Universal Universal--post c-small default pt-default pb-default mt-none mb-none    \" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"container\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"InnerBlocks\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"lead\"><\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-i-ve-fallen-in-love-with-a-running-race-that-i-ll-never-enter\">Why I&#8217;ve fallen in love with a running race that I&#8217;ll never enter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/maryannochota\/\">Mary-Ann Ochota<\/a> looks at the amazing Dragon\u2019s Back Race, challenging runners to cover 315km of some of the countries toughest routes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A few months ago* I spent a day running around a hillside with a man called Shane. I was interviewing him for an article about how to navigate better in Britain\u2019s hills and mountains without wasting time. He\u2019s been part of the national orienteering team, and last year won the celebrated Original Mountain Marathon, a demanding 2-day navigation race in the Scottish mountains. The man knows how to use a map and compass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the course of conversation he told me about the mountain races he organises himself. They\u2019re tough, and take in some of the most iconic and challenging landscapes in the country \u2013 the Aonach Eagach ridge in Glencoe, the Cape Wrath trail, a three day mountain race in the Lake District that has \u2018Expert\u2019, \u2018Wainwright\u2019 or (the slightly more manageable) \u2018Caf\u00e9\u2019 course options. And then he told me about the Dragon\u2019s Back Race. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-is-the-dragon-s-back-race\">What is the Dragon&#8217;s Back Race?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s a 5-day north-to-south journey along the mountainous spine of Wales, covering 315km (202 miles). The participants, who have to be experienced mountain runners, start in Conwy Castle and head south, checking in to control points as they head up and over pretty much every mountain the route setters can put in their way. The average daily distance the runners have to cover is a knee-jarring 63km, the total height they climb in five days is close to summiting Mount Everest. Twice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/getoutside39507958bf.blob.core.windows.net\/blobgetoutside39507958bf\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/guillemcasanova_166a5456-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Dragons Back start at Conwy Castle\" class=\"wp-image-17491\" srcset=\"https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/guillemcasanova_166a5456-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/guillemcasanova_166a5456-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/guillemcasanova_166a5456-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/guillemcasanova_166a5456-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/guillemcasanova_166a5456-1376x917.jpg 1376w, https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/guillemcasanova_166a5456-1620x1080.jpg 1620w, https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/guillemcasanova_166a5456.jpg 1800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><small>\u00a9guillemcasanova.com<\/small><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is not the kind of running I do. It\u2019s not the way I spend time in the mountains. A long run for me is anything that takes more than an hour. I probably spend at least a third of that \u2018running\u2019 time waiting for my big, lumbering Labrador to pee on trees or sniff rocks. When I travel in the mountains it tends to be with walking boots on my feet, and a picnic in my rucksack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/site\/uploads\/images\/iancorless.com_DragonsBack2017_00284.jpg\" alt=\"\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><small>\u00a9iancorless.com<\/small><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But there was something about the Dragon\u2019s Back Race that caught my imagination. It\u2019s epic \u2013 Day 1, for example, the runners smash out 52km from Conwy, across the Carneddau (Tal y Fan, Foel-Fras, Carnedd Gwenllian to Carnedd Dafydd then Pen yr Ole Wen) then up the jagged ridges of Tryfan, over Glyder Fach and Glyder Fawr, and down to Pen-y-Pass. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yes, that already sounds insane \u2013 it would take me two days to cover that ground. But then the runners carry on \u2013 up to Snowdon along the vertiginous Crib Goch ridgeline, continuing on to complete the rest of the iconic Snowdon Horseshoe route, then downhill for a final 5km to Llyn Gwynant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/site\/uploads\/images\/iancorless.com_DragonsBack2017_01301.jpg\" alt=\"\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><small>\u00a9iancorless.com<\/small><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After a short overnight (the last competitors finish at 11pm, and start again at 6am the next day), they do about the same again, this time over the remote, dramatic landscapes of the Moelwyns and Rhinogs. Then 71km each day for the next two days (Cader Idris, the Cambrian Mountains, the Elan Valley). Then a final 63km with \u2018just\u2019 2,200m of ascent. The feisty Black Mountain is the sting in the Dragon\u2019s proverbial tail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The elite runners are racing. Everybody else is simply trying to finish the course. Even amongst the rarefied and bizarre world of people who run ultra marathon distances regularly, \u2018Dragon\u2019s Back\u2019 is whispered in fear and awe. If you finish the course, you\u2019ve conquered the Dragon. If you win, you\u2019re a Dragon Slayer.