The Dragon Coastal ultramarathons are 3 epic ultra-trail footraces along the Wales coast path. There are 3 race distances to choose from – 100 miles from Rhossili Bay to Cardiff Bay, 50 miles from Kenfig Nature Reserve to Cardiff Bay OR, new for 2024, 30 miles from Dunraven Bay to Cardiff Bay. All routes follow the Wales Coast Path and after the final mile over the Cardiff Bay Barrage, finish at the Captain Scott Memorial and iconic Norwegian Church. The routes are easy to navigate and non-technical making them a great choice for a first attempt at any distance or for a seasoned runner looking to post a quick time over some fast runnable coastal trails. However, don’t let that fool you, the Dragon has plenty of surprises in store – multiple beaches, sand, shingle and on the 100 some night time elevation that will test the legs!

The Route
The 100 mile route starts at the stunning Worms Head above Rhossili Bay on Saturday at 2pm. Runners head along the dramatic southern Gower coastline, with its numerous bays and ruined castles. As darkness approaches, runners arrive at the Mumbles, Swansea and a faster, less exposed section around Swansea Bay. In the early hours of the morning the route leaves the Wales Coast Path and heads inland into the hilly depths of the Afan forest. This section is well marked with luminous running arrows to keep runners on track as they go through the dark and majestic forest trails. Then, as the dawn comes up, the routes travels through Margam Park with it’s historic mansion house and herds of deer. As the halfway point approaches a short run will take runners to Kenfig sands and the Dragon 50 route.

The Dragon 50 route joins the course on Sunday morning at Kenfig Sands Nature Reserve and starts with a 4.5 mile fully marked loop of trail and beach running around the rugged reserve before joining onto the Wales Coast Path and the journey back to Cardiff. Both 100 and 50 runners have a short run from Kenfig before the seaside town of Porthcawl heading past several bays normally packed with surfers! At the edge of Porthcawl one of the big challenges awaits – Merthyr Mawr – an 840 acre dune system that borders the Ogmore River. Once this has been conquered, the route crosses the stepping stones at Ogmore Castle and runners are onto the beautiful Vale of Glamorgan Heritage Coast.

Here the Dragon 30 race joins the course at 10am in Dunraven Bay (Southerndown). All runners are now getting closer to Cardiff with many points of interest to check off on the way – Nash Point Lighthouse, Atlantic College, Llantwit Beach, Aberthaw Power Station, Porthkerry Park, Cold Knap Point and finally Barry! As the coast turns north at Sully Island, the end is literally in sight. A quick pass of Penarth Pier leaves one last climb up the legendary Kymin Steps and from the top of Penarth the barrage and the Norwegian Church seem tantalisingly close. A short run along the barrage leads you to the Scott Memorial where touching the sign stops the clock and your adventure.

Route Statistics
The Dragon 100 route has approximately 3400 meters of ascent.
The Dragon 50 has approximately 1300 meters of ascent
The Dragon 30 has approximately 460 metres ascent.