The Spine Race - 268 miles!!

 It was late at night, Ian and I had been going for three days and two nights already. It was freezing cold, the snow was thigh deep, the wind - ferocious and we were becoming desperately hungry and thirsty. We were climbing Great Shunner Fell and it was impossible to find the Pennine Way under the deep snow, warning signs told us of the dangerous shakeholes we could fall into at any moment and our sleep-deprivation was beginning to show. For most, it would be the stuff of nightmares, with over 150 miles still to go, but we both thought it was fantastic!! Ian asked if there was anywhere else I'd rather be..I thought of Kirk Yetholm but I wasn't ready for our adventure to stop yet. 'No, this is perfect'. I grinned psychotically, one euphoric mantra popped into my head and went round continuously; 'you are the sunshine'. I was surprised by the weakness of the light emitting from my headtorch - inside, I felt like I was going to burst with sunshine, enough to light every bulb and every person on the planet and still have plenty to spare. I'd never had anything like this frozen euphoria. Twenty minutes later, it would pass and I'd be shivering and miserable, but for now, I was so happy I decided it would be best to suppress my humongous grin so as not to scare Ian off.

Yes, the Spine Race was here!

Gathering in Edale, it was all too exciting. Everyone that enters this race is a brilliant character....they understand why we do this. 268 miles lay ahead of us Racers and the Challengers would complete the first 108miles. It was so great to see old friends, new friends from the training weekend and make even more friends! I went to bed on the Friday night and lay there, eyes wide open, waiting to start!




Little J, me and Rob - super keen for some Pennine Way!!

 

At 8am on Saturday morning, we gathered at the start of the Pennine Way. The old woman who's house we gathered outside came to give us the now traditional telling-off for starting a race there and then we were off!! Some speedsters sprinted off and the rest of us followed! The weather was quite mild, but going up Jacob's Ladder, the freezing wind began to bite and patches of ice appeared. It was great to see the runners spread across the Kinder Plataeu and in the high winds, Rob lost his first map. No problem he said, we're nearly onto the second one anyway, which promptly blew away too!



Loving day 1



The first day was great fun, it didn't feel like a 'Britain's Most Brutal Race', more like a holiday! I ran along mainly with Rob and JZ, making jokes about elves and six-figure grid references. Rob had the amazing idea of bringing speakers and downloaded the 300 most popular songs, so we merrily howled along to Dido and Abba for many hours, despite not knowing the words! The winds were really strong during the afternoon, and being such a giraffe, I was constantly getting blown over! Rob lent me one of his poles and I soon became a pole-convert and borrowed some of Team Support's for the rest of the trip! Yes, Father Bear and Anna had amazingly agreed to drive the length of England to support me on another race! It was fantastic to have them popping up at several road crossings throughout the day with hot tea and home-made bread pudding :-)

As the first dusk came, we decided on a change of music and ended up with trance/dance stuff. It felt like we were in some strange, survival aerobics class and I couldn't stop grinning. At one road point, several groups came together and we moved on in a team of ten or so and all assumed someone must be navigating - big mistake! The path wasn't visible in all the bog and we were soon heading in the wrong direction! Ian and Rob became chief navigators, sorted us out and we were soon heading over the M62. Now nighttime was fully upon us and we were fully clad in fog, it felt really surreal to be jogging along with Rob singing Wheatus!

Reaching Stoodley Pike really highlighted just how far we had come. I've often caught the train there for races and the train takes a long time! The Pike was barely visible in the misty night until we walked into it! We were still in our huge group reaching the Pike and had really enjoyed the company of Harry, Annabel, Ian, etc but there was quite a lot of faff in such a large group and everybody knew the way from here, so we set of promptly whilst Harry appeared to be tucking into an enchilada! It was all downhill to Hebden Bridge and we sprinted like our legs were fresh. We caught up with Tristan and to make the team complete, Justin caught us too. On a training run of the Mary Townley Loop, we'd ran into Hebden and found the scout hut together, so it was great to be back in the same gang on the big adventure this time!




