Secrets from the Race Director

With over a decade of experience, Race Director Shane Ohly shares his secret insights on the successful strategies he has witnessed from participants stepping up to the challenging Montane Dragon’s Back Race® and Cape Wrath Ultra®.

1. Eat, then sleep on it

“When participants have had a tough day in the mountains, they can finish feeling exhausted and demoralised. They might ponder whether they should quit and leave the race. Our advice is always to sort yourself out with a good feed, a wash and to get some warm and dry clothes on. Then, sleep on any decision. The following morning many runners will opt to persist on either the full course or the shorter Hatchling or Explorer, and they can continue their amazing adventure. Unfortunately, a minority quit the evening before not knowing how they will feel the following day”

2. learn when things don’t go to plan

“We understand that our participants often dream about finishing our expeditions events . They may invest enormous amounts of personal time and energy to prepare themselves for the challenge ahead. Sometimes things don’t work out. It might be an injury, illness, poor weather or a dreaded cut-off. Some participants accept this and learn from the experience, while others may be looking to blame any number of external factors rather than look in the mirror. These expedition races can be incredibly tough. However, it’s the participants who choose to reframe their experiences, and learn for the future, who usually return successfully at the next edition”

3. Get on top of your personal admin

“Consistently we see the successful participants are those who have solid personal admin. This means methodically organising themselves, their schedule and their kit to optimise their chance of success. For example, finishing the day and immediately eating something quickly, before getting their feet clean and dry, warm clothes on, and being in the main marque for their big feed. In the morning, they get up on time, with their bag packed the night before, and arrive in plenty of time to complete the kit check before starting. Some participants have an actual evening and morning checklist to work through when they are exhausted, and I’d certainly recommend practising the routine of returning from a run, using only your event overnight kit, and getting out again the following day, even if you do this from the comfort of camping in your living room!”

4. help yourself, be aware of the rules

“We don’t want to detract from any other participants' achievement of completing the event, so we insist that everyone is subject to the same ‘universal rules’. The rules also have important safety functions. Accidental errors and omissions are treated softly, but deliberate cheating or bad behaviour is dealt with decisively. My advice is to invest a small amount of time reading the rules, which you’ll find provide a framework of fairness and common-sense safety precautions that underpin the ethos of our events”  

5. “I’ve never felt such a joy of achievement”

“This was a quote from Claire McCann when she completed the Cape Wrath Ultra® in 2022. In my humble opinion, the best runner is the one who is having the most fun, and whilst our expedition events are demanding, they offer participants the opportunity to experience truly life-affirming adventures and friendships forged from the uncertainty and challenge!”