Dragonfly Challenge.
The Dragonfly Challenge at Pooley Country Park sets a clock rather than a distance: you get six hours and decide for yourself how many laps to fill them with. A single lap counts as a race, and so does a marathon or far more, which is why preparing for it starts with choosing what the day is meant to be.
Dragonfly Challenge 2027: Course, Route Profile & Map
There is only one course: a closed lap of 3.3 miles, just over five kilometres. Everything else follows from the lap count. One gets you slightly more than a 5k. Four make a half marathon, eight a marathon, and within the time window more than 50 miles are possible.
The first two kilometres are close to level, dipping and rising by only a few metres. Then comes the only real climb: the way up to the 50-foot Golden Tower of Leaves. It gains a little over ten metres in about 300 metres, short and moderate, and marks roughly the middle of the lap. The drop on the other side is just as quick, and the second half then echoes the gentle ups and downs of the first. That adds up to around 30 metres of ascent per lap.
Underfoot, open grassland alternates with parkland paths, and that mix rather than the terrain is what makes this a trail race. It takes place on a Thursday in May, with an aid station as part of the event. The real character of the format lies in repetition: run a marathon here and you stand at the foot of the same climb eight times.
| Start | Length | Ø | Max. | Gain | Cat. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| km 2.2 | 0.3 km | 3.9 % | 5.2 % | +12 m | — |
Climb categories follow the road-cycling convention and rate the terrain itself (length and gradient) regardless of sport: Cat. 4 marks the easiest rated climbs, Cat. 1 the hardest, and HC (hors catégorie, “beyond categorization”) is reserved for the most brutal ascents. Short climbs below the Cat. 4 threshold stay unrated.
How to pace Dragonfly Challenge.
Start under control
What you are dividing up here is a time window, not a distance. Fix your lap target before the start and work backwards: a marathon allows an average of 45 minutes per lap, stops at the aid station included, which leaves plenty of room. Aiming for 50 miles is another matter, at 16 laps in under 23 minutes each, for the full duration. Your target lap is the most useful tool of the day, more so than any per-kilometre split.
Hold your rhythm
The climb to the tower decides nothing through its severity, only through its frequency. On lap one it costs almost nothing; on lap eight you will notice it. So take it deliberately easy from the start. If you plan walking breaks anyway, this is the natural place for them, because the descent follows at once and gives you your rhythm back.
Spend what is left
The trap is the flatness. On a lap this easy to run, the early circuits feel too slow and you are tempted to bank time. You pay for that cushion in the final two hours, when every new lap becomes a decision about whether to run another one. So eat and drink by lap count, not by feel.
Training plan for Dragonfly Challenge: 12-week build
Build the base
How long you are out there is up to you. On this lap, many age-group runners will need around two to three hours for a half marathon and four to six for a marathon. Whichever target you pick, the effort stays almost entirely aerobic and steady. The short climb to the tower adds only a small stimulus and does not call for hard intervals.
Train race pace
The laps that matter are the late ones, when that same small rise arrives on tired legs and carrying on becomes a mental task. Prepare with long runs matched in duration to your lap target. Where you can, run them as a loop of about five kilometres that keeps passing your own supplies. That rehearses exactly what race day asks of you: heading out again while the end of each lap invites you to stop.
Rehearse the course
Build a short rise of about 300 metres into that loop and run it at the same calm effort every time, including the downhill behind it. This trains the discipline the climb demands. If your target is a long one, practise a planned mix of running and walking in these sessions, so that it does not first appear in the race as a result of exhaustion.
Arrive fresh
Because the lap mixes open grassland with parkland paths, take part of your long runs onto grass rather than staying on tarmac. Use them to test shoes as well as the food you intend to take by lap count. With the race in May, your longest sessions fall in the spring weeks before it.
Courses
Download the Dragonfly Challenge course as a GPX file for your watch or bike computer.
Let YOUB adapt your plan for Dragonfly Challenge dynamically
Ben connects your goal, the course, current load, recovery, and calendar. Your plan stays pointed at race day even when real life is not perfectly plannable.
Everything about Dragonfly Challenge.
What is the route profile of Dragonfly Challenge?
Dragonfly Challenge is classified as Flat, averaging 5.9 vertical metres per kilometre. 58% of the route is flat, 21% climbs moderately (2 to 6%) and 0% is steeper than 6%.
What climbs does Dragonfly Challenge have?
The hardest climb of Dragonfly Challenge starts at kilometre 2.2, runs for 0.3 km at an average of 3.9% and gains 12 metres.
Is Dragonfly Challenge a loop course?
Yes, Dragonfly Challenge is laid out as a loop: start and finish are in the same place.
Is there a GPX file for the Dragonfly Challenge course?
Yes. The Dragonfly Challenge course is on this page as a free GPX download — ready to import into Garmin, Wahoo, Komoot, Strava or any other app that reads GPX.
How should I prepare for Dragonfly Challenge?
Preparation for Dragonfly Challenge should account for Time-based, 30 m of elevation gain, current training load, and available training time. An adaptive plan helps place key sessions without ignoring recovery and real life.
What pacing strategy works for Dragonfly Challenge?
The pacing strategy for Dragonfly Challenge should reflect Time-based, 30 m of elevation gain, and your current fitness. Start controlled and keep margin for sections where the profile or fatigue makes target pace harder.
When does Dragonfly Challenge take place?
Dragonfly Challenge takes place on May 6, 2027.
Where does Dragonfly Challenge take place?
Dragonfly Challenge takes place in Tamworth, United Kingdom.
Which distances does Dragonfly Challenge offer?
Dragonfly Challenge has one course — Dragonfly Challenge: Time-based.
How do I register for Dragonfly Challenge?
Registration runs through the organiser: bigbearevents.net. YOUB shows you the course, elevation profile and training plan for your preparation.
