The Team Who Has Your Back
Without the Event Team, the Montane Dragon’s Back Race® simply wouldn’t happen. Here, you can meet some of the 2023 professional and volunteer crew who diligently work behind the scenes moving, fixing, feeding, supporting, facilitating, communicating, and generally keeping the runners safe and happy. We asked a few of them about themselves in ‘normal’ life, their most unforgettable moments, or the best thing about being part of the Event Team.
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Abbi Forsyth
Race Control Manager
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Phil Wilkinson
Course Operations Team Leader
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Kirsten Isak
Information Point
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Tim Glasby
Catering Manager
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Zoe Murphy
Social Media Manager
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Pam Nix
Start/finish team
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Rich Griffiths
Medical Director
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littledave
Support Point Team Leader
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Dave Howarth and Fern
Response Team
Abbi Forsyth
Race Control Manager
NHS Anaesthetist and Intensive Care Doctor
Without effective communications… there is no control! Abbi Forsyth adjusting the satellite radio arial used by Race Control to communicate with remote teams. © No Limits Photography.
Phil Wilkinson
Course Operations Team, Team Leader
Financial Services
Phil Wilkinson - with dragon wings - flying through the first day of the 2017 Dragons Back Race © Ian Corless
Kirsten Isak
Information Point Volunteer
TBC Job
Kirsten Isak and her dragon ‘Dilys’ sharing a coffee.
TIm Glasby keeping a beady eye on the catering team! Cape Wrath Ultra 2023 © No Limits Photography
Zoe Murphy on her way to 4th place at the 2021 Dragons Back Race © Bib Number Photography
Pam Nix at the 2023 Cape Wrath Ultra®
Rich Griffiths at 2023 Cape Wrath Ultra® working on the Response Team rather than in his Medical Director. © No Limits Photography
A testing day in Race Control at the 2022 Cape Wrath Ultra® with Abbi coordinating the helicopter evacuation of a hypothermic participant on the course. For a real insight into Race Control watch the video HERE. © Shane Ohly
What was your role at the Dragon's Back Race 2023?
I am the Race Control Manager for Ourea Events. Alongside my team, we do a multi-faceted role on events, including safety monitoring, incident management on the course and communications.
What's your background and how did you get involved in the Dragon's Back Race® in the first place?
My day job is as an anaesthetist and intensive care doctor in the NHS. I’m also a doctor and operational team member with Derby Mountain Rescue Team. I’ve been involved with Ourea Events since 2012, initially as an event volunteer (long before there were different teams!) and over the years have performed a variety of roles including on the medical and response teams. All of this has given me the skills and experience to do my current role as Race Control Manager.
How long have you been involved in the race?
I first volunteered at the Dragon’s Back Race® in 2015. I’ve been lucky enough to be at every edition since and it has been a privilege to help 1695 people attempt this iconic race.
What's the best thing about being part of the team at the Dragon's Back Race®?
The camaraderie within the whole event team is amazing, unlike anything else I’ve experienced. I’ve also had the opportunity to do some amazing things which I wouldn’t have otherwise had the chance to do.
Is there one moment from these events that you'll never forget?
Seeing my partner, Tom, finish the race in 2017 in last place to a standing ovation from the whole hall to receive the biggest dragon trophy was one I won’t forget quickly. Up until that moment nobody, the Event Team included, no one knew what that trophy was for, which made it all the more special.
Phil Wilkinson at the 2017 Dragon's Back Race © Ian Corless
What was your role at the Dragon’s Back Race® 2023?
For the 2023 edition, I was in charge of the Course Ops Team. Volunteering for the Course Ops team is an awesome role. It’s fun and varied and you get to be in the mountains all week! That said, it’s also a very tough role with big days and little downtime. It requires excellent hill skills and a strong sense of the race progress and you need to be great with people too - it’s a hard team to land a place on.
What’s your background and how did you get involved in the Dragon’s Back Race® in the first place?
I first got involved with Ourea Events back in 2014 when I entered their excellent Rab Mountain Marathon. I got chatting with the Event Team at the finish and volunteered at the very next event. My first experience of the Dragon’s Back Race® was by entering the 2017 edition - I’d built up a few event credits by this point and this seemed like an exciting way to spend them. I marshalled on the 2019 edition, ran again in 2021, and I’ve been in charge of the Course Ops Team in both 2022 and 2023.
What’s the best thing about being part of the team at the Dragon’s Back Race®?
Definitely the friendships! There’s nothing that makes friendships quite like a tough week grafting and running in the hills together.
Is there one moment from these events that you’ll never forget?
