The Dragon’s Back Race is one of the hardest mountain races in the UK, covering the mountainous spine of Wales over six days. It’s a serious test of endurance, pacing, navigation, kit choice and, just as importantly, fuelling.
This race requires good food planning to make sure that your body has all the energy it needs to keep powering through, and can even be the difference between moving steadily and slowly unravelling. You’ll need to plan food choices while on the course that provide plenty of energy and are as practical as possible.
To help you out ahead of the race, our guide takes a look at what the Dragon’s Back Race is, what food and equipment essentials to pack, and our best tips to avoid common mistakes.
What Is the Dragon's Back Race?
The Dragon’s Back Race is a multi-day mountain race that follows the scenic, mountainous spine of Wales from north to south. It is known for its long days, steep climbs, technical terrain, and unpredictable weather, making it one of the most demanding endurance events in the UK.
However, it’s important to bear in mind that the challenge isn’t just one of fitness. As well as making sure that you can stay in shape, you’ll need to effectively manage your energy, kit, navigation, recovery, and food choices over several consecutive days.
The key points that you need to know about the Dragon’s Back Race are as follows:
Total distance: About 380km (236 miles)
Total ascent: Around 16,400m
Format: Six days, point-to-point
Start and finish: Conwy Castle to Cardiff Castle
Average day: About 63km and 2,900m of ascent
Daily cut-off times: 06:00 to 22:00 each day
Planning Your Food for the Race
The communal campsites of the race do provide many catering options and will offer breakfast, afternoon snacks, and evening meals to keep you energised, which takes some of the pressure off.
Unlike some endurance challenges that are entirely self-catering, this is one less thing for you to think about. However, they don’t provide food while you’re out on the course, and you’ll need to take high-energy snacks to keep you sustained while hiking up Wales’ many mountains.
Our Food and Drink Recommendations for the Dragon’s Back Race
You’ll be able to restore your energy with main meals back at camp, but you’ll need to rely on the right energy snacks and high-energy drinks to keep you going while on the course. Our best recommendations for food and drink on the Dragon’s Back Race are as follows:
Energy Bars
Energy bars provide a big energy boost when you need it most during the race. These bars are high in carbohydrates and protein to keep your energy up for several hours, and are compact and lightweight for easy packing and carrying. Our energy bars at Base Camp Food, such as our Real Meal bars, Clif bars, and Phoenix bars, are available in a range of delicious flavours for energy snacks that are as delicious as they are practical.
Energy Gels and Sweets
Similarly to energy bars, energy gels and energy sweets are also an ideal snack to pack with you during the race to keep your energy up. These are ideal for endurance events such as this, as they contain a high amount of carbohydrates in one small package and can be eaten quickly and easily without needing to stop.
Flapjacks
For endurance events such as the Dragon’s Back Race, flapjacks offer a comforting alternative to energy bars that provide a good hit of energy. These are calorie-dense and contain slow-release carbohydrates to keep your performance sustained over a long day of hiking. In our range, you can find TORQ energy flapjacks that are fully organic and are available in a range of tempting flavours.
Jerky and Biltong
The above-mentioned snacks are good to keep your energy levels up through the race, though it pays to keep some more protein-based snacks with you to help your body repair its muscles. We recommend packing some jerky or biltong with you, such as our Raging Bull snacks, as they’re a lightweight, high-protein choice that can effectively prevent hunger throughout the day.
Hydration and Camping Drinks
Alongside preparing your food options, it's equally important to ensure you’re fully hydrated during the race to keep your body performing at its best. Even being mildly dehydrated can have a knock-on effect of affecting your energy, concentration, and digestion, so be sure to be proactive about your water intake and take a large-capacity outdoor water bottle with you.
To optimise your hydration, we recommend using electrolyte tablets, as they help restore vital minerals lost through sweat throughout the race. These effervescent tablets can easily be added to your water supply and help your cells absorb water more effectively. This way, you can keep your nerves and muscles functioning properly and prevent cramps and fatigue.
Another tip to bear in mind is to consider taking high-energy drinks and drink mixes with you. These can provide the extra carbohydrates that you need when eating solid food feels difficult, giving you another way to keep the calories coming in while on the move.
