2024 Dragon's Back Race Report - Part 2/3

Day 2 – Nant Gwynant to Dolgellau (36.5 miles, 9,842 feet)

I woke to my 4:30am alarm feeling well rested despite everything.  The first task of the day was to tape the soles of my feet due to a small amount of tenderness the day before.  By the time that was done, I was keen to get in the breakfast queue so I could have as long as possible to digest my food before setting off.  With a half-smile of resignation, I squelched my dry, clean, exquisitely taped, feet into my soaking wet Hoka Mafates.  On this race, our feet would be always wet, except when sleeping.  I was third in the queue for porridge, beans, sausage, hashbrowns and coffee.

I collected my clothes from the drying tent which was hotter and more fragrant than I could have imagined. Another runner commented sincerely “Oooo it’s nice in here”.  I think our standards were already plummeting.  

Back at tent 46 I packed up all my kit and headed out for kit check and bag drop before departing as planned at 6:25am.   On days 2 to 6, runners can start any time between 6am and 8am, but the final cut of remains fixed at 10pm each day.   I was fairly confident I wouldn’t be chasing cut offs, so thought it beneficial to hold back a bit.  This would aid navigation and (full disclosure) give me a little boost when passing people through the day. The opening stretch on road gave me a chance to do just that.  It was the first chance I’d had to run freely and I really enjoyed it.  At the first ascent I joined the back of a long, slow train to the summit of Cnicht. I did my best to skip along the queue wherever there was opportunity.

The slick, grassy descent was anything but slow and presented a style choice for runners.  I opted, predictably, for the bum slide which was the choice du jour.  It was quite a ride. I heard the phrase “grass enema” more than once. What you couldn’t see from the top of the slope was the small craggy drop at the end.  One female athlete below me lost control on the slide and tumbled off the edge, to gasps of concern all round. I was told she managed to avoid injury somehow.   Another bloke came absolutely hurtling past me, bouncing out of control only to career into another seated runner just before the same drop.  Fortunately, the latter had sufficient size to absorb the impact and they both came away relatively unscathed.

The day continued with very broken and challenging terrain culminating in an assault on the Rhinogs.  It's hard to overstate just how unforgiving this terratory is. I was beginning to get concerned about some pain on the inside of my right knee but I worked out that if I kept my feet square on descents rather than turned outwards, I could reduce the pain significantly.  As a result, I managed to make steady progress through the field.  I’d noticed two guys who were stuck together like glue every time I saw them and they were donning consecutive similar race numbers 259 and 260.  As I passed them they were giving each other some banter. Brothers, I thought.

The day ended with a long road section where I just decided to enjoy smashing out some 10 minute miles, even with heavy legs. This was possibly not advisable but, not being a specialist mountain runner, I’d resolved to make the most of the runnable sections. I was here to have fun right?  Right?

There was much excitement at the camp site because there was a shower block!  Once I realised that showers were a 5 min walk from the tents, I just stuck to my planned routine of dipping in the river.  I followed my admin and food processes with military-ish precision, but did take it easy and enjoy chatting to Ben Clough over the evening meal.  I now discovered there was wifi and managed to have a good chat with everyone at home, which was so good. I hit the sack just after 9pm. 

Still hadn’t seen my tentmates in daylight.

Day 3 – Dolgellau to Ceredigion (40 miles, 9,186 feet)

With all my processes of camp admin now well established I followed the routine already set. Same timings, same order, same efficiency.  Until I discovered at the start line that I’d packed my race number in my camp bag.  Maybe my brain was showing signs of fatigue after all.  As I set off from the campsite I counted three runners walking back the other way within the first few miles.  I felt gutted for them. It shows just how relentlessly tought the DBR is.

Day three suited my skill set as it was a longer but with less elevation.  I’m strongest when I can put my head down and get into a rhythm.  My body was also getting much smoother at shifting gears up and down depending on the gradient.  As I’d hoped, my body was growing into the week.

So far the race had offered little in the way of views. Sadly Cadair Idris was claggy on the tops with intermittent rain.  Nevertheless, the pace was decent, except when navigating the bogs.  I witnessed one of the leading female athletes almost succumb to a particularly hungry one after being submerged waist deep.

The water stop at Abergynolwyn was situated just outside a cafe which meant I could use their loo and buy some chips.  Dream pit stop!  I was beginning to see familiar faces at these stops so clearly some runners had family who were following them down the full length of this epic journey.  One woman stuck out because she looked like my mum and always gave me a smile and a well done at the road crossings.  Another dad introduced himself to me having seem my crucifix tattoo and we talked about our shared Christian faith before I handed half a bag of chips to a fellow runner and left the checkpoint feeling really uplifted.

Through a scenic wooded area, I said hello to Jon Shields and his mate as they came through looking quick and determined.  One enjoyable parts of the race was getting see the super-fast guys and girls in action each day because they started late and inevitably caught up with all the mortals.  It was inspiring to see them in full flow. I thoroughly enjoyed this next forestry section which offered much more runnable terrain and steady inclines.  I was feeling efficient and in control.  I was beginning to see the same faces more regularly as the structure of the field began to be established. For much of this day I was close to the aforementioned brothers and we shared a few short exchanges as we traded positions.   

The support point in Machynlleth is famed for being close to a co-op.  I’d spent about 3 miles pondering what I’d like to buy.  When I couldn’t think of anything I particularly fancied, I declined the opportunity and stuck with the food I already had.  It definitely saved me time.

Despite a few small nav errors in the final miles, I descended to the camp at Ceredigion having thoroughly enjoyed the day.  I was already looking forward to tomorrow which was longer and flatter still.  It had the potential to be a day of swift progress.

Over tea, I had another good chat with Ben and a few others.  He told me that he’d teamed up with three runners and he was enjoying the company on the hills.  I told him about the Dragon Mail, which Ben was cautious to access in case nobody had left him any messages.  He need not have worried as he had a whole ream of the stuff.  The Dragon Mail was quickly becoming a highlight for me and I enjoyed sharing my kids’ messages with those around me.  It was also great to get so many kind and encouraging messages from friends and aquaintences from the wider running community.  Thank you to everyone who sent me mail!

It was noticeably colder on this night and the river was much less luxurious – 2 Stars.

Day 4 – Through the Elan Valley (43 miles, 7,546 feet)

I woke with my right shin in a lot of pain. 

As I finished breakfast, I found myself glued to my chair staring into the distance.

I trudged to the start line and one of the team looked me dead in the eye as they checked my race number. “You ready?” she asked. Without thinking, the words “this is the first day I don’t want to do this” came out.  With this articulation came an unexpected welling up of tears.

Oh dear.