THE DRAGONS BACK - Ultra Marathon Documentary - The Toughest Mountain Ultra Trail Race in the World

foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] good morning good morning [Music] back behind the start line please [Music] congratulations [Applause] foreign [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] thank you [Music] foreign [Music] decided to up for poles today after not doing a lot of the wreckings with him brand new poles aren't they Graham and running along the castle walls and they fall off his back within two minutes it started well in there so I've had some mental health issues and what careers lots of different stuff with business family and now divorced and but end of last year I was in a very bad way very bad way um basically lost everything provides out so a lot I lost everything I was living in a garage I was in a bad bad way you know really bad way drinking way too much um badly and then I managed to get through Christmas which is hard and then to know something obviously books dragons back right when I was pissed and then I think I went sober in February the whole month which is I've never done dry January never done anything I've never been a heavy heavy drinker but like the end last year I was drinking at home foreign [Music] you know I thank Graeme for some for me to get myself back I met my girlfriend I'm with now when the last turn around but I have to you know I thanked running for that because I can go out and smash a run out and I feel so much better for it and it's about just getting out there and so I suppose why I Associated that with Andy's man Club is I didn't reach out probably in the last year to help because I was too proud was Andy's man Club gets people it's every Monday mens can just turn up for a coffee chat talk Diane how you feel it good grain grains a bit behind me well yeah no I'm feeling good great very good growing it making good time as well I fell over though lock [Music] yeah yeah keep going two checkpoints every day you get one sort of halfway through the day and then one at the end I think that's a big thing about concessions foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] okay [Music] [Music] we'll smash it [Music] oh my God [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] just taking on the world the fifth Mountain race and I had done Race Across Scotland which is 250 miles along the southern Upland Way and I finished that feeling really confident thinking six days in the mountains in Wales can't be anything as bad as Scotland's which yeah I then watched the video and thought I wish I could have a refund yeah that way are we going guys I'm feeling good yeah sorry I carried out I just I was just in the zone foreign I've struggled quite a lot so when we sort of left and we're heading up Conway Hill I struggled I felt a bit sick hadn't really eaten much in the morning I just couldn't I don't know if it was nerves or excitement a bit of a bit of everything um but you you sort of you were doing really well you kind of left me fairly early on didn't you yeah well I think one thing I I just excited day one was 30 miles roughly with 3 500 meters of sand taking in the Snowden horseshoe which the same horse you on its own is a massive challenge and so to have that like 20 miles into a race it was pretty pretty extreme oh [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] okay [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] thank you [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] how's it going guys enjoying it definitely enjoy it but I'm on tired legs now it's not about you yeah I do now I'm in more [Music] what three things right now are you grateful for my life my family and my friends are my friends honey Graham [Music] to do something like this [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] I think we've actually lost the dab of that [Music] I think we've both agreed beforehand yeah before 10 but in an Ideal World we were saying hey weren't we if we caught yeah so the catering stops its hand now they don't leave you without food they just don't cook any new stuff so there are things left over but it's very limited so for me it was like we could do with being back in time so so we try and get some recovery and try and get to bed so half decent time [Music] [Applause] [Music] over to you Graton your turn yeah it's it's been an interesting day of highs and Minds like you're running out and you catching me up yeah well you did give me a little fancy yeah this bit yeah and the best bit was crimped up for me I enjoyed it absolutely loved it yeah yeah now I enjoyed crypto yeah I would say crypto yeah and that Fitness yeah that's Lewis yeah I'm pleased with the time you know we're back now just after seven what did you say before getting back for eight yeah so we're constantly been about two hours ahead of car yeah so worst bit of the day that's horrendous you're feeling sick all day that I'm not really either yeah what's the plan tonight then and tomorrow morning to set yourself up ready and then in the morning as well um big breakfast go out is it hard a lot of times tomorrow [Applause] [Applause] starts at half four in the morning-ish I think yeah something like five something like that if you say and they all have cereals they have bacon so I was living off uh hash browns and baked beans uh day two so day two was 36 miles um 3 000 meters of ascent so not as steep but an extra sort of six seven miles uh I woke up in the morning as I said it felt like I've been hit by a bus went pretty well to be honest yeah yeah like this okay foreign about about nine and a half nine [Music] [Applause] I'll probably slapped a little bit this morning and dinner for the day though yeah I don't limit it very good admin did we go [Music] inside [Music] um just a little um like an actress thing about yourself yeah James has got a self-inviting one that doesn't self-inflate oh my God [Music] we've got recommended times that if you leave for those times you'll finish by the cut-offs you're guaranteed to finish your main checkpoints