Challenger Tristan :-)


It was a long slog out of Hebden Bridge, but the first checkpoint wasn't too far now! We gossiped about what food there might be, the Human TuckShop J handed out some goodies and the team spirit was great! I felt like I could run with these guys forever! The first day had gone really well, I felt fresh all day so knew the pace had been reasonable and was super keen for more! Checkpoint 2 would be in 61 miles time however, so we decided to rest for a few hours at Hebden Hey. There was an amazing mushroom curry and lots of tea, it had definitely been worth the 45 mile run there. I tried to rest in a bed, but was far too excited about the rest of our adventure. Ian was in the bed opposite, vomiting and being fed porridge!

I didn't get any sleep that night, I couldn't stop thinking about the race. No female had finished the Spine Race so the title of first was up for grabs! On Friday evening in Edale, Annabel and I over tea and biscuits had proclaimed multiple times that it definitely wasn't a race. Which meant it definitely was! We sussed out the competition: Annie Garcia had recced the entire Pennine Way multiple times, which was excellent training and meant her navigation would be perfect! And Becky had been a medic for the Spine Race last year, so knew exactly what suffering to expect and how to handle it! But I knew Annabel would be the super strong one! We spent Saturday sharing the lead with no banter...this was serious stuff! :-)

At 4am, it was time to get back on the Pennine Way and I knew the next sections well from other races. As the sun came up, I started to fall asleep - it was time to whip out the tunes again! The morning was spent with the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and I was soon back to my enthusiastic state! The boys seemed less keen and our elf-related banter had reduced to nil. It seemed very quiet. Somewhere in Yorkshire, we bumped into the only civilians we'd ever see out on the Pennine Way....and it was Mick Plummer (RunFurther Grand-Slam extraordinaire!) and Steve (running the Lakeland 100 this year!). It was amazing to see them and hear that the outside world were checking our progress online. They boosted our enthusiasm for the rest of the morning and it was great to plan the next races! Team Support provided an excellent rice pudding stop soon after and I felt great!

Rob, however, was a complete state. He had adopted a proper waddle due to various problems and I began to doubt if he'd make it as we weren't very far into our massive challenge. It was a nice sunny afternoon though so we kept moving as a team. Snowflakes began to gently fall and within no time, our surroundings were totally coated. Heading to Gargrave, our progress was incredibly slow, Rob looked in such pain. We had soup from Team Support then decided it would be best to split. Thankfully, time alone helped Rob as he didn't feel like he was being dragged along and it was great when he caught us back up feeling fresher. By now, the snow was becoming quite deep and we passed the time dreaming of the pub food we'd get in Malham. On arrival in Malham, we found the pub was no longer serving food! An amazing guy on the next table said he had a 'few spare bits from lunch' then produced some excellent sandwiches and snacks...I wondered how much he'd packed for lunch in the first place! JZ had dropped out in Malham last year, so it was great to down our cokes and head cheerily out into our second night!

Another wild night out

Checkpoint 1.5 had been added to the route and it would be a tent at Malham Cove, only 3.5 miles past Malham, but 3.5 miles that would feel like forever! The path was simple to follow at first, but we soon became lost in the deep snow and boulders. Somehow we went round in circles for an hour then ended up spotting a red light - the tent! I'd lost my appetite by now and worriedly watched Rob as he attacked his cooked meals with vigour. I knew I had to eat to survive the race, but it had somehow become a massive challenge! John Bamber was manning the checkpoint and very kindly made us noodles and hot chocolate before breaking the news that there was no room in the tents and we'd have to rest outside. I'd packed the bare minimum sleeping bag and bivvy to pass the kit check and knew I'd be better off carrying on into the night rather than stopping in that. Thankfully, my amazing support team had somehow driven the car up the steep, snow-packed road to the tarn! Before they had chance to properly awake, I dived into the middle of the car and settled in for a quick sleep. Without this protection from the freezing weather outside, I would have lost far too much energy, so they definitely saved me here!

It was so good to see the light of Checkpoint 1.5!..

...which looked this cold during the day!

