The Dragon’s Fire – Tân y Ddraig race was created after Dragon’s Back was cancelled, itself linked to Ourea’s trading shutdown in March. The impact first hit the Northern Traverse series, before leading to the cancellation of Dragon’s Back. The announcement that Ultra X had acquired the event to recover it via administrators brought relief and hope that these British races could be saved.
Against this backdrop, Ultra X offers RunUltra a place for the first edition of Dragon’s Fire, and the baton is passed to Bryony. The author stresses that she was disappointed for Bryony when she got injured the previous year, before going on to describe the excitement around this new opportunity. This relaunch also fits into a recent progression, with a 7th place among the women at the Montane Lakeland 50, followed by a win at the SkyRun Eryri in August.
Bryony’s preparation story refers to a start in 2025, when she begins to recover from an injury she picked up while training for a spring marathon. In May 2025, she receives an unexpected opportunity to become a Dragon. From June onwards, she tries to spot as much of the route as possible, but she then makes an overtake mistake during the recce of the third day, which results in another injury and several months of recovery.
In terms of the course, Day one links Conwy Castle to Nant Gwynant over 50 km, with 4100 m of elevation gain, while starting with a departure from Conwy Castle. Bryony describes a gradual climb followed by a more rocky section, with passages over the ascents and descents of the Carneddau, then a move towards areas such as Crib Goch, before finishing at camp one. She aims to move quickly while protecting recovery time ahead of an expected weather change.
Day two then stretches from Nant Gwynant to Dolgellau, covering 60 km with 3200 m of elevation gain. Bryony mentions a requested start at 07:08:08 thanks to a chasing leader start, and a briefing that includes breakfast and a kit check. She describes a more varied route, with very prominent bogs, grassy and rocky trails, before ending with around 4 miles of tarmac road/forest, presented as the hardest part of the day.
