The Hardest Race in the World – Would You Attempt It?
Hi, and welcome back to the Mohsin Salya blog.
It is hard to imagine a running challenge more gruelling – the legendary Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race in Wales is thought by many to be one of the toughest races in the world. Consider the numbers for a moment – five days, 315km or 196 miles – and, crucially, 15,500 metres of climbing. To put that into perspective, that is nearly equivalent to running up Everest. Twice.
Wild country
To add to the challenge, the race takes place in some of the most inhospitable terrain imaginable – the runners need to negotiate not just the mountains but also remote, trackless moorland, bogs and wild, open country. And yes, it is a race – there are cut off times for each section, and the winner of 2015’s race, Jim Mann, ran again this year to try and hold on to his hard-won title. Over the years, it’s been a favourite challenge for some of the world’s most accomplished ultra and fell runners looking to test themselves in the toughest conditions.
North to south
The race was first run back in 1992, and has had a growing – and fearsome – reputation ever since. This year, over 200 runners from around the world have taken on the Dragon’s Back route that runs from the north to the south of Wales. Starting out from Conwy Castle the runners then headed for the Carneddau and Glyderau mountains before carrying on towards Snowdon and the ultimate finish in Llandeilo in South Wales.
Ready to take on the Dragon?
So, for those of you who are up for the ultimate challenge, you’ve still got time to start training for the next race which will get underway in May 2019. Good luck – you’ll need it!
