The 2017 Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race will be held from 22 – 26 May, with competitors tackling 300km and 16,000m of ascent in wild mountainous terrain down the spine of Wales.

Eventual-winner-of-the-2015-race-Jim-Mann---copyright-iancorless.com

The Dragon’s Back Race™ earned legendary status in the adventure racing world when it was hosted for the first time in 1992. It was not held again for 20 years, when Shane Ohly of Ourea Events, with sponsorship from Berghaus, relaunched the race. In 2012, the event lived up to its reputation, with only 32 of 100 starters completing the course, confirming its reputation as one of the hardest mountain races in the world.

Steve-Birkinshaw---2012-winner---on-Crib-Goch-in-2015---copyright-iancorless

The 2015 Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race™ attracted another field of elite international athletes and again lived up to its reputation. A field of 140 signed up and by the start of the final day, only 64 competitors had completed every stage. Jim Mann was the overall winner, with Jasmin Paris in second place, continuing the tradition of outstanding female athletes in the race which was started by 1992’s joint winner Helene Whitaker (who also finished fourth in 2012). The introduction of live tracking in 2015 allowed the public to follow the progress of every athlete and the race generated huge interest on social media, along with extensive coverage in specialist and national media.

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Entries for the 2017 Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race™ opened on Monday 9 May and within 24 hours the race was sold out. Ourea Events anticipates that a field of 200 will line up for the start in Conwy Castle on Monday 22 May next year. Runners from 21 different nations have signed up to participate, giving a truly international feel to the event. The trailer for the 2017 Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race™ is available to view here.

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Julian Nichols, global vice president of product and marketing at Berghaus, comments: “Berghaus is delighted to continue sponsorship of this phenomenal event. The Dragon’s Back Race™ has earned a special status in the mountain racing world and the 2015 event took that to another level with live tracking, daily releases of film footage and photographs, and of course some incredible performances by amazing athletes. The 2017 race will once again be closely aligned to some key product development at Berghaus, which we can’t wait to put to the test on the mountains of Wales.”

Shane Ohly, Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race™ race director, adds: “We are delighted that Berghaus have confirmed their support for the next two editions of the Dragon’s Back Race™ in 2017 and 2019. We are looking forward to working with Berghaus to further cement the event’s world-class reputation. It is clear to me that both Berghaus and the Dragon’s Back Race™ have a genuine shared passion for the participant’s adventures and endeavours in the mountains, and this is why Berghaus has been a natural partner for the event since its launch in 2012".