Day Four on the Dragon’s Back Race®: Venturing through the Elan Valley
Today, 280 intrepid Dragons set out on another tough day of the Dragon’s Back Race®.
Now on Day 4, it has taken a tremendous amount of strength and resilience to even get this far, and yet today they managed to drag themselves out for another day of hard graft in the Welsh landscape.
There was a distinct chill to the start of the day and the wind was biting – many regular participants may have even found themselves actually missing the soaring temperatures of last year’s race.
The rugged mountains of Eryri are now a world away, and today presented a very different challenge as runners headed into the remote Elan Valley. Large rocks and boulders were replaced with grassy tussocks and bog, and many runners enjoyed the opportunity to stretch their legs a bit more.
However, one of the real challenges of the day was actually a 10km section of road onto the camp. While on Day 1 runners may have been longing for some easier terrain, now on Day 4, the hard tarmac was brutal on already knackered knees and joints.
The Elan Valley is remote and unspoilt ©No Limits Photography
Elan Valley Support Point marked the halfway point
There were certainly mixed emotions at the Elan Valley Support Point. Although the end of yesterday marked halfway through the days, it wasn’t until today that runners reached the halfway point in terms of distance. While many were ecstatic to reach this point and had enjoyed the more runnable terrain, for others, this has been an incredibly tough journey.
Clare Page, however, was in great spirits: “It’s a pleasure to be here. It’s been really good. I feel I’m just really steady!” For her, the smoother terrain was a relief after the rugged start to the race.
Andrea Harwood echoed this sentiment. She said, “I feel like I’ve been moving so much better today. The terrain’s so much easier. Getting here and thinking I’ve done half is just amazing, but after today I’ve done two thirds!”
For Rebecca Perrett the day brought emotional highs as she neared familiar terrain. She said, “I’m having a great day. Don’t get me wrong – it’s tough, but I’m coping a lot better than I thought I would. I think I’ve been running towards the Brecons. I’ve got family in Brecon, so I’m going to see them tomorrow. I’m running to them!” She teared up as she added, “My family are a big part of this, so I’m looking forward to seeing them!”
She added, ‘“I’ve just enjoyed it all. Day 2 was tough – you couldn’t get a rhythm, but all in all it’s been a great experience. I’ve met some people and also run on my own. It’s been in my sights for a long time, so it’s nice to be here and be fit enough to keep going. I watched this video and I thought, I’d love to do that! I’m just grateful that I’m here experiencing it and my body and mind are doing alright!”
Brothers, Alfie Pritchard and Joe Pritchard, are running the entire 380km route together. They said, “It’s a lot easier today but a long way to go yet.
We asked them what was keeping them motivated. They said, “There’s not an option to stop really. We’re just chasing each other!”
Elsa Morgan was going strong when she ran through the Support Point. Currently in third place, she was hot on Jo Meek’s tails. She was runner up earlier this year at the Cape Wrath Ultra®, and if her current performance is anything to go by, she could end up being not only the first person to complete both races in the same year, but also to podium!
She said, “If I can say I’ve done Cape Wrath and this one, that will be great! It’s an extra little motivational factor. I think competition is a bad thing as I’d be tempted to push myself, and I know tomorrow is going to be a hard day! I’m not looking forward to the bit on the road at the end though today.”
Elsa Morgan had a storming day ©No Limits Photography
Max King continued to put time into Simon Roberts, while Elsa Morgan was the fastest female on the day
On days 1-3, American runner Max King led the pack, with SCARPA athlete and former winner Simon Roberts hot on his heels. However, today, Roberts truly came into his own. Now entering his home terrain, the South Wales-based runner’s confidence showed. By the time he reached the Elan Valley Support Point, he had already put 10 minutes into King. Roberts sprinted out of the support point and up the hill with a speed that would put most 5km runners to shame.
However, Max King fought back hard in the second half of the day, managing to claw back the lost time. He surged towards the finish, ultimately extending his overall lead by a few more minutes. King, despite the challenge, remained in good spirits and finished side-by-side with fellow American athlete and third placed runner Gabe Joyes. “It ended up not being rainy, which is nice, but man, that hurt today!” King said at the finish.
Simon Roberts was second fastest runner of the day. He reflected on his strategy to go out hard: “Reflecting on his aggressive strategy, Simon said, “I had a good first half. I tried to put some time into them. I took a gamble, but it didn’t pay off. You have to try though, don’t you? They’re just so strong on the second half.”"
He didn't let the disappointment get to his head though, as at Camp 4 he was seen going to the pub next door not once, but twice! The pub was doing a roaring trade with the Event Team, Hatchlings, and full course participants, all taking the opportunity to unwind ahead of tomorrow’s monster day.
Simon Roberts pushed hard today ©No Limits Photography
In the women’s field, Jo Meek has been incredibly strong throughout the race, but today proved more challenging. While she was efficient through the Elan Valley Support Point, she had a tough finish to the day and slowed down on the final road section, visibly struggling. By the time she reached camp, she was very emotional and looked drained. Despite this, she still managed to hold onto her lead over Zoe Murphy, who had her own struggles with stomach issues overnight.
Meanwhile, Murphy, though slowed by her difficulties, kept a positive outlook, chatting with fellow participants as she prepared for the next section.
The fastest female runner of the day was in fact, Elsa Morgan, who was flying through the course today, although she still remains third overall. With both Jo Meek and Zoe Murphy slowing though, it will be interesting to see how she fares over the next two days.
However, it must be said that while there is no doubt that these top runners are inspiring, the really inspirational people are those mid to back of pack runners who day in and day out are waking up at the crack of dawn, spending a stressful day desperately chasing cut offs, making it into camp late, and doing it all over again. It is their perseverance and determination that really make the Dragon’s Back Race® what it is.
An early start to the day ©No Limits Photography
Tomorrow is the crux of the route
At 72km, Day 5 is the longest day of the route, and with the Bannau Brycheiniog to tackle, it’s a tough one. It will take every ounce of mental strength and resilience our runners have left to get through this epic challenge. However, make it to the end of Day 5, and that long-awaited Castle will be within reach.
With today proving so tough, it could be interesting to see how the race develops!
Many runners had to dig deep ©No Limits Photography
Results
Top 3 men on Day 4
Max King (07:08:08)
Simon Roberts (07:16:28)
Gabe Joyes (07:17:46)
Top 3 women on Day 4
Elsa Morgan (09:49:28)
Jo Meek (10:16:24)
Katherine Hargreaves (10:27:20)
Jo Meek found it tough today ©No Limits Photography
Top 3 men overall
Max King (30:44:51)
Simon Roberts (31:46:30)
Gabe Joyes (32:59:10)
Top 3 women overall
Jo Meek (40:48:13)
Zoe Murphy (41:37:43)
Elsa Morgan (43:08:01)
Gabe Joyes (third) is chased down by Max King (first) ©No Limits Photography
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:
The rolling hills of Mid Wales ©No Limits Photography
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.
The road section is a tough finish ©No Limits Photography