January 2023 opened my eyes to the Spine Race. I was comfortably in my Arc 100 taper and I stumbled across this crazy event where runners try to run 268 miles through snow and over some damn lumpy hills with the minimum of outside help.
Of course I decided I needed to try it out. Thankfully there is a few options, so I ent conservative and opted for the 108 mile Southern Challenger from Edale to Hawes.
Deep Pockets
Once I actually signed up I got stuck into the mandatory kit requirements and quickly choked on my coffee. The kit list is huge, ranging from sleeping bags, knives and camp stoves, to poo shovels, anti-histamine tablets and GPS devices (and no, your Garmin watch isn’t sufficient!)
You have to carry this kit all the time and so it’s a balance between cost and size. Go cheap and often it’s bulky. Go small and you have to sell a kidney or two to over the cost! I decided that this is likely to be the first of a few races that need similar kit, so I invested in some good bits of kit, whilst going budget on some others.
Help is not always at hand!
The other big thing about this event is that there is only really 1 certain official support stop across a route that as described as 108 miles. There are other ‘stops’ for water/tea and a biscuit or two, but these may not be available as they are staffed by Mountain Rescue who could be called out at any minute! Other options are shops etc on the route – so arrival times will determine whether you are lucky or not to find them open!
I wasn’t used to such self sufficiency. Crews are not allowed either, so it’s up to you!
Is this a good idea?
I have to admit, since Jan 2023 when I signed up I, a number of times, questioned my choices. This was getting expensive, was likely to be very tough, with some truly Wintery weather a good bet to boot. But 6 years of running so far had taught me that you are only limited by your own mind. Time to tune myself into the right mindset. I’d chosen to sign up – it’s only me to blame.
Kit, kit and more kit
There’s a lot of kit you need for this, and not everything worked out. Some was great and some was pretty awful. I’ll do a separate piece about kit (eventually!).
Race Weekend
Ahead of race weekend you get a registration time on the Friday. Mine was (by request) in the morning. So arriving at my AirBnB on Thursday afternoon things had become very real.
Registration
Thorough is one word you could use. Don’t bother packing your gear before you get there as it will soon be all over the place. I had to provide around 10 items to be checked at kit check. Unfortunately I had forgotten to pick up enough gloves, but the car was 5 minutes down the road so a quick leg loosening run later I had passed kit check.
Number assigned, registration photo taken and all my kit in disorganised piles in the car it was finally time for the last prep. Time to go back to the AirBnB, eat, repack and sleep. Tomorrow I was truly taking on something epic!
Welcome to the family
The organisers truly believe that once you have taken part in the Spine in some way that you become part of the family, and the whole organisation felt so coordinated and well managed that it really felt like a family event more than a race event.
Once trackers were fitted it was a short walk to the start arches. And in no time at all 8AM arrived on the 13th January and we were off.
Which Way?
Initially it is pretty straight forward. Simple trails and lots of people all heading in the same direction. Before we knew it we reached Jacobs Ladder and the first of the proper inclines kicked in. Poles came out, hike mode engaged and off I went. I am not bad at keeping a good pace on this sort of uphill. I can gain plenty of places from those that are slower and its a good boost to pick a few people off!!
Once we reached the top it was misty and not easy to see an obvious route. Those familiar with the area trotted on so I found the back of a small pack who are familiar with the route and I tagged along quietly.
Throughout a lot of the first half I found the route easy to follow. Some signs (National Trail ones) and the GPS was good. There were some Mountain Rescue teams around so after water refills I didn’t require streams thankfully (but I had a water filter bottle just in case!).
Perfect conditions (apparently)
The weather for the event appeared to be too good! It was dry and mild and minimal wind. I was being spoilt. However during the course of the race we had heavy rain, winds that could blow the socks off your feet, snow and a windchill that likely took the temperature down to double negative digits! Spoilt! REALLY!!
My kit was solid but under these conditions and after hours and hours of running and trekking, I was struggling to keep warm.
Pass me another bacon roll!
Given the lack of support I have to admit that I never felt I had a worry over food and water availability. We had 3 MRT water stops during the event. We had Nicky’s food bar (converted shipping container) near the M62 which was a fabulous stop serving burgers, tea etc and it was wonderful!!! We also had the Coop in Gargrave as well as the safety checkpoint at Malham Tarn. I guess I was a little lucky (MRT hadn’t gone out and the shops were open in Gargrave and Malham too). For others coming through at different times this may not have worked out so well.
