Damian Hall Talks Spine 2024
I caught up with Damian Hall, the 2023 Montane Spine race winner, to share a few thoughts. Pondering on whether he can repeat his victory, while trying to ignore the loaded opposition.
Among Damians other notable achievements are Four UTMB finishes with a best placing of 5th in 2018. Two Tor de Geants finishes with a best placing of 4th in 2023 and Wins at the Ultra trail Monta Rosa 83km as well as useful and speedy completions of the three classic UK 24 hour rounds, the Bob Graham, Paddy Buckley and the Ramsay Round.
AS. Am I right in thinking this will be your 5th Spine Race start? You have a 4th place, a 3rd and a 1st, plus one DNF.
DH. Yes. The first one was in 2014. I ran again in 2015. Then, a gap to 2022, when I DNF’d. Then I came back last year, 2023, to win.
AS. You DNF’D, along with Kim, ( Kim Collison) in 2022. How far did you get? And what caused you to drop out?
I think I said at the time we were “Fatalistically Compatible”. We seemed to enjoy each other’s company and ran a long way together.
Maybe we are good for each other, or maybe we aren’t?
That year, he dropped out just before Hawes, the second major Checkpoint, close to 100 miles, in around 24 hours. I went all the way on to past Alston, so ran around 180 miles, when I had an injury in my groin. It started as a dull ache. On the spine race, you get various dull aches at the best of times. It was just a dull ache on the first night, but in retrospect, I took some long downhills a little too hard, and that turned into a painful stabbing. There were also lots of stiles which wasn’t much fun either. I became concerned I might have been doing long-term damage, and with over 80 miles still to go, which would have been over 24 hours, I decided to stop.
AS. Did that experience make your victory last year a little special?
DH. Yes! I had a festering frustration for the year as I had a 4-hour lead when I stopped. It’s not very often you get a four-hour lead in a race, and it happened to be a really sunny day too. I really should have just been more chilled about it.
Last year, I wasn’t getting distracted by other people, and I was listening to podcasts to distract myself. That made the race a whole lot more satisfying. Last year, although I didn’t have Kim with me all the way, I did have Jack (Jack Scott), who was never more than 2 hours away. I was just more chilled about the race than in 2022.
AS. Have you prepared any differently this year, and how?
No, I don’t think so. I guess, as it all went well last year, I didn’t want to change too much. I have got quite into Saunas, which might sound odd to some people if you are preparing for a cold race. I feel like they are doing me some good, and there is some science to suggest they improve our physiology. So I have a sauna once or twice a week. There isn’t much else, but I still do a fair bit of strength work, and over the last year, I have certainly done a lot of strength work on my groin to stop it from letting me down again, but other than that, no.
AS. What is the toughest part of the spine race for you? Either outwardly with terrain/ conditions or inwardly and just “dealing with yourself” and how did you deal with it?
DH. The toughest part of the race is sleep deprivation. Yes, the terrain is tough, but it’s a fun type of terrain. Of course, the weather could do anything. That is also part of the excitement of the race, wondering what the weather will do.
It’s when you go into the second night and onwards, that sleep deprivation really kicks in. Battling with that is the big challenge. The difference with the Spine compared to, say, the Tor de Geants, which is a very similar format, is that at the Tor, there are many options to sleep. Every few hours, you have got a little hut, where you can hunker down. At the Spine, there aren’t so many options to sleep well. There are only five major checkpoints, so the chance of you actually reaching a checkpoint when you are really feeling like a snooze is slim. You have to make decisions on whether to gamble or play to safe. That is also quite fun and all part of the race and the chess game. There are tactics you learn over time about how you deal with sleep deprivation and something I am trying to master.
I have been looking for good advice on how to deal with sleep deprivation as I have messed up sometimes and got it right on others, but I never feel I have got it totally right.
AS. How do you deal with it?
DH. Number one, eat food, liquids and caffeine. Other ways you can stimulate yourself is to talk to people or listen to Audio things and then there are “Power Naps.“
AS. What are your favourite shoes for the event and why?
DH. I have used various types of the Inov-8 Roclite. I will be starting this year’s race in the Roclite Ultra G-320. They seem to work really well on this terrain.
AS. What is your most important piece of mandatory kit?
KC. That is a good question. I think it is the shoe and sock combination, for if you get foot problems early on, you are in for quite a miserable long week! So that is the one I urge athletes to think about the most. Get that shoe and sock combination sorted.
After that, I suppose it’s the waterproof jacket, as that really should be waterproof. Then it’s probably the pack. You want as many accessible pockets as possible. If your food or your hat and gloves are tucked away, you are not going to take them out without taking your pack off! So you want as many accessible pockets as possible. I have an extra small bumbag as well, full of all my snacks for easy access.
AS. What is your most geeky bit of kit?
DH. I am enjoying my Suunto vertical watch. Also, the Petzl Nao RL, the new Petzl lamp is ace, as it’s much lighter and much more comfortable. The vertical battery lasts longer and is very impressive.
AS. Who do you consider your main opposition this year?
DH. I have no idea, as I haven’t looked at the roster! Well, that’s a small fib, as even if I don’t look at it, people tell me who is running.
On paper, it is Jack Scott, who has the next fastest spine time after me. He made several navigation errors last year, but I am sure he won’t do the same this year. I consider him a big rival. Then there is this American chap who is very good on the Pennine Way and used to have the winter record for the race. He is probably keen to get it back. (That American chap is, of course, John Kelly, a long-time friend and rival of Damian.) So they are the two obvious people. Quite honestly, there are probably about eight people on the start list with some pedigree that would suggest that, in a normal year, they could win it. There are at least four previous male winners. It’s all very exciting.
AS. Ignoring the inevitable rabbits, are you prepared to go with any pace or use your experience to run your own race?
DH.Silence for a few seconds from Damo. Ummmmmm. Tee hee. I don’t know how much I want to say. I suspect running my own race is the way to go. I will leave it at that.
You can read our full Montane Spine race preview 2024 HERE
Full details of the 2024 Spine race are HERE
PLEASE SHARE!
If you have enjoyed this post, do see our other ones HERE
If you have a comment, please feel free to add it below.
If you are inspired by this or think someone else you know will be, please do what you have to do by sharing. You all know how these things work by now:-) You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram @tarittweets
Sign up to receive our newsletter alerting you to new posts
Adrian Tarit Stott.
The author is a former GB 24 hour ultra international with over 100 ultra race completions. He has also been involved organising ultra distance races for over 30 years. Still an active recreational runner, he is currently a member of UKA’s Ultra Distance Advisory Group (URAG) and part of the selection and team management for both Scottish and GB ultra teams.He is also a freelance writer, contributing articles and reports to several websites and magazines including Athletics Weekly and Irunfar.
