Today, 187 Dragon hopefuls set out on the full course of the infamous Dragon’s Back Race®, with a further 109 setting out on the shorter Hatchling Course.

They have already battled their way through two incredibly tough days, taking them right through Eryri from Conwy and Dolgellau, and this morning, the intrepid runners set out on the next stage of their journey.

Today, the fatigue and the aches and pains really started to set in for many. While they may have left the sharp, rugged landscape of Eryri behind, Day 3 at 65km is the longest yet.

The first challenge of the day was Cadair Idris, one of the most iconic mountains in Wales. However, many participants were grateful for a route change that meant one of the troublesome out-and-back sections from previous years was no longer included, making it ever so slightly easier. After leaving the higher mountains behind, Dragons then had the opportunity to restock on their essential running snacks in Machynlleth before tackling the final section over the hills to the overnight camp.

Richard Antrobus, who was on a mission to find the Co-op in Machynlleth, shared his thoughts: “The sun’s out a bit. A bit of misty rain to cool you down. I couldn’t have asked for more. Everyone’s been really friendly and helping each other through the day.”

The day was much more runnable than previous days and is one of the most varied days of the whole route, so spirits were still high despite how tough it was.

It was a tough day, but Dragons who reached the end may take comfort in the knowledge that, according to the statistics, they are now highly likely to make it to the end.

Hatchling Participants were in good spirits

There were many Hatchlings on the course today. The Dragon’s Back Race® is notoriously tough. There are so many things that can go wrong – but the Hatchling Course is a great insurance option. However, a growing number of participants are setting out with the intention of completing the Hatchling course. It is, after all, an impressive ultra-running adventure in its own right.

This morning, the market town of Machynlleth was buzzing with Hatchling participants, who were taking the opportunity to avail themselves of the cafés and shops before being set off at midday. While some of them were disappointed to no longer be on the full course, the vast majority were in high spirits and looking forward to the adventure ahead. Many friendships have already formed amongst the participants, and it was great to watch them swapping stories of adventures out on the trail.

The Machynlleth Co-op did a roaring trade today

The Machynlleth Co-op was a necessary pit stop for many. There aren’t many places along the route where runners have the opportunity to encounter a shop, so many runners were filling their boots with bottles of Coca-Cola, crisps, meal deals, and even some forbidden sausage rolls (the event food is all meat and fish-free).

Richard Antrobus was coming through Machynlleth and on a mission to find the Co-op when we spoke to him. “The sun’s out a bit. A bit of misty rain to cool you down. I couldn’t have asked for more. Everyone’s been really friendly and helping each other through the day.”

Andrea was particularly pleased with her stop: “I’m having the best time! We went into this forest and there was mist in the sunshine—it was lovely. I went to Greggs! I had a Greggs pasty and bought a sausage roll for tomorrow, a pint of chocolate milk, and some squeezed orange juice!”

Many came strolling into the Support Point laden with shopping bags, ready to be decanted into their Resupply Bags to power them through the next few days.

We caught up with Ceri Stewart as she ran through the town centre. “It’s been a bit easier than the last couple of days but still a bit hard on the knees. I think I’ve got everything I need so won’t stop at the shop.”

When asked what’s keeping her motivated, she added, “Just a case of, you set out to do it so you might as well. I’ve got lots of friends watching me. I’m raising a bit of money for the rescue where my dogs came from, the Fox Hound Welfare, so I can’t give up now otherwise they might want their sponsor money back!”

Dave Walker-Blair, who was stocking up on supplies, commented on his purchases, “I’m buying something to drink, some wipes for later, and some milk. Today is a little bit better in terms of it being kind on the body. It’s still hard though. It’s going to hurt so you’ve just got to get on with it. Camp life is good. If you get back early enough, you’ve got a bit of time. You can get straight in the river.”

Dave Moulding shared his experiences: “I’m feeling good. A couple of toenails that aren’t feeling so good, but in the grand scheme of things, I’ll take it! It’s been a long time since I entered something that I don’t know if I could finish. And this is very much that! Six days is overwhelming, but checkpoint at a time, support point at a time, bottle of coke at a time seems to be the way to do it!”

Eddie Garner expressed the toughness of the course: “The hills are brutal. They keep coming. I didn’t really think too much coming into it. I take it day by day. I went in a bog yesterday right up to my chest, but you just keep going. We’re all on that mindset. I’m just in the zone trying to survive till Cardiff.”

Jo Meek and Max King have had a storming day

One of the highlights of this year’s edition has been how competitive the field is. On Days 1 and 2, it has been incredibly close in the men’s and women’s races, with Simon Roberts and Max King, and Zoe Murphy and Jo Meek battling it out respectively. However, today saw Max King and Jo Meek pull ahead.

While Jo was struggling yesterday to keep up with Zoe, who showed her real strengths on the rugged terrain of Eryri, Jo was running to her strengths today on the more runnable terrain. She was running at an incredibly impressive speed through Machynlleth and seemed laser-focused. She now has a lead of nearly half an hour, despite being two minutes behind Zoe Murphy at the end of Day 2.

Zoe Murphy, however, remained in high spirits despite moving into second place. “I’ve been fresher!” she joked as she came through Machynlleth. Zoe has always emphasized the importance of running your own race, and despite the competition, she has been enjoying every step of the journey.

Meanwhile, Max King has continued to go from strength to strength. While he has been in a battle with SCARPA athlete and former winner Simon Roberts, today he really kicked into gear and showed how he is getting stronger the longer he goes. He now has nearly an hour lead on Simon. The US-based runner is certainly here to compete.

Simon Roberts was still looking strong, though, and is still over an hour ahead of fellow SCARPA athlete Gabe Joyes, who has moved up into third place. Third place woman is still Elsa Morgan, who is putting in a very consistently strong performance day after day.

However, there is still a very long way to go, and it is still very much anyone’s game. In a race this long, a lead of an hour may seem comfortable, but one navigation error or a bad spell can see this lead vanish very quickly.

Tomorrow sees another switch up in terrain. Large mountains give way to rolling hills, and rocky boulder fields become long stretches of tarmac. It will be interesting to see how the runners cope with this different kind of challenge. It could certainly prompt another shake-up in the field, especially as South-Wales based Simon Roberts is now heading into home territory. It could be a nail-biting race!

Results

Top 3 men on Day 3

1. Max King (07:24:26)

2. Gabe Joyes (07:52:35)

3. Simon Roberts (07:59:44)

Top 3 women on Day 2

1. Jo Meek (09:56:37)

2. Zoe Murphy (10:25:19)

3. Ceri Stewart (10:32:06)

Top 3 men overall

1. Max King (23:36:43)

2. Simon Roberts (24:30:02)

3. Gabe Joyes (25:41:24)

Top 3 women overall

1. Jo Meek (30:31:49)

2. Zoe Murphy (30:58:13)

3. Elsa Morgan (33:18:33)

Tune in at 8am tomorrow for more!

The next episode of the Dragon’s Back Race® show will go LIVE at 8am tomorrow morning! In the meantime, catch up with everything you missed yesterday:

Be the dot in 2025! Entries open on 13th September

If watching the excitement has you yearning for adventure, you can enter the 2025 race on 13th September. Don’t want to miss it? Sign up for our Mailing List for a reminder. If you sign up using the link below, you will also get EXCLUSIVE ACCESS to the online world premiere of the film about the first ever continuous completion of the Dragon’s Back Race route.