c45 they recommend you there I'd recommend you f245 thank you [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] so checkpoints what you're going to do at the checkpoint although I want to go quick quick what are you doing guys sorry put any water and go in here I might give somebody to help me back we'll just keep going getting done how's the food going yeah keeping some staining nibbling God what we had this morning was good on it yeah weighed [Music] [Music] possible on the last one [Music] [Music] yeah we were 15 minutes ahead of the checkpoint we left at six within three-quarters but yeah [Music] how are you feeling now other than stressed how's the body that was more stress like about that it's all over it's done yesterday who've been supporting [Music] down let's be down there where are we down [Music] all right really well I'm Gonna Get You Out [Music] myself [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] great job [Music] everybody yeah honestly Graeme [Music] [Music] how old came out up was that in comparison to your other stuff on day two you've done thank you [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] thank you now they'll join us the same path it's a mandatory because that's a proper that's a normal path there we might be better going down [Music] [Music] what's up [Music] [Music] so today day two I went into panic mode and we were heading up on the one of the last climbs and there's a little out and back where you go around the wall um and I was a little bit ahead of you and I looked at my watch and when I looked at my watch it was like your ETA was half past 10 and 10 o'clock was the cost off and I'm thinking there's no way we're gonna make up half an hour so I I just saw like I've got to go and I push so hard to get to the out and back done and then hit the down and yeah I was flying on the down because I wanted to get back and then when I actually hit the the two mile cycle puppet or whatever it was you know the Flat Road there's half past eight yeah and I was just like yeah it was it was [Music] okay [Music] [Music] two hours to go [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] I'm gonna tell you more great to talk about chat [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] uh with a salt kit out ready for in the morning and whether you actually get up an extra bit earlier I don't know um I mean I think the main thing this morning that we forgot about was once you've got your kit packed you have to go and take it to Vans and then you have to have your bag checked again so that adds time so um yeah I think I'll see you on the admin like I say it just depends out really [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] well [Music] [Applause] done I hope people out there when you do watch this video if anyone they're struggling with stuff in their own hand male and men or women as well go and get help even just gonna have a walk walk around the block 5K anything maybe Harmony is a bit extreme I'll just do it [Music] [Applause] [Music] okay [Music] uh what happened [Music] foreign we got out at 6 10 apparently um but we'd record we'd record that all right yeah we record that together because I was so tired and your mind's just away with the fairies and you just you know you wake up you just want to get out you get out and you just want to get hurt or get back and you just do what you can to survive to hit the checkpoints [Music] nice rest yeah I feel better feel better now yeah sometimes the third morning is actually the tougher so you've conquered that already right you're speaking from experience as well aren't you so yeah they're looking pretty sprightly yeah yeah also thank you very much what time did you get it um it's like five I don't know I've been to Japan first thing you said to me this morning number [Music] he managed to get a good eater last night you're pretty good yeah um [Music] did you sleep right yeah not bad better than that before [Music] but then I woke up toy thinking we were late some people were up at R3 apparently yeah that's why I thought it was your alarm when I thought someone else is [Music] what time do you actually try and get up oh we were up we were up here at breakfast for five yeah how's your knee put magic tape on it Graham's magic tape as you can see here feels like a new knee especially because we didn't put it on for me it feels better than what he did yesterday [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] really [Applause] smiling yeah still smiling I'm still going you're actually looking pretty strong I've been about that [Music] did you put your foot down yeah we will we were because I think Britain was paranoid about checkpoints yeah I found on the uphills and he's hurting again I had the schedule so yeah what was that last check the point cut off quarter past 12. what time did you get in a little half an hour ago so yeah please looking for some super I'm looking forward to applying now [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] how are you feeling for time [Applause] well for this bit please we've done it because this was the hard part I'm just pleased with lots of this bit [Music] how's the niche uh not been good the poles helped yes kind of pills just a sense sleep descent but I just got to get it done out here no point thinking anything else about it foreign [Music] what's your name try it I mean on day three as well we got to the halfway checkpoint and there was a co-op just before it and we both wanted Foods um but it was that kind of did we go to the co-op and possibly risk we had plenty of time to do it yeah we had about half an hour wasn't it spare before the checkpoint closed but that if we've gone in the shop and spent 15 minutes in the shop that means we would have had 15 minutes of the checkpoint it was the checkpoint closed so you have to be out by the time [Applause] apparently [Music] that's the biggest thing to me about this whole Ultra is the fact that other Ultras you get checkpoints we get fed and watered even the goat that I did you know there's only two