Races

PACERTRIP CITY EDITIONGB / RACE GUIDE

Dragon's Back Race

The city you want to run becomes your next trip.

Conwy
GB

Peter S · CC BY-SA 2.0Gareth James · CC BY-SA 2.0Julian Herzog (Website) · CC BY 4.0SteveCymro · CC BY-SA 4.0Nilfanion · CC BY-SA 4.0

Race date in 295 days: Sep 6, 2027 Mon
City · Distance: Conwy · 380km · 137km · 110km
Entry fee: £2,095Varies by event and entry period
Status: OpenSee how to enter ↗

2027Date Sep 6, 2027 · Open

2026

2026Date Sep 7, 2026

Official website ↗

Instagram YouTube

D-day as of Nov 15, 2026

About the race Runner stories How to enter Course Race Prep Travel

Why you dream of this race

THE DREAM

ABOUT THE RACE

A day you'll remember,
long past the finish line.

Six days, 380 kilometers,

and a mountain ridge that runs from Conwy Castle in the north of Wales to Cardiff Castle in the south: this is a multiday mountain race where you camp each night and keep running the next morning.

There's a shorter course too.

The 2027 edition runs September 6–11.

The road to your own record

Picture the course in advance
and find the pace that fits you.

When the city cheers

Streets lined with cheers, runners all around.
You'll be part of that scene.

The trip that follows the run

Take it slow with the finish still in you,
and meet the city all over again.

Stories from runners who've been there.

From the joy of finishing to the tough moments — read what runners wrote themselves.

Race reports: 3

JasonRan in 2022

“I did not do enough race-specific preparation for this event, including run training, course scouting, packing, etc.”

After finishing days 1 to 4, this runner was caught by the day 5 checkpoint time limit and was taken off by vehicle. They named a lack of preparation as the biggest reason.

Read the original on The MOJO Family

AlpkitRan in 2019 · Finish time 44:33:23

“The Black Mountain is really one of my favorite parts of the route”

This one was written by the runner who finished 1st among the women and 9th overall. She wrote that even on a reconnaissance trip, the Crib Goch ridge was dizzying.

Read the original on Alpkit Deeds

Matt HarmonRan in 2015

“Crib Goch was just magnificent to do”

This runner finished 47th out of 66. They wrote that it was handy that, every night, a crew member took your bag and showed you to your tent.

Read the original on Dragon's Back Race participant blog

We translated a short line from each public race report and summarized the experience. Finish times are as stated by the author, and past editions may differ from this year's weather and operations.

See it on video,
feel it through their stories.

Preview the course and read what runners who went before you wrote.

Dragon's Back Race® Show - Day One 2026
View on YouTube

This may be from a past edition. Check the organizer for this year's course and operations.

The way in that fits you

YOUR ENTRY

How to reach the start line —
start with what fits you.

Here are the ways to enter and what each requires.
Check the organizer's page for whether entries are open.

First come, first served

Entry cost £2,095

Places are limited and entry is first come, first served.

The full marathon entry takes a £400 deposit, and you can pay the rest in installments from £160 a month.

Over 20 (entrants under 21 are reviewed by the event director)

Organizer's page

Charity

Entry cost TBD

Pledge to raise at least £3,000 for a Parkinson's charity or CALM and you get 50% off the entry fee.

Minimum £3,000 in fundraising

Organizer's page

Official race website Entry options

From the start line to the finish

RACE WEEK

Your 380km

Know the course and time limit, and race day comes into focus.

Runners start · local timeFrom 06:00

Time limit16 hours

16 hours a day (the course closes at 22:00 for a 06:00 start)

Event	Start	Entry fee
Dragon's Back Race (6 days, Full Dragon)380km	06:00 (mass start on day 1, then staggered starts from 06:00 to 09:00)	£2,095
Dragon's Fire (2 days)110km	06:00	£599
Dragon's Tail (2 days)137km	07:30 (mass start on day 1)	£399
The Hatchling	06:00~09:00	£2,095

START

Conwy Castle, Rose Hill St, Conwy

Start · Google Maps

FINISH

Bute Park (next to Cardiff Castle), Cardiff

Finish · Google Maps

Cutoff
The course closes at 22:00 each day, and checkpoint time limit times are announced on site in the race briefing.