Not so long later, JZ was doing star-jumps outside and Rob was packing up his tent, so it was time to leave the comfort of snuggling up to Team Support. I'd left my trainers outside and the laces had to be de-iced before I could get them back on! It was absolutely freezing as we headed out into the night again, but the footprints in the snow certainly helped the navigation so progress was good. As the sun rose for the third time, I began to feel exceptionally tired. Dawn really is the worst part of the day, acting as a reminder of how much you miss your bed. The boys had slowed down, particularly on the downhills which I tend to speed up on. We were becoming mismatched in pace and I spent quite a lot of time standing still but used it to refuel. As we hit a straight, flat section, I nodded off and kept going off to the side of the track. A grande Starbucks would have gone down really well, but instead we got a different surprise - Ian! Ian had looked terrible when we'd last seen him at Hebden. Now, he was radiant and I instantly felt refreshed as we chatted away like we hadn't seen each other in years!! After a few minutes, I turned around to see Rob and JZ on the horizon. I was totally gutted to leave them behind but I knew they would be better off alone and hopefully we'd all meet up at Hawes feeling fresh!

JZ and Rob enjoying the fresh powder

Ian and I then cranked up the pace. We gleefully ascended Pen-y-Ghent, we couldn't find the path, so just scrambled straight up. It felt like a great adventure with Ian and we had such a great team spirit, chatting away about everything from how to set up a hash course to the changing seasons of boat repair! We made quite a time and energy sapping error by taking the Pennine Way all the way down into Horton-in-Ribblesdale whilst everyone else took the allowed new route, but we were in such a good mood it didn't matter anyway! What's a few miles over 268! Back en route, we bumped into the lovely Summit Fever photographers who gave us a cup of coffee and some biscuits which went down very nicely! There had been no Team Support today as there were no roads, I hoped they weren't snowed in to Malham Tarn carpark for the next few weeks!! We were soon heading towards Hawes, the finish of the Spine Challenge, a gruelling race in itself worth the maximum 4 UTMB points. And here we were, giggling away and feeling totally fresh! It was unreal! The only niggle I had was my ankles, both were exceptionally painful on the downhill, but for now, I was too happy to care!



Enjoying some daylight with Ian :-)





108 miles in and we reached Hawes before the third dusk! A quite efficient stop was had; someone washed my feet, the amazing medics taped up my very swollen ankles and I packed my bag, all whilst eating a delicious meal. Scott, the race director, suggested an excellent plan - there was a barman at the Tan Hill Inn who said we could arrive anytime and have a nap there, so to the pub we ran!




Grinning + Ian at Hawes :-)


Leaving Hawes, we entered our third night out in great spirits! We chatted our way up to Great Shunner Fell, then the going became too tough and the winds too high to chat. In fact, the wind was so fierce, it was tough to even drink or eat with the lack of shelter on the open fell. Here, we had the greatest time ploughing through the snow. I attempted to direct Ian via my Garmin GPS, but there would be no sighting of the Pennine Way tonight, apart from a solitary paving slab creeping out on the descent. It felt like the greatest time in the world, but as soon as all the excitement was over and we were down in the next village, the lack of snacking and drinking got to me. I felt exceptionally cold and tired and would continue to feel like this all the way to the Tan Hill Inn. It felt like we would never get there, I'd slowed down a lot and my stomach felt terrible. Eventually, I saw a solitary building on the horizon and barely dared to ask Ian if that was it. It was! I must have slept for the last mile because I suddenly awoke to Ian shouting up to the barman's window! He never did wake up but I spotted Paul & Russ L downstairs and they let us in. I knew I needed to drink, I knew I needed to eat, but I dived straight into my sleeping bag on the world's most comfortable sofa and shut my eyes forever.

