Haslemere Border Athletics Club (HBAC) member Adam Wade has achieved an extraordinary feat by completing the Dragon’s Back Race, which is considered to be one of the toughest mountain trail races in the world.

The six-day ultra-endurance event covers an epic 380km route with 16,400m of ascent, beginning at Conwy Castle in North Wales and finishing at Cardiff Castle.

Wade said: “It is the hardest thing I have ever done and broke me more than once.”

Each stage presented brutal tests. Day one brought gale-force winds and torrential rain, forcing a course change. Day two swapped storms for scorching heat, relentless midges and rugged terrain. On day three, the Cambrian Mountains loomed, but quad problems slowed Wade’s progress, forcing him to ease off during day four as he crossed the remote Elan Valley Hills. Despite this, he dug deep on the punishing fifth stage, which included the six main peaks of the Bannau Brycheinog (Brecon Beacons), before facing the rugged, sweeping hillsides leading to Cardiff on the final day.

Crossing the line at Cardiff Castle in a time of 70:19.10, Wade joined an elite group of finishers, showing immense grit and resilience. His result, 29th overall and fifth in his age category is an incredible achievement in one of the world’s toughest mountain races and is further testament to his perseverance.

Elsewhere Philomel Bennett completed the tough Farnham Pilgrim Marathon in 4:27.30. The hilly trail course tested runners throughout, but Bennett rose to the challenge with a strong performance.

Two HBAC runners impressed at the Big Half Marathon in London. Nina Dunleavy stormed to a superb new personal best of 1:33.09, while Gosia Shukla showed determination to complete the course in 2:17.56. A great performance from both.

By Ann Varnes