The one memory that stands out as showing everything that is great about the race was escorting Tom Withers across the line as the last finisher in 2017. While the prize giving was in full swing, I was watching Tom’s progress on the trackers with Race Control. For his final km, Tom was moving too slowly to make it, predicted to miss the cut-off by about a minute. So the word went out and about twenty of us went running up the road to give Tom all the encouragement we could. He got a shuffle on and made it over the finish in time for a hero’s welcome - and the inevitable after-party!
Kirsten Isak enjoying the second day of the Dragon's Back Race in 2022 © No Limits Photography
What was your role at the Dragon’s Back Race® 2023?
I worked on the Information Point for the first few days after which I was moved to the Main Camp Team.
What’s your background and how did you get involved in the Dragon’s Back Race® in the first place?
I started running ultra races in 2015 and participated in the Dragon's Back Race® for the first time in 2017. This was my first international race and naively I thought it would be easier than a mountain race in the Alps where you would be running in the altitude. Another big reason why I chose to participate in the Dragon's Back Race® then was that you could stay in the event if you got time out during the week. There were no hatchling trophies then, but you could still run the whole or the half days depending on your capabilities. So no matter what happened during the week, I was guaranteed an unforgettable holiday.
How long have you been involved in the race?
I participated in the race in 2017, completed it in 2019 and participated again in 2022. So I know this race and the course very well and must admit I have some sort of obsession with it. It just has a very special place in my heart. This year was the first time I have worked on the event or any Ourea Events. Knowing the race so well meant that I could give so much back to the runners - hatchlings, as well as full course runners - and it may not be the last time I am working on one of Ourea Events’ races.
What’s the best thing about being part of the team at the Dragon’s Back Race®?
The camaraderie among the Event Team, the slightly crazy vibes we had during the week and the friendships which were formed. That is so unique and something I will keep with me for a long time. Being part of such a logistical challenging event was something I had wanted for a long time and I learned a lot about event management and inspiring leadership which I will bring with me into my own life.
But maybe the best thing about working on the event is the fact that you can impact the runners' experience for the better. You are very close to people, who are pushing themselves to the edge of their capabilities. And you are in a role where with a hug, a smile and some encouragement you can make a big positive influence on the runner's day and their performance. The runners are very often in a fragile emotional position and with you showing that you know exactly what they are going through and what they are about to face the next day, gives you the opportunity to really add value to their experience. It is so rewarding to experience how you can be someone for somebody who was a stranger just a few days ago.
Is there one moment from these events that you’ll never forget?
One moment during the event, which I will never forget, was on the evening of day 3. On the evening of day 2, I chatted with this runner, who was a bit worried about what was coming up on day 3. The runner had finished day 2 nowhere near the cut-off but was worrying about the cut-offs on day 3. I told the runner that everything would be OK. "Just keep moving". The following evening the runner came up to me and thanked me for my advice. "Just keep moving". That had been on the runner's mind the whole day and had been a big help. That was when I realised what a big positive impact I could have on the runners' experience. And how rewarding it felt, to be supporting the runners pushing themselves and getting through the week.
Tim Glasby
Catering Manager
Photojournalist and Filmmaker
Tim Glasby at Skyline Scotland® 2023 © No Limits Photography
What was your role at the Dragon’s Back Race® 2023?
I was the Catering Manager for Ourea Events and this is a role I have done at all the events since 2022.
What’s your background and how did you get involved in the Dragon’s Back Race® in the first place?
My background is in Photojournalism. I’ve worked as a photographer and filmmaker for the last 40 years. I originally got involved in the inaugural Cape Wrath Ultra® event in 2016 helping Heather Ohly (there were just two of us on the catering team back then!) with all the cooking on the event. Cooking has always been a passion of mine.
How long have you been involved in the race?
Since 2017, when the event was run alternate years with the Cape Wrath Ultra®.
What’s the best thing about being part of the team at the Dragon’s Back Race®?
I guess quite simply it’s the people you meet at the events. Everyone, be it the crew or the participants, comes with their own story. Everyone starts the week as an individual, but by the time the last day comes around, they’re all part of a much bigger family.
Is there one moment from these events that you’ll never forget?
Not as such. Every day is different and throws up its own new challenge. But I guess if I had to list just one moment though, it would probably be the realization that you don’t need to be a superhuman sponsored athlete to take part. Most of the runners are just everyday people with a passion for adventure, not sponsored athletes!
Zoe Murphy
Social Media Manager
Marketing Manager
What’s the crack!? Shane Ohly and Zoe Murphy sharing the latest social media story at the 2023 Dragon's Back Race® © No Limits Photography
What was your role at the Dragon’s Back Race® 2023?
Social Media Manager.
What’s your background and how did you get involved in the Dragon’s Back Race® in the first place?