<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/site\/uploads\/images\/guillemcasanova166A5653.jpg\" alt=\"\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><small>\u00a9guillemcasanova.com<\/small><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For me, a pretty normal hillwalker, it\u2019s inconceivable to even start. Even if I trained really,&nbsp;<em>really<\/em>, hard, I wouldn\u2019t manage this race. So why has it fascinated me? And it has \u2013 so much so that I\u2019m writing this blog from a field at the race overnight camp, helping with the media coverage of the race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I feel inspired by the effort and determination of the runners here, pitting their fitness and mental fortitude against the rigours of the Welsh mountains. I\u2019ve been welcomed into a family of volunteer race crew \u2013 marshals, medics, kitchen staff, and armies of people erecting a carnival-esque tented village every evening \u2013 they make this event swing.<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/site\/uploads\/images\/iancorless.com_DragonsBack2017_01273.jpg\" alt=\"\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><small>\u00a9iancorless.com<\/small><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What\u2019s really struck me is just how generous and friendly the people in this strange and special GetOutside world are. The care and camaraderie runners show each other \u2013 even when competing &#8211; is genuinely touching. They run insane distances, they eat strange gels and powders, they can carry on galloping over mountains for long, long hours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But, at heart, they\u2019re like me and my friends. All of us head into the hills for the beauty of the landscape, the sense of freedom, the personal challenge, friendship. Whether we\u2019re walking 12km, or running sixty, the desire to get outside, fill our lungs and clear our minds, is the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/site\/uploads\/images\/iancorless.com_DragonsBack2017_01363.jpg\" alt=\"\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><small>\u00a9iancorless.com<\/small><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br>Follow the race at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dragonsbackrace.com\/\">Dragonsbackrace.com<\/a>. If the race as caught your attention, but don&#8217;t know where to start, take a look at our <a href=\"https:\/\/osmaps.com\/discover\/guides\/a-beginners-guide-to-trail-running\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">beginner&#8217;s guide to trail running<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">*First published May 25th 2017<\/p>\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"MetaShare\">\n\n\t\t\t<button id=\"likeButton\" data-nonce=\"e32beab7ea\" data-postid=\"1710\" class=\"Button Button--default Button--icon likeButton\"><span class=\"likeButtonText\">Like this guide<\/span><svg width=\"21\" height=\"20\" viewBox=\"0 0 21 20\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n<path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M10.4947 3.09742C8.5448 1.39335 5.66108 1.04464 3.42166 2.95804C0.999337 5.02773 0.647396 8.5134 2.56291 10.9783C3.29002 11.9139 4.70917 13.3196 6.07302 14.6069C7.45283 15.9092 8.82946 17.1399 9.50834 17.7411C9.51258 17.7449 9.51691 17.7487 9.5213 17.7526C9.58512 17.8092 9.66457 17.8796 9.74074 17.937C9.83194 18.0057 9.96286 18.0909 10.1377 18.1431C10.3701 18.2124 10.62 18.2124 10.8524 18.1431C11.0272 18.0909 11.1581 18.0057 11.2493 17.937C11.3255 17.8796 11.405 17.8092 11.4688 17.7526C11.4732 17.7487 11.4775 17.7449 11.4817 17.7411C12.1606 17.1399 13.5373 15.9092 14.9171 14.6069C16.2809 13.3196 17.7001 11.9139 18.4272 10.9783C20.3353 8.52288 20.0377 5.01032 17.5597 2.95074C15.2954 1.06872 12.4424 1.3927 10.4947 3.09742Z\" fill=\"#186571\"\/>\n<\/svg>\n<\/button>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"row justify-content-center MetaShareSocial\" aria-label=\"Share\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-auto\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"X\" class=\"Button Button--default MetaShareSocial__button MetaShareSocial__button--x\" id=\"share-twitter\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><g transform=\"translate(-173 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id=\"likeCountValue\">1<\/span> users<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/article>\n\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mary-Ann Ochota looks at the amazing Dragon\u2019s Back Race, challenging runners to cover 315km of some of the countries toughest routes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4650,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[261,316,380],"activities":[13],"locations":[27],"class_list":["post-1710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-challenge","tag-mountain-challenges","tag-trail-running","activities-running","locations-wales"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Why I&#039;ve fallen in love with a running 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