checkpoints out there's 58 miles but you still got a checkpoint whereas this no checkpoints as in apart from your drop bag yeah it was very much like we'll give you water halfway through the day if you want anything else you kind of have to fend for yourselves so thank you [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] thank you we've got this and commonly sad run when you can walk if you must still crawls I think it's quite a few minutes [Music] and hopes over social media so I'm getting people [Music] for me you know so it's been really good [Music] [Music] [Music] thank you very tired being within this probably tonight is that I'm sure that's Van Gogh in the corner James said to me this is stupid because I'm sure it isn't gonna have a way with him so walk over so excuse me you Van Gogh yes I am that's brilliant that you recognize me wow such a pleasure to meet you said I'd like to buy you a drink and he said no thanks I've got one here [Music] [Music] thank you [Music] thank you [Music] drop off the other side [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] thank you [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] foreign foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] super sorry [Music] [Laughter] what three things are you grateful for right now um sleep um looked ones and to still be part of this adventure [Music] what three things are you grateful for right now I question again um oh Andrea My Girlfriend Say girlfriend partner and my lover Andrew I love her um it's a complete day three and I've never I've never been grateful for bats bats so I have a bath at some point that's number three big Choice big thing there thank you [Music] foreign [Applause] see you in the morning this is so difficult that when you come out you come back from a hard day the last thing you want to do is like set up for the next day so like fully water bottles up and things like that you just you just want to eat you just think right you wanna you wanna Brew you want some food and then you sat in a tent like a zombie eating your food and then it's just like you wash your you wash your pots and it's just like I just want to go to bed and you don't sort of think right I need to get my water done I need to get my bag packed I need to get all everything set up so it's just a matter of getting out like I know some people went to bed in the kit ready for the morning so when they're up they were dressed ready to go [Applause] oh [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] three hours good um [Music] yeah really really hard enjoyable but you don't really get a chance to sort of enjoying the scenery here that's the other thing and yeah um [Music] [Music] [Music] this morning bad dreams no just a key and feet are a bit of a mess [Applause] but it's on the tops not buttons yeah this is a new one you're curling them maybe let's like that bit I think it's just ribbon on the top yeah I've had some food uh it just had beans and hash browns to sleep all right any dreams kept waking up thinking I was asleep on the side of the mountain every bumper felt underneath me felt like a rock as I was asleep on like a crevice somewhere um and then that's when the alarm was going off so uh yeah the same as room hard trying to like trying to eat last night but you're speaking to a lot of people and everyone's the same one guy was running with us yesterday he said um he got only had two mouthfuls of six six two mouthfuls of soup and we're sick they're just trying to stomach anything um a friend of mine who's top 20 floating this morning he's the same you can't stomach anything that's the problem now what'd you do keep going [Music] thank you start today with a hill so day four was to Woods Elam Valley so it was 42 miles 2150 meters was sent as soon as we left the campsite it was a hotel yeah big climb we left at six um but we'd wreckage so we kind of knew what we were up against him yeah James is struggling and drove quite far back I'm just having trouble in his knee we can't put a run together with her cane down the side it's really struggling yeah hopefully hopefully I'll use the times um pretty much bang on there recommended it's about two minutes ahead maybe the next one's um 35 minutes past 11. so I've got 40 minutes It'll come off this road and it's I am Hillside it's 6 A.M [Music] [Music] thank you foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] I can't get down the hills physically not possible it's what's happened the last two hours I've walked it as soon as um Graham um it was all traily stuff if you saved the Graham tell you um all stuff like this I should be able to run I can't run can't as soon as somebody's gone there I said to yesterday I can't do it oh yeah now I'm done thank you Alex I'm quite you know today's a bit more uh trigly in a bit more um runnable as soon as we got to any of the all the climbs it wasn't too bad I could feel I thought as soon as I get to anything on if I try to put anything flat or anything slowly I've got massive shooting pain coming up there um so I'll just come I can't carry on it so in that Hill there's only a little Hill there but it's taking me ages to come down [Music] now I need your children [Music] together [Music] [Applause] [Music] and I realize now it wasn't an injury as in now I've had times reflection it wasn't an injury like falling over I mean a lot of people I saw people with animals and all sorts yeah yeah yeah you know we were really bad I realize now this was an injury that would come from I hadn't sustained myself to a longer period of limit so it was always going to happen it's a bit like an overuse yeah overused yeah I mean you think about it I started my first Orchard was last May and I did two Ultras before that and then we did the training with you brilliant I am I am quite quick runner when I'm doing stuff but I never did back to back so to actually go and do that at some point your leg is gonna well come to God yeah okay battling on yeah it's just it was coming out now it's just so slippy grip until you climb after the checkpoint and