I raced the Dragon’s Back in 2021 and then volunteered on the camp team last year. When I did the race I didn’t really know what to expect, didn’t know all that much about the race, or anyone on it other than one person. I had heard of the race, and seen the videos. I just thought it would be an awesome tale to tell when I am old, that I had run the length of Wales with my own two feet in 6 days. Only once I was actually part of the race did I start to learn how epic it truly was. Completing the Dragon’s Back Race® was one of the best feelings and so hard to put it into words, but one of the main factors of how amazing it was was just how incredible all of the Event Team and volunteers were. Hence I came back in 2022…I simply wanted to give back to the race and hopefully help the next year of runners achieve their goals like the volunteers did for me in my year.
My background is in marketing and also events management so when the opportunity came to join the media team and help with the social media, I jumped at the chance. Knowing the course, the support points, how the runners would be feeling, and even knowing some of the runners was a massive help to my role.
How long have you been involved in the race?
Since 2021
What’s the best thing about being part of the team at the Dragon’s Back Race®?
Knowing that you are helping make peoples’ dreams come true. If you can change one runner’s mindset from “I can’t do this” to “I can do this” then I think you’ve achieved your goal for the week. The team is like one big family and I have made friends for life from being part of such a mega team.
Is there one moment from these events that you’ll never forget?
I always think the start and the finish are such pivotal moments. Seeing the apprehension and nerves on that start line, knowing that not every one of those faces is going to make it is a daunting thing but such a special moment. Also empathizing. I know exactly how they are feeling with 12 months of prep and focus built up inside them for this one moment, and the next 6 days that lie ahead. And then seeing those dragons cross that finish line in Cardiff Castle brought a tear to my eye on more than one occasion this year. I was just so proud of each and every one of them. Unless you have done the race you’ll never understand the depths the runners have to go to to complete it, it changes you as a person. But as a friend once told me and I have lived by this mantra ever since, “If it doesn’t challenge you it doesn’t change you!”.
Pam Nix
Start / Finish Team, Team Leader
Retired
Pam Nox at the 2019 Dragon’s Back Race registration © No Limits Photography
What was your role at the Dragon’s Back Race® 2023?
Start Finish Team, Team Leader.
What’s your background and how did you get involved in the Dragon’s Back Race® in the first place?
I was a trail runner and sometimes orienteer in the US, and started fell running when I moved to the UK in 1999. In 2019 my husband entered the Dragon’s Back Race® so I joined the Event Team to support him and to learn more about it.
How long have you been involved in the race?
Since 2019.
What’s the best thing about being part of the team at the Dragon’s Back Race®?
The people. A wonderfully diverse group of humans choose ultra running but there is a common dedication to solving problems quickly to get things done well, an ethos of absolute, unstinting support of other runners whether they be event teammates or participants and, most deliciously, incredible senses of humour. The laughter is just about my favourite thing.
Is there one moment from these events that you’ll never forget?
Well, yes, and I think it requires a photo… There have been many important, memorable moments on the start line and especially at the finish; however, the standout is from my first year.
Rich Griffiths
Medical Director
Emergency Medicine Consultant
Rich Griffiths hard at work fixing feet at the 2023 Dragon's Back Race® © No Limits Photography
What was your role at the Dragon’s Back Race® 2023?
I was the race Medical Director. This means I am in charge of a team of ten doctors, nurses and physios who are looking after the wellbeing of all our crew and runners. I also have oversight of any medical care provided by our Response Team (aka Rescue Team) for any incidents on course.
What’s your background and how did you get involved in the Dragon’s Back Race® in the first place?
Like everyone involved in the race, I have a long-standing love of the great outdoors. Initially as a rock climber, but more recently as a mountain biker and rock climber. My day job is as an Emergency Medicine Consultant at Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor (the receiving unit for any serious casualties for the first couple of days of the race). On the side of that, I am an expedition medic and mountain rescue volunteer. I first worked on the event in 2021 as part of the Response Team, which has led to working on more events for Ourea Events, and now being one of the three Medical Directors. This was my third Dragon and my first one running the med tent.
How long have you been involved in the race?
Since 2021.
What’s the best thing about being part of the team at the Dragon’s Back Race®?
The answer is in questions: the team…. Everyone working at the event is there for the same thing, to support our runners in meeting their challenge. The energy and joy they bring are addictive. I was really lucky this year, I had an amazing team in the med tent who worked really hard, the number of hatchlings made the med tent super busy, but they did it all with a smile, and I know there are quite a few runners who would not have made it to the finish line without their help.
Is there one moment from these events that you’ll never forget?
