A RECORD-BREAKING RUN ON ICONIC TRAILS - POWERED BY TRAILSKIN

Six days. 380km. Brutal climbs, wild Welsh weather, and some of the toughest terrain in the UK.

The Dragon’s Back Race is legendary for a reason. It tests endurance and grit, but also runners’ ability to manage their wellbeing day after day, as they optimise their recovery after each stage and try to set themselves up for the following day’s challenge.

Holly Wootten ran a brilliantly paced race, accumulating 50 hours 46 minutes 16 seconds on the trails across the six days. She climbed 16,400 m across the Dragon’s Back of Wales (and descended the same!). She came up against wet, unforgiving weather; bogs and mud; relentless rain… but this was all manageable thanks to a carefully thought out routine.

Holly needed:

> Streamlined daily post-stage admin 

> Preventative footcare

> Focus on recovery

> Wind-down ritual

TrailSkin products became an essential element of this routine…

Using Anti-Chafe Protection for Multi-Day Performance 

When you’re facing the elements on a multi-day stage race, foot protection is essential. After all, your feet are the key to moving forward. If they get wet or blistered early on, this will affect the whole kinetic chain from the ankle, to the knee, to the hip. This is why you see some runners finishing ultra marathons running in funny ways, among other reasons. And, if your biomechanics are severely affected, this can slow you down and possibly lead to injury. Not to mention the simple discomfort.

Holly learnt this early on in her ultra running career, as she accumulated stage race experience and observed other runners struggling (she’s always been lucky not to have too many foot issues!). She even fashioned her own anti-chafe and anti-humidity remedies: athlete’s foot cream to keep feet dry, hand cream to lubricate, and a foam spray for sterilising boxing gloves!

When she embarked on the Dragon’s Back Race this year, she asked TrailSkin for some high-quality, all-natural protective products that would pack small enough to be carried in her drop bag.

The Anti-Chafe Salve ticked all the boxes:

• Protected from rubbing and irritation
• Avoided hot spots 
• Was soothing and moisturising

Holly combined it with TrailSkin Trench Foot Cream, applying the cream first, then the salve. This prevented her feet from getting wet and macerated in the Welsh bogs, all while avoiding any rubbing, regardless of weather conditions.

This led to feeling better, but also performing better. As Holly recounts, “You can be so much calmer in your decision making when you know you have the right stuff with you.” She was able to carry a small quantity of anti-chafe salve in the race tin just in case any issues would come up, “which is also ideal - the size is so good.”

Image credits: No Limits Photography

Daily Recovery Rituals 

Being race ready every morning involved Holly waiting until the last possible moment before she’d get her feet sorted. But her performance was also aided by her post-race admin and wind-down rituals - something she developed by preparing thoroughly and anticipating her needs ahead of getting to Conwy Castle.

In 2023, Holly ran the Dragon’s Back Race with a friend, taking the first three days at an easy pace and learning the route and the experience of daily camp life. “Being at the back of the pack, you spend a lot of time with people. I was happy to help out as I had more energy,” she recalls. This showed her how useful it would be to, firstly, attend to her feet as soon as she stopped running; and secondly, have an evening wind-down ritual.

Holly’s Post-Stage Admin

Every day would follow the motto “feet and food.” Holly made sure she would always have a camp snack ready to eat, then take off her socks, dry her feet, and check what care they needed.

“It always lifts your spirits so much to finish a stage and see that your feet are ok.” With one less thing to worry about, she’d clean her feet with baby wipes and treat them to a rub with the Revival Foot Balm: soothing, moisturising, and a bit of an indulgence for the senses, too! 

Next followed a pair of loose socks (Holly’s tip: don’t bring tight hiking socks as they’ll be a nightmare to put on!) and Crocs for the rest of the afternoon.

Holly’s Nightly Wind Down

Stage racing can be quite intense, with lots of admin to take care of daily. This takes its toll on runners mentally, not just physically. To help her relax, clear her head, and sleep better, Holly would use the Revival Foot Balm as part of a nightly ritual, rubbing her feet again before sleep. “You’re tired but wired, so this is a nice way to calm the nervous system and give the feet a treat.”

And A Little Extra…

The Anti-Chafe Salve ended up saving not just Holly’s feet, but her hands, too!

“I’m always careful to apply the anti-chafe everywhere I would expect to chafe, but for the first time, because of the rain, I got terrible chafing on the back of my hands under the poles gloves,” says Holly. The salve helped soothe and prevent infection. She then taped her hands over the salve and had no other issues.

“I also used the salve on my ribs, collar bone, sports bra line, thighs (the shorts were soaked so had to keep applying!), and on my back after getting a pack rash on day 3, when the extreme cold weather kit was activated and I ended up wearing a waistbelt and a backpack to help distribute the weight.” 

Holly’s tip:

Add Rock Tape over the salve and you’ll protect high-risk areas without any danger of the tape coming off… In fact, you’ll need to soak in the shower to remove it!

From Wales’ toughest race to your weekend adventures, TrailSkin works when it matters most. 

Image credits: No Limits Photography

Explore our bundles & learn more about how our all-natural products can make a difference for your body, mile after mile. 

Get your TrailSkin Bundle now!

Words by Alecsa Stewart.

All Dragons Back Image credits: No Limits Photography