entries openOurea Events / Ultra X

Dragon’s Tail

Dragon’s Back Race

Next edition: Friday, 11 September 2026 – Saturday, 12 September 2026Black Mountain to Cardiff Castle, Wales

A two-day stage race from the Black Mountain and Bannau Brycheiniog to Cardiff Castle.

Official race site

Optional device-only history; never synced to your account. Shared-device users can leave it off.

Distance85.1 mi

Ascent4,500m

Climb / km32.8m

Stage cutoff16h · 72km

Stage pace13:20/km

TechnicalityUnknown

Entry£559

FormatPoint-to-point

Next edition

11 September 2026 – 12 September 2026

This is the most relevant confirmed edition currently held for the permanent race family. Edition-specific facts should still be checked against the final organiser instructions.

Edition archive

This is the only edition currently stored for this race family. Earlier verified editions can be added without changing the permanent race URL.

Check the official race source

Race For You difficulty

5.8/ 10

Hard

Moderate evidence confidence · 79% evidence coverage

This score is driven most by substantial race distance, high climbing demand. Difficulty V2's separate time-limit modifier adds 0.00 points here and is capped at 0.70; a broad limit cannot erase extreme intrinsic demand. This is independent of the public Cutoff Pressure V2 band.

Weather, conditions and individual preparation can change the real difficulty significantly.

How the score works

Distance6.1 out of 10

Climbing6 out of 10

Technicality5.5 out of 10

Accumulated burden4.9 out of 10

Exposure & support5.9 out of 10

Course analysis

What shapes this race

Expect sustained upland ground and meaningful climbing, exposed moorland where weather can amplify the difficulty.

trailmountainmoorlandmixed

32.8m per km

A more useful comparison than total ascent alone: it shows how consistently the course asks you to climb.

Cutoff analysis

High pressure

Cutoff Pressure V2 is governed by the tightest published active-time stage: Into Bannau Brycheiniog, with 16h for 72km. Its course-adjusted allowance is 9 minutes per effort-kilometre.

13:20/km

High pressure

The governing stage pace includes stops made during that stage. Between-stage recovery and sleep are excluded from active running allowance, so a broad multi-day event window cannot hide a tighter stage.

Who this suits

First ultra?

There is not enough verified information to assess first-ultra suitability yet.

Navigation

GPS required

The route is described as marked, but runners should still read the final race instructions.

Exposure & kit

extensive kit

Some entrants may run into darkness depending on pace and start time. Prepare lighting even if your best-case plan finishes earlier.

Personal race predictor

Will you make the cutoff?

Use a previous result to estimate a realistic range for Dragon’s Tail, your potential buffer and the biggest change in demand.

Run my estimate

Latest verification

Trust the source, see the gaps.

Data High

The official page verifies the inaugural 11–12 September 2026 two-stage product, 72K/3,200m and 65K/1,300m stages, £559 and a 22:00 closure each day. The stored 32 hours is the sum of two active 16-hour stage windows, not elapsed weekend time. A 06:30 mass-start FAQ conflicts with the provisional 06:00–09:00 timetable and is retained in this note.

Successful source check: 3 Sept 2026
Catalogue record updated: 3 Sept 2026
Official source: Available

Official source 1

Event details can change after a successful source check. Confirm the final route, kit, cutoff, price and entry terms directly with the organiser before entering or travelling.

Found something wrong?

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Wrong cutoff? Date changed? New course? Tell us what moved and include the official source if you have it.

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