The Montane Dragon's Back Race: 04-09 September, 2023

The annual Montane Dragon’s Back Race® will challenge the world’s best ultra-runners with 380km of distance and 17,400m of ascent across six days. Considered one of the toughest mountain races On. The. Planet this multi stage race promises a thrill a minute as racers navigate their way south from Conway Castle in the north, all the way to Cardiff Castle in the south.

The Montane Dragon’s Back Race® route is inspired by that of the 1992 race, in which the inaugural Dragons tackled Wales’ uniquely wild, trackless, and remote mountainous terrain. Today, the route still traverses through parts of the country few tourists ever see - taking in both Snowdonia and the Brecon Beacons. En route racers must tackle Wales’ biggest mountain peaks. For those that make it all the way to Cardiff Castle, dragon slayer status awaits!

Meet the #TeamMontane racers

This year we have several brave Montane athletes seeking to slay the Dragon, including last years winner Simon Roberts. With only 50% making it to the end, this is a huge test of their physical and mental endurance…

Simon Roberts

Welsh born Simon Roberts returns as defending champion to attempt to win for a second year in a row. All eyes will be on this rising start of the ultra run world!

Becks Ferry

Experienced mountaineer Becks is no stranger to big mountains, having climbed the likes of K2. A passionate runner, she’ll be taking on the Dragon Back Race for the first time this year.

Dennis Pemsel

Having taking part in one of the coldest ultras on the planet, the Montane Lapland Arctic Ultra, earlier this year - Dennis is now setting his sights on the toughest mountain race…

The Dragon’s Back Route

Spanning over 6 days and 5 checkpoints, the Dragons Back Race takes participants on a gruelling multi stage mountain challenge. Heading from the north to the south, the route traverses 2 of Wales’ National Parks, Snowdonia and the Brecon Beacons - as well as countless lesser-visited peaks along the way.

“The Dragon’s Back route is very rough - we don’t follow major paths or tracks. The challenge is to (simply) follow the spine of Wales, with the course essentially making connections between the big Welsh mountains.” - Shane Ohly, Dragon’s Back Race Director

Six days
From Conwy Castle to Cardiff Castle, a legendary multi-stage, ultra running journey down the spine of Wales. This is the world’s toughest mountain race.

380km
The average daily distance is 63km - that’s >1.5 marathons a day! Be sure to pace yourself.

17,400m
That’s almost twice the height of Everest - enter only if you’re brave enough.

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