he Bellingham Checkpoint is an interesting one. It is the only one which doesn’t have beds, and it is usually extremely cold as, I believe, the building the race uses is technically shut down for the winter and hence unheated. However in order to mitigate this tents and air mattresses had been set up inContinue reading “The Winter spine Race 2026 – Britain’s Most Brutal? (Last Part!)”
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The Winter spine Race 2026 – Britain’s Most Brutal? (Part Five)
I woke up a Hawes in pain and in need of a medic. At Alston things got much stranger. I had a dream in which I had pain in both of my knees (this may or may not have been true) but in my dream the pain had been caused by a couple of peopleContinue reading “The Winter spine Race 2026 – Britain’s Most Brutal? (Part Five)”
The Winter spine Race 2026 – Britain’s Most Brutal? (Part Three)
So I’m at Checkpoint Two, I’ve had a chat with Rachel and some food. The plan is to have a shower and immediately go to bed. My feet are still not too bad except the tape I put over the rub caused by my spikes moved off and the rub is now a lot bigger.Continue reading “The Winter spine Race 2026 – Britain’s Most Brutal? (Part Three)”
The Winter spine Race 2026 – Britain’s Most Brutal? (Part Two)
My plan was to spend at most two hours at Checkpoint One. However my phone had other plans. Due (I guess) to a combination of cold and poor mobile signal, the battery was down to 8% and was going to take 2 hours 30 minutes to recharge. I had options, first off, the ‘kit requirement’Continue reading “The Winter spine Race 2026 – Britain’s Most Brutal? (Part Two)”
The Winter Spine Race 2024 – it’s cold outside…(Final part)
I attempted to get some sleep at the checkpoint but it didn’t work too well. Ironically the only place I was cold all week was in the sleeping area of CP5. I got up, got dressed and ate copious amounts of rice pudding with jam for breakfast. I was offered porridge but I felt riceContinue reading “The Winter Spine Race 2024 – it’s cold outside…(Final part)”
The Winter Spine Race 2024 – it’s cold outside…(Part Four)
Whilst the Spine Race presents a huge challenge for the runners, it is arguably even more of a challenge for the organisers. In both cases it is necessary to be prepared for all eventualities and try and have strategies in place to cope with them should they arise. In the case of the organisers thisContinue reading “The Winter Spine Race 2024 – it’s cold outside…(Part Four)”
The Winter Spine Race 2024 – it’s cold outside…(Part Three)
I don’t know how it works for other people but I find sleep at checkpoints slightly more elusive than I feel it should be. However I got some rest and a bit of dozing in so I did feel at least slightly refreshed when I got up. I showered, dressed and went looking for food.Continue reading “The Winter Spine Race 2024 – it’s cold outside…(Part Three)”
The Only Way Is Pennine... 