A Sample Dragon's Back Race Food List
The exact amount of food you need personally will depend on various different factors, such as your pace, body size, appetite and personal fuelling plan, though a sample daily hill food pack may resemble the following:
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3-5 energy gels or chews
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2-3 energy bars or flapjacks
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1 savoury snack
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1 bag of sweets or dried fruit
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1 more substantial item, such as a wrap or malt loaf
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Electrolyte tablets or drink mix
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1 emergency snack kept separate
You should test out what works best for you during your training ahead of the race, as different types of snacks work better for different people. For instance, some runners prefer mostly real food, while others rely more heavily on gels and energy drinks. The best plan will be the one you have practised and can repeat when you’re tired.
Dragon's Back Race Kit Requirement
The Dragon’s Back Race has a mandatory kit requirement list that participants must bring to take part in the race. The full Dragon’s Back kit list can be found on their website, including the needed running, cold weather, hot weather, and camping kits. Below, we’ve compiled the necessary items you need for your Dragon’s Back Race kit that you can find right here on our website:
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Running/camping rucksack
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Camping cookware – including a plate/bowl, mug, and cutlery
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Compass (such as our SOL Map Compass)
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Headtorch (such as our BioLite Charge 100 Max Portable Charger)
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A whistle – Our Fire Lite 8-in-1 Survival Tool contains a whistle, fire-starter, compass, and more tools, all in one small, convenient package.
Our Top Tips for the Dragon's Back Race
Before you take on the Dragon’s Back Race, it’s important to avoid common mistakes participants are prone to and to plan your course of action for the race smartly. Below, we’ve put together our most recommended tips to make the race a more comfortable and straightforward experience:
Think in Days, Not Miles
The Dragon’s Back Race isn’t an event based on one big push like some others; it’s an endurance event that tests your ability to cope with long mountain days again and again. You should pace yourself with the full week in mind and not just the stage you’re currently on. Exerting a hard effort early in the race can affect how you feel and your performance for several days afterwards.
Eat Before You Feel Empty
A common mistake that Dragon's Back Race participants can make is waiting until they feel hungry to eat. By then, you may already be running low on energy and not even have realised it. You should aim to eat little and often from early in the day onwards. Many runners find it easier to take on small amounts regularly rather than trying to recover from an energy dip later.
Pack Each Day Separately
Before starting the race, you should separate your food into daily bags. This way, it’s easier to stay organised and stops you eating too much of one day’s supply too early in the week. You should label each bag clearly and include a mix of sweet, savoury, and emergency options to ensure you have everything you need.
Test Your Kit and Food Before Race Week
Everything you carry should be familiar before you reach the start line. Items such as shoes, waterproofs, headtorches, bottles, and layers should all be tested on long days out, ideally in different weather conditions. If something rubs, leaks, bounces, or annoys you in training, it will feel much worse during the race.
The same applies to your food supply, as your stomach will need training too. Use long runs and hill sessions to practise eating the foods you plan to carry. Make sure to pay attention to what works when you are climbing, descending, moving slowly, or feeling tired. The week of the race is a bad time to discover that an energy bar is too dry or an energy gel does not agree with you.
Look After Small Problems Early
Small issues, such as blisters, rubbing, stomach problems, wet kit, poor fuelling or a low mood, can grow quickly over a multi-day event such as the Dragon’s Back Race. These problems are all easier to manage if you deal with them early, so don’t wait until something becomes a race-stopping problem to tackle it.
Convenient, Effective Race Food and Equipment at Base Camp Food
Now that you’ve heard all of our best tips for prepping for the Dragon’s Back Race, you’ll be well equipped to take on the fantastic challenge and enjoy the experience to its fullest!
At Base Camp Food, we provide a wide range of energy snacks and outdoor equipment that are highly lightweight, compact, and practical to keep your performance at its best during the race. We wish you the best of luck with the challenge and enjoy the great experience it has to offer!
If you have any questions about our products or would like some help with your nutritional plan for the race, please get in touch, and a member of our team will be more than happy to assist you.