Top Ten Comparisons - Dragon’s Back Race™ and the Olympics
With the approaching 2012 London Olympics Games, Dragon's Back Race organiser Shane Ohly has had some fun and taken the opportunity to make some interesting comparisons between the 2012 London Olympics and the Dragon’s Back Race™. Sometimes we worry a little about what all that running has done to Shane's brain cells... how exactly do you measure the squelchiness of Welsh bog then...
London 2012 Olympics Dragon’s Back Race™ 2012
1. 80,000 spectators in the Olympic Stadium 11,000,000 spectators in the Welsh hills (includes sheep)*
2. IAAF maximum rebound/softness of an athletics track is 2.5mm Maximum known squelchiness of Welsh Bog is 2.5m.
3. 64,000 bed sheets, 11,000 sofas and 5,000 toilet brushes at the Olympic Village v 13 x 8 man family camping tents, two mess tents, one admin tent and six portaloos at each overnight campsite.
4. Official sponsorship and catering from McDonalds and Coke – not very healthy! v Bespoke runners menu from ethical vegetarian caterers the Green Machine.
5. Olympic 590-piece clothing collection including 38 types of footwear for British athletes by Stella McCartney v Full-spec mountain clothing for all marshals and a Vapour Storm jacket for competitors by Berghaus.
6. An opening ceremony costing £27m, featuring live music and directed by Danny Boyle v A Welsh male voice choir to sing off the competitors from the ramparts Conwy Castle.
7. An austerity budget of nearly £9,000,000,000 An event budget nearly £9,000,000,000 less than Olympics!8 4,700 Olympic and Paralympics medals produced by the Royal Mint v 100 finishers trophies recast from the original 1992 winner’s trophy.
9. Competitors from 200 countries v Competitors from 14 countries.
10. Many of the best athletes in the world v Some of the best mountain and ultra runners in the world.
* This is the actual number of sheep in Wales! (rumours that Shane has counted them individually are unsubstantiated, but oddly credible)
