Slaying the Dragon in the Welsh Mountains

by Stephen Granger

African athletes have enjoyed notable success in the European trail season over the past months, with Kenyans Mark Kangogo, Patrick Kipngeno and Esther Chesang, and South Africa’s Toni McCann winning significant races and Eritean Petro Mamu, Moroccan Elhousine Elazzaoui, South Africa’s Bianca Tarboton and Kenyan Philaris Sang bagging top-three podium positions.

Three South African athletes enjoyed solid trail performances over the weekend as the season draws to a close. Filippo Faralla survived 6 days of tough mountain running in Wales, while adidas TERREX athletes Toni McCann and Bianca Tarboton raced well in Austrian and Italian mountain trails respectively.

The Montane Dragon’s Back Race is a legendary multi-stage, ultra-running journey down the spine of Wales connecting two iconic Welsh castles, Conwy Castle in the north and Cardiff Castle in the south of Wales. It is billed as the world’s toughest mountain race and participants summit all of the major peaks in Wales, including Snowdon, Crib Coch, Trifan, Cadir Idris and Pen y Fan.

Rather than routing race participants along the country roads typically chosen by tourists, runners had to negotiate a course of unimaginable toughness, along the spine of many of the rockiest Welsh mountains from Snowdonia to Cardiff, where running is the exception and scrambling is the most common mode of propulsion. Conditions were typically ‘Welsh’ and often more runners are listed ‘DNF’ rather than finishers.

Cape Town master trail runner, Filippo Faralla, was one of the latter.  Having failed to complete the race in 2018, Faralla had unfinished business in Wales and he made it personal, determined to make amends.  He did so in no uncertain terms. The 54-year-old athlete started conservatively, finishing the first day through Snowdonia in 47^th, but importantly ended in 22^nd place overall at the finish at Castle Bute Park in Cardiff after traversing 390km of rocky trails over six days, with 19200m of vertical ascent – equivalent to more than two ascents of Mt Everest from sea level.

Of the 261 runners who set out from Conwy Castle, only 102 arrived in Cardiff, an indication of the fearsome toll the rugged route took on the participants. Faralla ran a superbly-judged race, finishing 35^th after the second day, then 30^th and 24^th after days three and four.

Holding his position at the finish of Day Five in the Talybont Forest in the renowned Brecon Beacons National Park, Faralla hauled his exhausted body over the final climb, the 322m Mynydd Meio hill outside Cardiff, to complete the 60km stage in 19^th place and the entire 380km challenge in 22nd position and 4^th in his age category.

In an event which strongly favours British runners with their local knowledge of the route, only four athletes from the 42 participating countries outside Britain finished ahead of Faralla.

Faralla credited his coaching team of Nicolette Griffioen and Pierre Jordaan (who themselves had raced recently in the Welsh mountains) with ensuring that his fitness and conditioning were perfect for the race. “I’m so happy with my legs, lungs and stomach,” reflected Faralla during the race. “All aspects of my preparation have come together so well and I’m so grateful to my coaching team for their expert guidance.”

Toni McCann ended her European season on a high note at the adidas INFINITE TRAILS event in Gastein, Austria, competing for adidas TERREX’s “Team I like most” in the mixed-gender category with German athlete, Sven Koch, and top Kiwi Ruth Croft.

Part of the race navigates old gold-digger paths and historic pack-mule trails through the Gastein valley, passing many waterfalls and alpine meadows and boasting impressive views of several significant alpine summits.

The event required teams to complete a three-loop 100km course with a total of 7,600 vertical meters. McCann placed 2^nd woman and 12^th overall in the 21km loop in 2 hrs 41 min 25 sec, Koch, who won the Festival of Running 15km in Innsbruck earlier in the year, placed 3^rd overall in the 35km loop in 3:48:20 while Croft, who won the Western States 100 miler in June, was fastest woman and 12^th overall in the 44km loop in 5:17:21.

McCann’s team placed an impressive 7^th overall in 11:47:06, 2^nd in the mixed-gender category and 1^st in the in the two female and one male mixed-gender category.

McCann’s adidas TERREX teammate and fellow-Cape Town athlete, Bianca Tarboton, opted to finish the season competing in the Skyrunning World Championships in Ossola, Italy. Offering a choice of three events run over three days, Tarboton opted to race the La Veia SkyRace over 31km with 2600m of vertical ascent.

While finding the going mentally tough, in particular, Tarboton pushed through courageously to finish 11^th in a world-class field, won by multi-SkyRunning champion, 30-year-old Romanian Denisa Dragomir.   

“It was tough,” Tarboton acknowledged. “But I was courageous and just kept going. I think on a good day I could’ve been capable of a lot better but it’s much better than how I thought I’d do, considering how I felt and how I ran. I’m proud I got to the end and worked through all of the mental challenges.”