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I intended to try and answer the question ‘What’s the difference between stage and non-stop racing?’ in my last post. However it turned into something slightly autobiographical. However it still didn’t really make the point that is relevant to the answer to the question. That point is that I am a stage racer. All myContinue reading “Stage Racing vs Non-stop – what’s the difference?”

I have been fortunate enough to take part in some amazing races around the world. For those that don’t know me I will digress a little and explain how I came to be at the Spine Race in the first place. OK so for those that have never heard my story, I have been aContinue reading “How did we get here?”

When I started my first post about my 2021 experience I intended it to be single post detailing the various errors I had made. This all seemed a bit negative so it kind of expanded into a more narrative tale about my race. I was intending Part Three to continue until the end and myContinue reading “So what went wrong? – Part Four (the last bit)?”

So I left checkpoint three in a positive frame of mind. The sun was shining, the next part of the route was fairly undemanding and very pretty, what could go wrong? Well, quite a lot actually. Firstly I had a bit of a panic when I left the checkpoint and couldn’t get my GPS toContinue reading “So what went wrong – Part Three?”

“Spine Runner Heading North!” was the shout from the marshal as I left Checkpoint Two. It was answered with cheers and shouts of encouragement from the other volunteers and competitors and gave me a tingle down my spine (where else – this is the Spine Race after all). Partly this was because cheers and encouragingContinue reading “So what went wrong – Part Two?”

People have been really nice about the fact I failed. I’ve been told I shouldn’t see it as a failure, that I did really well and, yes, 220 miles was a pretty impressive effort but in the results list for the Summer Spine Race 2021 I am a DNF – so from that perspective IContinue reading “So what went wrong – Part One (Apparently)?”

So I’m writing this blog whilst still not exactly recovered from my 2021 attempt at the Spine Race. I still have blisters, my left foot is swollen with cellulitis and most worryingly there is a huge pile of fetid running kit in my lounge which looks like it might evolve into a fairly belligerent lifeContinue reading “My journey to Kirk Yetholm starts here…”