Slogging it out
What I found with the race was that it became more of a slog than others. The Arc 100 was tough, but the Spine became a real ‘din in’ early on. The climbs are steep and the terrain is rougher than the Arc in a lot of places.
To that I also had the lingering niggles I had which had really compromised my training. PF in the left foot meant my training since Chicago in October was nowhere near what I had wanted it to be. So my fitness wasn’t at its peak, but my determination and will to finish it was at 110%. Relentless forward motion was the key!
Hebdon
The only real stop was at Hebron Hey, around 46 miles in. Here my drop bag was waiting for me as were the amazing Spine helpers. The stop was great. change of clothes, check and attend to feet, replenish food, batteries and then get food and drink. Whilst I ate I left my phone and watch on top up charge to make sure they lasted the duration!
By this time I had buddied up with Tim and Richie, we gathered for food (Chicken and rice) and after spending maybe an hour in the stop we headed back out. trudging about a mile to get back onto the Pennine Way and the rest of the 60 or so miles to the finish in Hawes. An hour seemed right at the time, but it was too long. Things could have been much more efficient here.
Tim had travelled from Switzerland for the event and was experienced at 200 mile races. Richie was a local and not used to the 100 mile distance but knew some of the route, importantly the latter stages!
At times I felt I could have pushed on from the guys, but I liked the company and appreciated the benefit for safety, navigation and experience that the team brought. Early on we decided we would stick together and take each other along.
1 shoe or 2?
The moors have a tendency to switch from good under foot, to waist deep bogs. Twice on the event I found myself at least thigh deep in peat. Thankfully I managed to extract myself without losing a shoe (that would have been a nightmare!).
What Scenary?
The time of year means that you spend much of the time in darkness. The views were great when we could see them. Otherwise it’s dark and your senses are heightened to anything around.
As the even continued and the pace slowed I had to battle new experiences. The Arc took me 26 hours, my longest event yet and without sleep. As the hours ticked past 30 on the Penines I had to battle more tiredness than before. I found a new threshold for my endurance before I hit the wall. Over the whole 42 hours I was out there I reached a point of being tired, but never did I feel I had to stop and sleep. I had more to give once we reached Hawes and that as a real win – longer adventures on the horizon maybe??
Another challenge as kit. The wind and cold really started biting into me in the final 20 miles and had there been another 10 miles to go from Hawes I genuinely think I may have struggled to make it through being too cold. I’ll elaborate more in my kit post, but a few bad choices of when to deploy kit left me short of usable kit at the end of the event.
Pen-Y-Ghent
After about 92 miles we got to Pen-Y-Ghent. in the darkness, wind and icy conditions, As we climbed the steep side I was genuinely scared for my on safety. I’m not a climber, and in daylight maybe it would seem much easier, but at this time of day and after this distance, it felt like I was in need of ropes and crampons. It felt genuinely like I as one step from plunging into the darkness below me.
Having Ritchie, who had local knowledge of the route, made all the difference. I was grateful I had stuck with the team!!
The road to hell
The final stretch to Hawes takes in the Cam Road. This must have been the inspiration for Chris Rea’s ‘Road to Hell’. The road never ends, like literally never. Just hen you think you are going to drop down towards Hawes the road turns around and up another hill! You think you see Hawes in the distance but it never gets closer. I was here in the dark too, so all we had was the light bouncing back up off the road/path and nothing else.
I have never felt more remote.
At this point tiredness probably was playing a few tricks on us. Ritchie for one was struggling. Apparently he was seeing large flowers shaped like German Shepherd Dogs! Neither of which actually existed!!
For me I didn’t’t have hallucinations, but I could have sworn I could hear children playing. Maybe it as just sound travelling across the open countryside, but in the middle. of the night?!?
A job well done
When e finally reached Hawes and had to run around the whole cillage to reach the finish there was a lot of relief. This is not the longest event out there, but combined with the conditions, terrain, support and unpredictable nature of weather it makes for a truly tough challenge. To have a Spine Winter Races medal in my collection is a very proud moment.
I gave a lot in preparing for the race, and would have like to have done more. But the event Ould have still chewed me up and spat me out regardless.
The Spine Winter Races are brutal. They are as tough as I can ever imagine an event being.
But, just maybe I I’ll be back to take on the other sections of the Pennines. In for a penny…
Ridgeway Runner 