Whilst not from the Dragon, on the Cape Wrath Ultra® we had a runner collapse in 2022, critically ill, he was airlifted to hospital in Inverness. This year he came back and I saw him cross the finish line. That was pretty special.
Littledave
Support Point Team, Team Leader
Firefighter
Littledave - dressed as a dragon of course - filling a water bottle at the Dragon's Back Race 2023 support point © No Limits Photography
Like many of the Event Team, Littledave is a veteran of the Dragon’s Back Race® having finished it in 2015. © Ian Corless
What was your role at the Dragon’s Back Race® 2023?
In 2023 I was Team Leader on the Support Point. Responsible for creating a Support Point and looking after all the Participants.
What’s your background and how did you get involved in the Dragon’s Back Race® in the first place?
I Love mountains and cake, so Ourea Events was an obvious choice to get involved with. First got involved racing on the GL3D in 2012, and have been involved in running or volunteering every year since on various events organised by Ourea.
How long have you been involved in the race?
Completed the Dragons Back in 2015, and then volunteered at every event since. Twice on the Hill Team and then leading the Support Point in subsequent years.
What’s the best thing about being part of the team at the Dragon’s Back Race®?
Being absorbed into the Dragons Back bubble, surrounded by incredibly motivated and inspiring people, both volunteers and competitors.
Is there one moment from these events that you’ll never forget?
In 2021 about a week before the event, I was asked to be the Team Leader (think my name was alphabetically top of the list) of the Support Point. Each day I would have the task of trying to get broken runners out of the Support Point before the Cut Off. There was one guy, Neal, who every day would arrive at the Support Point to tell me he was stopping. Every day I would have an ‘argument’ for an hour or so with him about continuing. Every day he would continue, getting out of the Support Point with minutes to spare. On Day 5 having had the usual ‘argument’ with Neal at the Support Point, I called into the Water Point at Pont ar Daf, gave Neal some more encouragement to get going and watched him set off up Pen Y Fan. Twenty minutes later I realised he had left his map and mobile, so as it was a safety issue decided it would be the right thing to run up Pen Y Fan after him… In my Dragon Suit. About twenty minutes later I was thinking it wasn’t such a good idea although the looks from the tourists helped. When I caught him and handed him his map/phone it was worth it. Neal got timed out that year but returned in 2022 and completed.
Dave Howard (and Search Dog Fern)
Response Team
Retired
One of three-person Response Teams at the 2021 Dragon's Back Race®. From left to right: Dave Howarth, Search Dog Fern, Tom Chivers and Dan Romberg. © No Limits Photography
Dave Howarth and SARDA (Search and Rescue Dog Association) Fern © Natayla Kennedy
What was your role at the Dragon’s Back Race® 2023?
I was part of the Response Team during the Dragon’s Back Race® in 2023.
What’s your background and how did you get involved in the Dragon’s Back Race® in the first place?
My background has always been working and playing in the outdoors. For the past 18 years, I have been a member of Kendal Mountain Rescue Team, and for the last 12 I have been training and working a search dog 'Fern'. Her involvement with Ourea Events is to provide moral support to all the runners who are missing their dogs during the event… as well as being there just in case someone gets totally lost! I am also an ultra runner having done several events including the likes of the Northern Traverse, Lakes Traverse, The BG, and The Josh Naylor to name a few along with several Adventure Races around the UK. I got involved with the DBR through Shane and his other events where he provides a Response Team for safety cover out in the remote areas his races go. My role involves providing safety cover and advice during the event in liaison with Race Control. The Response Teams are a small teams of 3, plus Fern, who are available during the event to respond to medical incidents and people getting lost, Fren's speciality. We usually end up seeing runners every day with minor injuries, which we can deal with. Occasionally, we require further assistance from local Mountain Rescue teams, if the incident is more serious and an evacuation is required where the runner is unable to carry on. The nature of the terrain and the distances involved means that there is always that chance someone will get an injury. Fortunately, this year Fern was able to chill out most days as everyone managed to remain on course or those who didn't, managed to get back on route.
How long have you been involved in the race?
Dragon’s Back Race® 2023 was the third time I've worked on the race as part of the Response Team.
What’s the best thing about being part of the team at the Dragon’s Back Race®?
The best thing about being on the team during Dragons Back is seeing the sheer determination of the runners at the back of the pack, just trying to will their bodies on, so they don't miss the cut-offs, and the joy when they get over the line knowing they are still in the race.
Is there one moment from these events that you’ll never forget?
I don't think there is one stand-out moment in the event, but seeing the last finisher coming across the line in Cardiff is as good as it gets to being memorable. I'm usually on the course from when the first runners start to the last runners getting back, so I don't get much opportunity to see people finish.
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.