Shelter Stone supports the Dragon’s Back Race 2026
In September, Shelter Stone supported the 2026 edition of Dragon’s Back Race, one of the world's most iconic multi-day mountain running events. Traversing the length of Wales over six demanding days, the race challenges participants to cross some of Wales’s most complex and remote mountain terrain, from Eryri (Snowdonia) in the north to Cardiff in the south. The 2026 event also marked the first edition under Ultra X ownership, with Shelter Stone providing integrated Medical, Response and Event Control services throughout the week.
Over the course of the event, Shelter Stone deployed a team of 18 personnel supporting 365 participants and event team across 20 operational locations, including the overnight camps, support points, water points, and the start and finish venues. The Shelter Stone team included healthcare professionals, event control specialists, and a dedicated Response Team, providing comprehensive medical, safety and emergency support throughout the race.
Our Medical Team delivered care across the event footprint, supporting participants through the challenges that are common in multi-day mountain races. Foot care, musculoskeletal injuries, and minor wounds made up a large part of the workload, helping many participants continue safely through the event. At the same time, the team remained prepared for more serious situations, successfully managing a small number of significant incidents requiring higher levels of clinical assessment and intervention. The Medical Team recorded 371 medical treatments during the event.
Our Event Control Team provided continuous coordination and oversight throughout the week. In addition to managing incidents and communications, the team played an important role in participant welfare by monitoring tracking information, conducting welfare checks, and identifying developing issues before they escalated. This proactive approach supported participant safety while helping the event run smoothly.
Working closely with Event Control was our specialist Response Team, comprising experienced mountain rescue personnel who could deploy rapidly in remote and challenging terrain. They provide an all-terrain, all-weather emergency capability for the event. The Response Team undertook 17 deployments during the event. Fortunately, these deployments were largely precautionary, assisting participants and supporting wider operational objectives across the course.
One of Shelter Stone’s core objectives is enabling complex endurance events to operate safely and as self-sufficiently as possible. By providing integrated medical, rescue and event control services, many incidents can be managed without placing unnecessary demand on local emergency services or mountain rescue teams. The 2026 Dragon’s Back Race demonstrated the value of this approach, with participants benefiting from timely support while event organisers maintained a clear, coordinated overview of developing situations.
Dragon’s Back Race remains one of the most demanding and prestigious stage races in the world. We would like to thank Ultra X for the opportunity to support the event during its first year under new ownership and congratulate every participant who took on the challenge of crossing Wales under their own power. Most of all, we would like to thank the Shelter Stone team, whose professionalism, dedication and expertise helped ensure the event was delivered safely and successfully.