Endurance sports are on the rise, with attendance climbing at Welsh events like Peak Online Tri and the Dragon’s Back Race. Julia Bottoms finds out about the risks and rewards of pushing through the pain.
Suffering has never been so popular. From marathon running to Ironman triathlons and Hyrox, endurance sports are booming. More than 1.1 million people applied for this year’s London Marathon ballot – nearly twice as many as in 2024 – while Ironman has reported a 39% rise in athletes under 30.
That appetite extends to Wales too, with events such as the Peak Online Tri, a three-day endurance event founded by Devon-based entrepreneur Andrew Bowers, 43. Last year’s event, which totalled 94 miles of cycling, kayaking and running, raised £18,000, while this year the event will be held in Bannau Brycheiniog with proceeds going to Tŷ Hafan Children’s Hospice. The challenge is also dedicated to Bowers’ friend and former colleague, Paul Russell, who died last year after a struggle with mental health.
“I wanted to make my company have a core value of community engagement,” Bowers says. “I hit a niche in the market that people were looking for; they were looking for adventure and fun. They wanted to do a bit of fundraising, but they didn’t want it to be super competitive.”
Rob Cartmel, 59, experienced that first-hand when he took part last year. Having previously completed other events such as Hyrox, he says the bonds formed during the challenge made the event particularly special. “I remember at about 10 miles in, I was on the verge of calling my wife,” he says. “And one of the guys that was with me, Darren, dropped back and near enough pushed me along.”
Still, confusion or concern for those who make the active decision to go through with it might be understandable. “It’s hard to explain to people who don’t do it, but I enjoy being uncomfortable, to push myself and mentally switch off,” says Bowers.
In 2024, 35-year-old Danny Smith won the Cape Wrath Ultra – a 400km, eight-day expedition race through the Scottish Highlands. This September he’ll tackle Wales’ notorious Dragon’s Back Race, a 380km, six-day ascent widely regarded as one of the toughest mountain races in the world. “You can get into a really nice flow, a Zen state, where you feel you’re not necessarily thinking of anything,” he says. “When you do, you think of family and friends, or the people who’ve made sacrifices so you can do this very privileged thing.”
The attraction, he says, becomes increasingly psychological. “I almost feel when you continue to do more races, you’re trying to find out why you’re doing it in the first place, and why you want to keep pushing your body in that way.”
The risks, however, are real. This year’s Dragon’s Back Race has been overshadowed by the death of accomplished ultrarunner David Parrish – who won last year’s race, and Cape Wrath Ultra in 2023. In April, however, he died while attempting the Cape Wrath Trail alone, aiming to raise money for Mountain Rescue. “A lot of these events do also rely on mountain rescue and volunteers to support,” Smith notes.
Moreover, reaching the finish rarely comes without its aftereffects, which are mixed. Cartmel recalls finishing Peak Online last year: “I was so happy, but I couldn’t even lift my shirt off. And when my wife pulled my boots off, my toenails came out too. It was horrendous.”
Yet the experience continues to attract so many. While endurance sport has traditionally attracted middle-aged men, organisers are seeing growing interest from younger competitors and women. Cartmel says his 23-year-old daughter and her friend have already signed up for next year’s event, while Smith says: “One of the things I really do love about this sport is the fact you’re in the same race with men and women, young and old – you’re all in it together.”
Though Bowers is yet to announce details for next year’s event, there’s already a waiting list – and, despite Cartmel’s profession that he is “never doing it ever again,” he’s already found himself agreeing to it.
Dragon’s Back Race, Conwy Castle to Cardiff Castle, Mon 7-Sat 12 Sept (info: here); Peak Online Tri, Bannau Brycheiniog, Fri 11-Sun 13 Sept (info: here)
words JULIA BOTTOMS
