Spine Race

The Spine Race is a winter ultramarathon held over a distance of around 268 miles (431 km) from Edale, England, to Kirk Yetholm, Scotland, along the Pennine Way. Participants are allowed seven days to complete the course.[1] The race has been held annually since 2012. The Spine Fusion is a summer race run over the same route, introduced in 2017. The Spine Challenger and Spine Flare are shorter winter and summer races over the first 108 miles (174 km) of the Spine Race route, to be completed in 60 hours.

History

The event was devised by Arctic expedition guides Scott Gilmour and Phil Hayday-Brown.[2] The inaugural race took place in 2012 when there were only three finishers from a small field of eleven competitors.[3]

The 2013 event was promoted as the Dare 2b Spine Race[4] but later that year it was announced that Montane would take on sponsorship of the event.[5]

In the 2014 and later editions, participants carried GPS trackers for safety reasons and so that the progress of the race could be publicly followed online as it took place.[6] Starting in 2016, daily video summaries were made available during the race.[7]

Due to the time of year and race location, the majority of the event takes place in darkness. Snow, ice and strong winds are common.[8] Severe weather was a factor in 2015 in particular, when racers were held at various checkpoints for significant amounts of time until it was considered safe for them to continue.[9] Some competitors that year were also redirected between Middleton and Alston to avoid sections of high ground, including Cross Fell, during the inclement weather.[10]

Participants wear or carry mandatory clothing and equipment over the full course and have access to an additional drop bag which is transported along the route for them and made available at checkpoints.[11] Individual support crews for the runners were allowed in the past but from 2018 were no longer permitted.[12]

The 2019 race received considerable media attention when the overall win was taken by British women's fell running champion Jasmin Paris.[13]

Route

The Spine Race closely follows the Pennine Way but involves some slight deviations such as the access to and departure from the Hebden checkpoint. The runners are not required to complete the out-and-back section of the Way to the Cheviot. Racers generally follow the lower-level Pennine Way route option on the approach to Kirk Yetholm rather than the alternative over White Law.[14]

The route has approximately 13,300 metres (43,600 ft) of ascent. The timing points and approximate distances of the main checkpoints along the route are as follows.[15]

Location Distance
Torside
Harrop
Hebden 74 kilometres (46 mi)
Malham
Hawes 172 kilometres (107 mi)
Tan Hill
Middleton 226 kilometres (140 mi)
Dufton
Alston 289 kilometres (180 mi)
Greenhead
Bellingham 353 kilometres (219 mi)
Byrness
Hut 2
Finish 421 kilometres (262 mi)

Results

The winners have been as follows.[16]

Year Men Time Women Time
2012 Gary Morrison and Steve Thompson 151:02:00 None
2013 Eugeni Roselló Sole 124:52:00 Annabel Gates 172:59:00
2014 Pavel Paloncy 110:45:00 Debbie Brupbacher 153:17:00
2015[note 1] Pavel Paloncy 81:34:00 Beth Pascall 90:59:00
2016 Eoin Keith 95:17:00 Anna Buckingham and Zoe Thornburgh 166:38:00
2017 Tom Hollins 99:25:36 Carol Morgan 109:54:00
2018 Pavel Paloncy 109:50:22 Carol Morgan 130:37:22
2019 Eoin Keith 98:18:23 Jasmin Paris 83:12:23
2020 John Kelly 87:53:57 Sabrina Verjee 108:07:17

Spine Challenger

The Spine Challenger is a shorter version of the Spine Race and follows the first 108 miles of the route, starting in Edale and finishing in Hawes, or in neighbouring Hardraw in some years. It starts the day before the full Spine Race. There is also a version of the Challenger specifically for members of mountain rescue teams.[18]

The winners of the Spine Challenger have been as follows.[19]

Year Men Time Women Time
2012 Mark Brooks 36:30:00 None
2013 Philippe Gatta 32:18:00 Anne Green 53:38:00
2014 Marcus Scotney 29:01:00 Jacqueline Cooper 42:13:00
2015 Edward Catmur 29:52:00 Annabel Cremin 41:59:00
2016 Tom Hollins 29:25:00 Beth Pascall 30:18:00
2017 Dominic Layfield 28:00:28 Sarah Davies 37:49:50
2018 Wouter Huitzing 25:42:21 Emma Hopkinson 29:39:35
2019 Jim Mann 22:53:28 Carol Morgan 31:47:37
2020 Douglas Zinis 29:00:32 Elaine Bisson 34:19:05

Spine Fusion

The Spine Fusion is a summer version of the Spine Race, covering the full route from Edale to Kirk Yetholm.[20]

The winners have been as follows.[21]

Year Men Time Women Time
2017 Mark Kromeich and Olivier Lidec 128:54:24 Stephanie Le Men 143:59:22
2018 Mark Denby 78:04:14 Brigitte Daxelhoffer 131:07:13
2019 Esteban Díaz 89:57:48 Sabrina Verjee 81:19:07
2020 Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Spine Flare

The Spine Flare is a summer version of the Spine Challenger.[22]

The winners have been as follows.[23]

Year Men Time Women Time
2017 Mark Denby 23:53:36 Lisa Wallis 31:33:56
2018 Michael Harrison 27:45:02 Beverley Clifford 35:38:11
2019 Benjamin Tyas 27:38:21 Saki Nakamura 32:11:22
2020 Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Notes
  1. The results from 2015 are not considered for course records due to significant course changes.[17]
gollark: Where does the data for it come from anyway?
gollark: I also spend lots of time on my computer but only alttabbing to switchcraft occasionally.
gollark: Random bits of world though. They don't have much in them.
gollark: Why do we have two systems for AFK anyway?
gollark: …

References
  1. Sidetracked: The 2017 Montane Spine Race.
  2. Weatherised: Team.
  3. The Guardian: Montane Spine Race: 268 Miles of Pain.
  4. Telegraph and Argus: Baildon Man Completes 'Brutal' Dare 2b Spine Race.
  5. Grough: Montane to Sponsor The Spine, Britain's Most Brutal Mountain Marathon.
  6. The Telegraph: The Spine: Britain’s Most Brutal Race.
  7. Spine Race on Facebook: Videos.
  8. Inov-8: The Spine Race – How Brutal is it?
  9. Montane: Montane Spine Race – Day 6.
  10. Montane: Montane Spine Race – Days 2 & 3.
  11. Spine Race: Compulsory Equipment.
  12. Eoin Keith: The Spine Race 2018 – Preview.
  13. BBC Sport: Spine Race: Jasmin Paris Becomes First Female Winner of 268-mile Ultra Marathon.
  14. Spine Race: Live.
  15. Spine Race: Route Description; Spine Race: Live.
  16. Spine Race: Results; Ian Corless: The Spine Sponsored by Montane – Britain’s Most Brutal Race.
  17. "Spine Legends". Spine Race. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  18. Grough: Strongest Line-Up Yet as Runners Prepare for Start of Brutal Spine Race; Richmondshire Today: Hallucinations, Sleep Deprivation and Finish Line Tears — Runner Reveals “Brutal” Challenge of Montane Spine Race.
  19. Spine Race: Spine Challenger Results.
  20. Grough: Runner Pavel Paloncý Hits the Trail in Attempt to Beat Pennine Way Record.
  21. Spine Race: Spine Fusion Results.
  22. Grough: Runner Pavel Paloncý Hits the Trail in Attempt to Beat Pennine Way Record.
  23. Spine Race: Spine Flare results.
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