In the morning, we had a surreal experience as the barman told us the seven essential rules of cage-fighting. In my sleepy little world, I kept looking at Ian and wondering if this was all real! My stomach was a complete mess. I'd lived off gels too much, letting my stomach get really empty, then cramming a massive meal in at the checkpoints. This is not the way to run the Spine Race! Ian had the right idea (apart from day 1!) as he continuously ate pies and potatoes. I cooked a delicious 800 cal pouch then somehow cooked a boil-in-the-bag sticky toffee pudding wrong. Just as I was laughing at my strange dessert, the barman spotted another runner! We dashed to the door and recognised Dave Lee so I shouted out and waved. The look of confusion was clear from hundreds of metres away - Dave hadn't slept for a long time and was having a little party in his head! We convinced him to come in and I did an excellent swop of bodged pudding job for Immodium tablets! If you asked Dave a question, you wouldn't get an answer. If you asked him 8 questions, he's start the answer the first! It was clear he needed to rest but he was keen to leave with us, so we battled our way past the exceptionally friendly sheep (I think they were really there) and were on our way!

With Dave Lee at the Tan Hill Inn

Dave set off like a rocket! Then we passed him as he rested and we watched him do a total 180 and head south down the Pennine Way! We shouted lots and devoured our Snickers the barman had kindly given us whilst we ensured Dave was heading the right way once again. The Snickers didn't touch the sides at all and I realised I could engulf 30 more, no problem. I spent the rest of the day planning all the Snickers shopping I'd do on arrival at Middleton, but then promptly forgot to buy any once we actually got there! It took a long time to get to Middleton, I'd really slowed down and my ankles were massively painful. It was still a really nice day, enjoying the sun shining over all the snowy fields, although there were several very boggy fields along the way to ensure the risk of trench foot was prominent. The tiredness of being out for 4 days now was starting to set in, but on arrival at Middleton, I began to feel strong again. Here, I made a fatal error of not having an efficient stop at the checkpoint. I felt good and keen to go out whilst the evening was still young - Ian was keen for a good 6 hours sleep. We decided to have a meal and see how we felt. Ian did some productive things like sorting his kit and having a shower, whilst I chatted away and checked how everyone else was doing. I was amazed Rob was still hobbling along and not too far behind! And totally gutted to hear JZ was out, along with Andrew who had made an amazing effort on only his 2nd ultra!! Annabel was at the checkpoint too, I'd missed her sleeping behind a curtain at Hawes so hadn't realised I was 1st place on Great Shunner Fell! But she had overtaken whilst I was at Tan Hill Inn and was now having a productive rest and refuel, unlike me!

After a couple of hours of not-so-useful socialising, Ian and I decided to have a nap. A few minutes later, Ian whispered to see if I was awake..just about! I think I was too scared to go to sleep as I knew I'd sleep for years, so we set off out into the middle of the night! I couldn't get my trainers on, my ankles were so painful, so I ended up tearfully shoving my boots on, knowing that I couldn't take them off until I finished this challenge! Outside, it was exceptionally cold, I should have taken more layers from my kit bag. I should have eaten more. I should have drank more. Our water bottles instantly froze and so did I! We were relatively merry heading to Cauldron Snout, but just before it, we cut up through the heather to avoid the icy scramble as instructed. Ploughing through the heather with my swollen ankles was incredibly painful and by the time we were back on the track, I was a frozen block with limited energy. Ian noticed my lack of chirpiness and produced a solution from his rucksack; inside a spare sock, wrapped in tin foil, was Ian's speciality hot potato! Sub-zero would be a more accurate description but it was much appreciated anyway! He also produced an amazing down jacket and shoved it on me. I'd got so cold so suddenly, all my bones felt frozen to the core and I knew I'd left it too late. After endless days and nights, my body had no energy left to spare on heating itself.

Throughout this fourth night, I slowed down massively. Ian was amazing, feeding me ShotBlocks like I was a little chick and encouraging me on. I must have got to the hot stage of hypothermia because all I could think about was how refreshing it would be to faceplant into the snow and close my eyes forever. I kept suggesting to Ian that he leave me, I'd bivvy, but he was the loyalest of friends and certainly saved me from a very frozen state. Ian linked arms with me and I could feel his warmth, Team Age Gap (we had a lot of time to think of a team name...and Ian was the 2nd oldest competitor, me the 2nd youngest) moved forward together. I just had to make it to Dufton and then I would be okay. The glitter effect from my headtorch on the snow began to overtake all vision. Soon, I could only see vast swirling stars that would suddenly shunt off to one side, taking me with them. I knew I had to stay in touch with the real world, but it was terribly hard work. It was the longest night ever and when the fifth dawn came, Ian commented on the beauty of the pink skies. I could barely blink in response. He pushed another ShotBlock in my mouth. I heard him call Scott and Team Support but I didn't have the energy to listen in. I knew I was a mess, I knew I couldn't keep up with Ian anymore and I guess I knew I wouldn't make it. As we came into Dufton, we passed a civilian woman and I tried to smile hello, which must have looked exceptionally scary. I must have just given her a thousand yard stare as she looked completely terrified!