Runners start · local time — Day 1: mass start at Conwy Castle at 06:00. Days 2–5: staggered starts between 06:00 and 09:00. Day 6: 06:00–09:00

The Dragon's Back Race is a 6-day run down the mountainous spine of Wales, north to south.

Inspired by the 1992 original, today's course starts at Conwy Castle and finishes in Bute Park beside Cardiff Castle,

covering 380 kilometers with about 16,400 meters of climbing.

Day one takes in the Carneddau, the Glyderau, the Snowdon massif and the Crib Goch ridge.

Day two crosses the Moelwynion and the Rhinogydd on the way to Dolgellau.

Each night, runners share big 8-person tents at a temporary camp, with no showers and their own bedding to sort out.

The course closes at 22:00 every day, so you have roughly 16 hours to finish each stage.

If you fall behind, you can switch to the Hatchling, which covers half of each day's distance, and keep going rather than drop out and miss the rest of Wales.

Newcomers can get a taste with the 2-day Dragon's Fire and Dragon's Tail.

It tests map reading and kit management as much as fitness, which is why finishing alone counts as a big achievement.

One 2022 entrant wrote that their race ended at the day-5 time limit. (2027 edition)

Typical race-season temperature: around 14°C (58°F): Short sleeves or light long sleeves + arm warmers

Participant benefits

Medical support

Aid stations

Bag drop

Hotels1.2km from the start · ★9.7

To the start line,
step by step.

Pick up your bib, check your wave.
So on race morning, you can just run.

From the 2026 edition

Bib pickup

No separate expo has been announced.
The Sunday before the start, 13:00–17:00

Ysgol Porth Y Felin, Llanrwst Road, Conwy

registration venue

Google Maps Directions

Stations & transport near the venue

Getting to the startConwy railway station
Getting to the finishCardiff Central

Source · checked Nov 15, 2026

More details

Getting to the start

Conwy railway station

Conwy has a station on the North Wales Coast Line; the castle and registration school are in the walled town. Optional coach from Cardiff to Conwy on the Sunday after the finish (pre-booking only).

Manchester and Liverpool airports are about 1.5 hours' drive from Conwy.

Map

Getting to the finish

Cardiff Central

Finish is at Bute Park beside Cardiff Castle, close to the city centre.

Map

Source · checked Nov 15, 2026

READY TO RUN

From race morning to after the finish.

Your start time, fuel and bag drop.
Know them ahead and the run feels easier.

On Sunday, registration and kit checks run from 13:00 to 17:00 at Ysgol Porth Y Felin school in Conwy,

followed by a mandatory briefing at 17:30 (per the organizers' schedule).

On Monday, you drop your bag in front of Conwy Castle between 05:00 and 05:30, and everyone sets off together at 06:00.

On days 2 through 5, starts are staggered between 06:00 and 09:00, and on day 6 the first runners come in around 13:00.

The awards ceremony is at 19:30.

You'll sleep at camps for five nights, starting with Nant Gwynant on the first night.

Bring your own sleeping bag and mat;

there are no washing facilities, so some people rinse off in nearby rivers.

The organizers publish the mandatory kit list and rules separately, so read them carefully.

A bus runs from Cardiff back to Conwy at 09:00 on Sunday, but you have to book ahead.

Conwy has a station on the North Wales Coast Line, and Manchester and Liverpool airports are about 1.5 hours away by car.

Staying inside the walled town makes things easy, since the castle is within walking distance.

Entrants aged 20 or under go through a separate review.

Before you leave, download the course GPX to your map app.

The first day is considered the hardest, so save your legs by holding back on the early pace.

Welsh mountain weather turns quickly, so pack waterproofs.

Missing a time limit doesn't have to end your race, because you can carry on as a Hatchling, and that takes a lot of pressure off.

Split your kit into waterproof stuff sacks.

You can only enter through the registration link on the site. (2027 edition)

Times are local to Conwy. Check the latest official information before the race.

A trip built around the race

STAY A LITTLE

MAKE IT A RUNTRIP

The race is one day,
the trip can be longer.

From a hotel that makes race morning easy,
to the meals and views you'll enjoy with the medal on.

The Castle Hotel, Conwy, North Wales

Hotel · 275m · 4-minute walk

8.9/10(1602)

View on Booking.com

Canoe Tour of Llyn Padarn: Llanberis

£55

Dragon's Back Race

About Dragon's Back Race — what makes it special

A day you'll remember,long past the finish line.

The road to your own record

When the city cheers

The trip that follows the run