The Dragon's Back Race is considered one of the toughest mountain races in the world. So finishing, never mind winning this 380km race is a huge achievement!
To win the Dragon's Back Race takes 6 days of grit, determination and hard running. The SCARPA team know a thing or two about winning this race, so we caught up with Simon Roberts, James Nobles, Hugh Chatfield and Robyn Cassidy - who have all conquered the Dragon.
So if you want to know what it takes to win the Dragon's Back Race - then read on.
Simon Roberts - Winner 2021
Simon is returning to the Dragon's Back Race this year for the 4th time - finishing Top 30 in 2019, winning in 2021 and a DNF on day 5 in 2022 - so he knows a thing or two about the Dragon's Back.
Aiming to return for the win this year - Simon is keeping his cards close to his chest, but has this advice for any potential Dragons.
"For DBR the preparations can be intense, you get very anal about your own organising, the food, the kit, the route timings ect.
You have so many things going through your head to make sure everything goes to your highly detailed plan. This is all great, and its needed, but sometimes you just need let go and go for it! Not getting bogged down in the details and to just go run!!
Letting go of your thoughts and let the magic happen. Some of my best moments on the race are when I’m just floating around the hills, not thinking about anything and smashing it through loads of bogs!"
James Nobels - Winner 2022
James Nobels won the Dragon's back the following year - training all year for his goal of winning the race. James' message was "I don’t think it was so much about winning though as trying to give yourself the edge to succeed"
“One huge aspect of the Dragon’s Back Race is its length. It can be exceptionally daunting to think about it all in one go, and so one of the things that really helped me, was to break it down. I edited the GPX on my watch so that it would only tell me how far it was until the next checkpoint. That way, I was only ever focused on the next 2-3 miles, and that made it a lot more mentally feasible. Take it checkpoint-by-checkpoint, water point-by-water point, day-by-day”.
Get yourself as organised as possible so that you can maximise the recovery time when you are in the camp. I found it helped knowing where everything was in my bag, having things pre-bagged where possible (e.g. food for each section of each day), and making room in my bag for a couple of recovery items. I had a foam roller with me and compression leggings, and I used both every evening! I also tried to focus on drinking plenty and having electrolytes in each evening. It might mean you need to pee in the night, but I’d prefer to do that than wake up dehydrated.
Hugh Chatfield - Winner 2023
In what turned out to be extremely tough conditions with soaring temperatures, Hugh Chatfiled and Robyn Cassidy won the Dragon's Back Race in 2023. Here is their advice on what it takes:
Dragon's Back is a relentless and beautiful foot race. Preparation pays back. To do well means thinking about, having and executing against a plan for:- Training so you can deal with and excel in the long back to back days in the mountains with loads of vert (Top tip - lots of long easy pace days on the course in the build up) (top tip - go to Crib Goch if you haven't done it)
- Kit so you can deal with heatwaves (my year!) and rainstorms (in training I dealt with sub-zero and a storm around Cadair Idris). (Top tip - double up (or triple up) waterproof layers when it's cold/wet)
- The route/nav so you know what's coming, can manage your effort and don't make mistakes (top tip - look back through past route gadgets to find the 3/4 shortcuts)
- Food so you can keep yourself fuelled, happy, and focussed (top tip- bring protein snacks/recovery shake to supplement evening food) (top tip - make a quick spreadsheet with number of hours for each legs and grams of carbs you'll need and expect to need more in the last 3 days)
- Camp kit. and routine so you know what you do when you hit camp, move efficiently and stay focussed (top tip - a good sleeping mat!, a checklist) (top tip - pack your camp kit several times before hand)
- Mindset and having a good reason why you're there (to race? to prove something to yourself or others? to enjoy it?) (top tip - three word mantras are awesome for when things get tough). Good luck!
Robyn Cassidy - Winner 2023
"Embrace the highs and all the lows (there will be plenty). Never stop eating!! Pack your bags early (make lists, for when your brain has melted). Expect to laugh and expect to cry. But soak it all in!!! Stand proud at the start line! Enjoy the chips."
