On the evening of day four of the 2022 Montane Dragon's Back Race, the event team had to make new plans to safely bring the race to a conclusion in Cardiff, allowing participants to complete their full journey through Wales. At the same time, the decision was taken to pause the posting of updates via the event website and social media accounts. The team has now resumed some activity, while the race itself will reach Cardiff, with a low key finish in Bute Park. The media team has sustained its work in capturing content, which will be released at a later date.

In the race itself, days four and five have seen some dramatic developments at the front of the field.

Day Four

On day four, participants ran through the remote Elan Valley, covering 69km of generally runnable terrain, with the route including more tarmac than previous days. The weather was extremely changeable, with both torrential rain and patches of sunlight. At the start of the day, 139 runners were still in the full race.

Simon Roberts had a very strong run that saw him overtake James Nobles in the overall standings and gain significantly on Chris Cope. Clocking 7:41:49, Simon was the fastest runner on the day by almost half an hour, while James finished in 8:07:00 and Chris crossed the line in 8:11:48. 

Simon commented afterwards: "I feel like myself again". 

In contrast, Chris claimed that he was "broken" after picking up an injury.

In the women's race, Lisa Watson relentlessly extended her lead and was fourth fastest runner overall in 8:13:37. Behind her, Helen Brown, who had been running in second place, dropped out with a calf injury. Bridget Glaister enjoyed another strong day (10:18:49) and moved up into second, with Victoria Morris third overall and third fastest woman on the day (11:10:11).

Lisa Watson commented: "It's funny, because you feel awful in the evening, then you get going and you think, oh my legs do work. The evenings are sometimes worse because you're dwelling on things that are hurting and your brain plays funny games with you. It's amazing what a night of sleep and a couple of meals can do for you."

Day Five

Day five featured the Black Mountain and the Brecon Beacons, including Pen y Fan, the highest mountain in South Wales. At 70km, it's the equal longest day in the race, and runners experienced extremely wet weather for much of the stage. At the start of the day, 123 participants were still in the full race.

There was a big change at the front of the race. Simon Roberts was running very well again and looked set to build a lead in the overall standings, but tendonitis in his shins forced him to retire. 

James Nobles was the fastest runner of the day (9:38:29) and now leads the race. He commented: "That was a really hard day. It's not signed and sealed until we get to Cardiff."

Still struggling with an injury, Chris Cope slowed significantly (11:48:31) and is now sitting in second place. David Jackson moved up into third place with a strong run (9:54:43).

In the women's race, Lisa Watson continued to impress and extend her already big lead. Her time of 10:20:05 was the fourth fastest overall on the day and she now sits in sixth place. Bridget Glaister consolidated second place in the women's field in 12:11:41, ahead of Victoria Morris (13:33:25).

Bridget commented: "The weather was shocking to start with. I was so glad it improved. I've had a few tumbles, but hopefully I'll be alright. I can't believe I'm here. I was so emotional to start with, but I'm not emotional now – just happy."

Top three male runners overall:

James Nobles - 43:53:39
David Jackson - 45:27:54
Lee Parker - 46:26:21.

Top three female runners overall:

Lisa Watson - 46:46:24
Bridget Glaister - 57:25:04
Victoria Morris - 59:26:27.

Going into the final day, 105 participants are still in the full race. There will be a 'chasing start' for the leading runners on day six, with James Nobles and Lisa Watson setting off together at 6:00am, followed 15 minutes later by Chris Cope and at 6:30am by David Jackson. 

In the women's race, Lisa Watson is poised to be the first person to win two Dragon's Back Races. In the men's race, although James Nobles now has a lead of almost 50 minutes, today's events have demonstrated how quickly the situation can change, and there are still 63km and 1,300m of ascent between the runners and the finishing line in Cardiff. 

The race team will share limited updates on event platforms during the final day and anyone can follow the progress of the runners at https://live.opentracking.co.uk/dragonsbackrace2022