Dragon's Back Race
Play Fair and Be Nice to the Ladies
Rob Howard / 21.06.2015
The briefing for the Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race this evening was a mix of laying down the law on no-nonsense rules to ensure everyone plays fair and knows exactly what’s going on, and laughter as the message was delivered in a firm but fun way.
Race Director Shane Ohly began by asking everyone to be open, and if they have any gripes to express them, so they can be fixed – something he feels passionate about as he wants to put on the best possible event.
He went on to run through the key rules and timings for the event, two of which are to stick to rights of way in farmland (and close gates) and to carry all rubbish out. These were delivered with a photo of angry landowners with shotguns and dogs which got a laugh, accompanied by a warning that racers breaking the rules would be disqualified for that day.
Ohly said, “I don’t like the idea of penalties for this or that infringement – I just want you to be in the event playing fair, so I keep it simple. If you break a rule it’ a DQ. I’m a black and white kind of guy in that respect.” He went on to say, “Remember you will have trackers so we can see where you go, and so can the landowners and local authorities, so we’ll be under a lot of scrutiny. In a way we are ambassadors for the race and the sport.”
This extended to the rubbish issue where he said all runners will be kit checked and must show their rubbish wrappers for the day, or, you guessed, it’s a DQ for the day. They can’t leave any litter at assistance points or even if they find a bin on the way through a village – they must carry it through to the finish.
He then ran through more timings, saying the cut-offs were final with no discretion but that it was possible to walk the ups and jog and still be inside them – if you didn’t get lost anywhere!
At the end he passed over to Helene Wright, one of the winners of the first race and she spoke about the history of the race and what it takes to finish. “It’s not about the gear or technology,” she said, “You just have to keep going, it’s all about what’s in your head.”
She did say two-thirds may not finish the full route but added, “Ladies are 3 times more likely to finish than the men and if you are struggling you’ll need someone to help you through ... so make friends with the women and look after them. They may be the one to get to the finish at the end!”
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