Always ready for a brew and a nap!

On arrival in Dufton, there was no-one. Anna was dropping off another runner at the train station, the pub wasn't open and the village was quiet. I quietly died on a bench, whilst Ian did sensible things like boiling water and wrapping me in his sleeping bag. I owe Ian the biggest favour in the world, he saved me on that fifth day. I'd failed to look after myself but he'd looked after us both! Anna soon arrived and converted the back of the support car into a bed for Ian and I, but despite being the tiredest being in the world, I couldn't bring myself to close my eyes as I knew that would be it for the race. The time limit was seven days so we had to get cracking! I left Ian to sleep for an hour and talked to the new arrivals in Dufton. Well, maybe not talked, more like thousand yard stared! Russ S's parents had arrived as well as Nav 4 Joe and the amazing medics. I spent a hazy time moving between their cars and the bench, someone decided I wouldn't leave Dufton until I'd had some pub chips but the pub was yet to open. Anna wrapped me in all of my layers, I had about 20 of my own, then borrowed Joe's big down jacket just to top it off! I looked like the Michelin Man but was still shivering away! Normally a massive pub chip fan, the thought of eating one was horrific! I spent a long time attempting to eat the bowl and eventually ate enough to somehow convince everyone I could battle on!

Leaving Dufton was a ridiculous idea; physically, I was a total state, but mentally, I was still quite keen! With the time limit looming, I encouraged Ian to push on without me. I was completely devastated not to continue on together. It felt like the last few days moving with Ian had become the norm, and we would always be on this adventure, continuously moving forward. And now it had come to an abrupt end, Ian had to get going and I had to see how far I could get. I sobbed my little heart out as I saw him climb Dun Fell and I followed very slowly behind. Despite going uphill, I was still wearing all my layers and now noon had passed, I could feel the temperature dropping already. Progress was so slow, I knew I wouldn't make it in the 7 day time limit, even if I didn't stop at all. Anna had accompanied me up Dun Fell as she knew I wouldn't make it all the way up Cross Fell. She reminded me how cold it would be up there and in the night, how little I'd eaten and how I had no spare layers to put on. There was a team behind me; Rob, Dave, Russ and Annie, who I would have loved to have joined, but I knew they would be stronger than me by now. I knew my race was over. I'd given every last drop of energy to The Spine. I sobbed some more and called Father Bear, who reminded me that this was the furthest race distance I'd ever done (about 165 miles by the time I got back to Dufton!) and that a summer race like the Dragon's Back, where the race clock even stops for sleep, had now gone from a dream to very achievable.

I turned my back on Cross Fell and look down the valley. The thought of seeing another acorn sign made me feel physically sick, but Anna assured me it was the quickest way back. We bumped into Dave's team on the way and had some amazing, tearful hugs. I wanted to give them everything so they would succeed...but only had JZs tuck shop supplies, so passed them on! Finally, we reached the car and I realised I'd achieved what I'd wanted to achieve; I'd pushed myself to the limit. Along the way, I'd made the greatest friends, had fun in the snow, learnt the rules of cage-fighting and much, much more. If I'd eaten more and often, and rested better, I'd have got further. And the trashed ankles hadn't helped! But it all adds to the learning experience....and I've entered the Spine 2014!!

A million thanks to Father Bear and Anna, the best support team ever! Not only do they support me, but they end up feeding and watering all of my friends too! They are always up super early, late to bed and out in all the terrible weather holding out cups of tea with endless encouragement :-)

And Ian totally stormed the last 100 miles! :-)

A Father Bear compilation! Thanks for taking all the photos :-)