then coming back down yeah it's like um freshly made of grass does that make sense [Music] [Music] thank you [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] buggy section that was yeah it wasn't nice [Music] thank you [Music] it's like Catch 22 now to uh push because it's downhill on roads and get it done risk hitting the feet a little bit doing more damage to myself oh okay a little bit easier get back a little bit later nice [Music] [Music] amongst these things are you grateful for right now um [Music] yeah nothing's happened it's quite a tough day and [Music] [Music] um yeah starting to smell really bad so shower or a bath would be amazing [Music] see how much smaller that comes off [Music] thank you [Music] [Applause] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] oh I struggle at that time but I just wanted to get to Canada so day five was a long day the biggest day of the week um talking all the fans um which was 3250 meters of ascent um didn't reckon the first bit but it was quite nice and you round down into the town of landovery some of your boxes cheers guys thank you okay what worse than yesterday morning ever push this on top of the tables you've seen yesterday you've never read that before they're all tapes and hopefully it'll stay on it's got the breakings we've got until after yeah earlier today yeah yeah it's a bit more organized with everything okay we're getting back earlier did you get a bit of a longer sleep yeah yeah it went to bed about nine-ish um and I spoke to James Street when he got back from the pub about that no [Applause] it said if it's been the last day you might try to push on but today and it's the Britain's today um so it's a bit up and down get to the reservoir and then we've got the the Rolling Hills the rincons of 10 band on the tops and then back down to Camp what's the distance and I think the 43 miles today a long day [Music] [Music] [Music] you all right yeah yeah [Music] what's it like on the timings about 15 minutes ahead Okay so it's been feeling well but I know the bed is coming up it's gonna be 585 grassy [Music] thank you [Music] nice how long have you got left to do though Marathon distance today um but until 10 o'clock and so it's just in the 12 hours about 11 and now it's 26th thank you [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] what's the plan for the checkpoint the water up um breaking that down [Music] I'm done [Music] [Music] [Music] let's go let's go [Music] thank you [Music] foreign [Music] okay [Applause] [Music] hello [Applause] everybody [Music] thank you foreign [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] all right [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] thank you [Music] [Music] thank you [Music] [Music] [Music] thank you [Applause] [Music] foreign [Music] thank you [Music] foreign [Music] he said there was a point it was quite a steep grassy downhill and I looked at us and I was like I'm gonna Bob it and I got a mouse and just slid slit like down this uh this little Hill and then got to the bottom and it just happened to be the perfect height that you could stick your poles and stand up [Music] oh [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] all right done [Music] I've got three things are you grateful for at this moment um for health I'm still going one day left I hope I can make it and just need to keep working keep pushing get it done um as always uh loved ones friends family really missing Trish always here um the foods like proper Foods really missing that [Music] thank you [Music] [Applause] [Music] yes that's it that's it again [Applause] foreign [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] all right [Music] foreign I felt like I wanted to be comfortable [Music] um I just wanted like put my pajamas on ready for bed because it's just bedtime [Music] it was a Night Nurse I think that helped me sleep and been really really tired I've been a little bit achy as well having the nightmares with a little bit of paracetime to ease the pain having the earplugs and the eye masks did help [Applause] [Music] [Applause] you're right yeah you're right yeah not too bad last bit this morning fast yeah [Music] [Applause] I realized I've got like no charge on my phone no charging my watch no charge on my battery back it's but it just takes forever to charge so it's like I'm 40. [Music] come on what is day six day six today Yeah final day next stop cardi Park [Music] 39 miles away [Music] [Music] parkrun as well yeah I decided I'm just gonna do popcorn Civilization now yeah it feels so weird because we've been so isolated it's barely seen anything but foreign ing [Music] [Music] that's whatever as much as I've enjoyed it it's been hard [Music] [Applause] just got a pancake at the last checkpoint which was nice just saying from yesterday yeah it makes for other rains and rain or rain a bit winds the Sun yeah checkpoint two was 12 15. cuts off between two o'clock 145 now they're well ahead [Music] thank you [Music] what's left I think it's just down by the river not really short not where I keep this part um about five miles [Music] thank you [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] thank you [Music] [Music] all right [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Laughter] [Music] what three things are you grateful for right now uh as always the um I'm fit enough to finish and to get my little dragon um oh it's loved ones friends family and across right foreign [Music]

Channel: Kelp and Fern

Views: 61,702

Keywords: ulra running film, ultra running documentary, the dragons back race, the dragons back, ultra marathon, ultra marathon film, wales, y draig, mountains of wales, running wales, running the mountains of wales, documentary, film, trail running film, mountain film, mountains, cefn y draig, hiking in wales, adventures in wales, hardest race in the world, hardest ultra marathon, mountain ultra marathon, multi day ultra marathon, the spine, trail running, fell running, crib goch

Id: szl3nBUKjsg

Length: 105min 31sec (6331 seconds)

Published: Fri Jun 16 2023