Guidance on trophies, prizes and famous Dragons
All finishers on the full course receive a mini Dragon trophy. This is a coveted award, and one of the hardest earnt trophies in mountain running. Earning a ‘Dragon’ can only be achieved one way… and it isn’t easy!
A mini Dragon is awarded to every full course completer ©iancorless.com
What about the Hatchling?
Participants who complete the Hatchling will receive a special memento to recognise their achievement.
Dragon trophies and mementos will be presented during a special ceremony on the final evening of the event. This is a great chance to relax and celebrate the achievements of the week with friends, family and your fellow participants!
Whether you run the Hatchling or the full course, our team will be there to support you every step of the way ©No Limits Photography
Our Dragon champions from across the years
Many of the best mountain runners have come to Wales to compete in the Dragon’s Back Race®, and we have seen some incredible performances over the years. Here is a run-down of our Dragon champions:
1992 - Helene Whitaker and Martin Stone made headlines in 1992 by winning this epic mountain challenge outright as a mixed pair and ahead of some serious competition. Find out all about their race in the original film of the 1992 event.
2012 - Helene made an incredible comeback to the Dragon’s Back Race in 2012 to finish 1st female and 4th overall, 20 years on from her first run through Wales. Steve Birkinshaw, known for his record breaking run around the 214 Wainwright fells in the Lake District, took the overall win in the 2012 Dragon’s Back Race.
2015 - Jim Mann returned for his second run through Wales after having finished 6th in 2012. Convinced he could do better, he finally got his win in 2015. However, Jasmin Paris was not far behind finishing 1st female and an impressive 2nd overall. Jasmin would go onto win the British Fell Running Championships and set many more long distance records.
2017 - This year was a battle between Marcus Scotney and previous winner Jim Mann, with Marcus eventually taking the top honours. It was also a very exciting race among the top three women with Carol Morgan taking the win. The following year Carol went onto win our sister event, the Cape Wrath Ultra.
2019 - Galen Reynolds had finished in 2nd place in the epic Tor Des Géants the year before so was definitely one to watch, and an incredible performance gave him the top spot by the end of the week. Dark Peak fell runner Lisa Watson was the dark horse coming into the race for the women. Getting stronger and stronger as the week progressed, she ran to a convincing win after a close chasing start on the final day.
2021 - After a great race with eventual 2nd placed Russell Bentley, Simon Roberts wins the men’s race to become the first Welsh Dragon Champion! Katie Mills puts in a very impressive performance, leading the women’s race from the beginning and taking a strong win, finishing 7th overall.
2022 - After putting in a consistently strong performance, day in and day out, James Nobles moved up from second and then third place, to first overall, taking the win in the men’s race. In the women’s race, 2019 champion, Lisa Watson returned to put in another phenomenal performance, winning by over 12 hours and finishing 4th overall.
2023 - An incredible performance from the start secured Robyn Cassidy first place female, and third overall, despite the intense heat throughout the event. It was said to be the hottest September on record! Hugh Chatfield, who was first place male, showed incredible strength throughout the race, dominating the field to secure his deserved place on the podium.
Our male and female Dragon champions each receive a very special giant Dragon trophy - pictured below!
The biggest Dragon trophy of them all!
However… in 2017 a new trophy was introduced, for the participant with the longest accumulated time to complete the course - in other words, for last place! This often means arriving into camp very late (and close to the cut-off times!), to only have to leave again at 6am the next morning. Without a doubt, it takes a lot of determination and perseverance to complete the race in this way.
In 2017, this special honour was awarded to Tom Withers - see him receive the trophy in the video below.
In 2019, Julie Pritchard took the honours. She talks about her race experience in our film The Survivors.
In 2021, Nathan Whittaker was presented with the last finisher trophy at Cardiff Castle.
In 2022, Barry Tsang from Hong Kong won the impressive trophy.
More achievements from other notable Dragon slayers
Joe Faulkner - He completed the original event in 1992 and then came back for more Dragon action 20 years later, also finishing the event in 2012, 2015 and 2017. A mountain professional who runs the guiding company NAV4 Adventure, check out his advice for Dragon success in the video below.
Sabrina Verjee - She has completed the event 3 times, finishing 2nd female in 2017 and 2019. Sabrina is a well-known ultra runner having also finished 1st female and 5th overall in the 2020 Spine Race. In June 2021, she set a new record to complete a full round of the 214 Wainwright fells in the Lake District. Her time of five days, 23 hours and 49 minutes remains the fastest female time on record.
Beth Pascall - Beth had an impressive run on the 2015 Dragon’s Back Race to finish 2nd female behind Jasmin Paris and 4th overall. She has ran well in the UTMB placing 4th and 5th in 2018 and 2019 respectively. In July 2020, she set a new female record on the classic Bob Graham round in the Lake District in a time of 14 hours and 34 minutes.
Wendy Dodds - A legend in the fell running world, Wendy finished 1st female pair in the 1992 race along with Sue Walsh, only to come back 20 years later for another successful finish in 2012.
4 time Dragon slayer (1992, 2012, 2015, 2017) Joe Faulkner from NAV4 Adventure gives advice on how to conquer the Dragon's Back Race.