A Year of Training
Hugh’s Story
Hugh Chatfield stormed to victory at the Dragon’s Back Race® this year. He won by a margin of over 3 hours.
It wasn’t just his performance over the race that led to his success – it was the months of training and preparation. Hugh told us all about it.
I signed up to the Dragon’s Back Race® because I was looking for a massive challenge. I’d done an Ironman, then a sub 10-hour Ironman, then a Bob Graham. The Dragon’s Back Race was the next step.
I thought: I think I can probably do it, but I don’t know if I can. I need to put in a lot of effort, and it’s going to be a big project.
I was already running a lot. In December I did the Tour de Helvellyn and followed this with the Trigger fell race in January. At this point I started to work with Marcus Scotney, who has won the Dragon’s Back Race® in the past. We built a plan together for my year ahead.
The training really ramped up from here, and by the time I reached the run up to the Dragon’s Back Race®, I was doing about 13 hours running a week. I based my training on hours rather than kilometres, but I was running about 120-130km a week. I never did more than an hour or 2 mid-week, so it was about finding weekends. I had 2 massive weeks – a recce weekend over the Easter Bank Holiday Weekend, and a week in June where I ran over 200km all over the course.
Recces were a huge part of my preparation. I looked at the course, worked out the hard bits, decided how many times to do each bit and covered all the course that I wanted to cover. It meant I didn’t really need the GPS in the end.
I learnt a couple of shortcuts on the route from my training, which I found from scrolling through Simon Roberts’ GPS files. I looked through where people like Chris Cope, Marcus and Jim Mann went. There are 4 shortcuts that are significant – it maybe saved 20 minutes over the course of the week.
The most memorable moment was a recce of the Rhinogs. I did it in a storm and I’m not sure it was safe. I was in double waterproofs, tights, waterproof trousers, hat, buff, gloves, everything! There was horizontal hail. It was the worst conditions – very wet and cold with bad visibility.
The recces I did with friends were the highlight. One with my friend Will and one with my friend Simon, who was the person who inspired me to do the Dragon’s Back Race®. Because it was a long day out, there was no need to go quick. We just chatted about the route, and shared stories!
I didn’t do anything drastic to change my eating and sleeping during my preparation."I ate loads, and found that as my training increased, so did my appetite. The week before the race, I made sure I went to bed a bit earlier. It paid off, as I came into the race feeling refreshed.
One thing I would practise more if I did it again is race-specific fuelling. I should have been eating race-level food during training. I wasn’t prepared for how much food I was going to eat during the race!
I loved the process and the journey. When I reflect on the year, it was an awesome 6 days, but it was also an awesome 6 months.
You have to enjoy the journey, otherwise there’s no point. The challenge is not just the challenge itself – it’s the ten times the number of hours before the race as well.
See the highlights from day six
See the highlights from day six. The culmination of a year of preparation, not just for Hugh but for every Dragon’s Back Race® competitor.
Find Joy in the Process
Watch Shane Ohly talk about how runners in the Dragon’s Back Race® find joy in the process of preparation.
Diary of a Runner: Sanna’s Story
Sanna Duthie did the Montane Dragon’s Back Race® this year after winning a charity place through the Wales Air Ambulance. She fought hard, working her way through the field to finish 5th woman.
We caught up with her about her race experience.
Friendships forged in fire: Andrea’s Story
Andrea Harwood ran the Dragon’s Back Race® in 2023.
Every footstep she took was hers and hers alone. But her energy was bolstered by friendship and camaraderie she shared with other runners out there with her.
Strong bonds that had been forged in the preparation for the race became unbreakable on the Dragon’s Back.
If Not Now, When?
Perhaps you have enjoyed reading this article. Perhaps you are inspired enough to take part in the Dragon’s Back Race® yourself?
Shane Ohly recorded the following six very short films (ok… we should call them adverts!) with the media team over the course of the 2023 event week, and we hope that they inspire future Dragons and Hatchlings to come to Wales and take on the adventure of a lifetime.