Like many in the ultra running and wider sports community, I have spent the week dipping in and out of dot watching the Montane Spine Race. On Friday I exchanged looking at green and orange dots on a screen for going and finding some real spine runners out on the Pennine way.
Kirk Yetholm beckons
With the forecast good, I made an early start from Edinburgh for the 90-minute journey to Kirk Yetholm, the northern end of the Pennine Way. My subplot was aiming to meet my old friend Marco Consani, somewhere out on the last few miles of the route.
The sky lightened as I left the busy city bypass and headed along the quieter border roads. Kirk Yetholm nestles below the Cheviot Hills, across the Bowmont Water from its twin community Town Yetholm. It is only a mile on the Northern side of the Scottish/English border
Intrepid adventurer’s have been edging their way along the the 268-mile length of the Pennine Way from Edale in Derbyshire to Kirk Yetholm. You can read full details of the event in my earlier blog .
The battle between the two leading men, Jack Scott and Damien Hall, has been well documented.
Two gifted and talented runners. Damien with many years of 100mile and multi-day experience. Jack, growing in experience each year with some impressive results. Both were well prepared, and breaking John Kelly’s existing race record are both now confirmed as Spine Legends.
You can find the full 2023 Montane Spine race results HERE
Not just about the winner’s
The Spine Race, like all ultra challenges, is never just about the worthy winners. Over the 7 full days, runners have to cover the 268-mile trail, every single competitor will have their epic battles and shared experiences, with others as well as themselves,
I reach the currently deserted village green opposite the Border Hotel in Kirk Yetholm. Deserted that is of people, but decorated with sponsor’s branding as an affirmation that there was an event in progress. I drive a couple of kilometres out of the village and find my first real live Spine runner approaching. It turns out to be Hannah Rickman who is the second lady to complete the race. I pull into the conveniently placed passing place on the narrow lane and offer my hearty ‘Well Done”.
She smiles back a smiling thank you, looking almost engrossed in thoughts of her last few days now she has only a few more minutes of her journey before her.
The experienced French athlete Claire Bannwarth was the First Lady to finish, arriving at Kirk Yetholm almost 24 hours earlier. Her victory adding to her already impressive CV that includes a Tor des Geant 4th place, multiple UTMB finishes and a 24 hour PB of 232km while helping France to the silver medals at last years European 24 hr Championships.
I head out in search of some more real SpineRace Runners.
I park up at the wee car park beside Halterburn. It is here, after having shared a few km with the Pennine Way, where the St Cuthbert’s way now heads over the Cheviots to its finish at Lindisfarne, on the far away Northumberland Coast.
I am well dressed for a few hours in the snowy hills but I make the personal regulation brief check of my small day pack to ensure I am not leaving anything vital behind! The hills now beckon and I head out on the lane past Halterburn Farm and its very icy covered farm yard and head off intending to reach The Schill, the wee knoll on the trail 600 metres up below The Cheviot.
I have learned to love poles.
The lingering effects of an enforced hip replacement, a year ago now, following an accident, means although I can hike for a few hours, the impact of running is still challenging on my body. I am grateful that I am still able to get out in the hills I love at any speed though! After eschewing poles for most of my life when running, I have now learned to love poles when out hiking in the hills.
I am barely a mile out when I spot another real-life Spine runner approaching. This turns out to be the French runner Julien Geoffroy. A hidden boon of the trackers is the ability to greet total strangers like old friends
I greet him with a Hi Julien, “Bravo” and ‘Allez Les France”. He smiles and offers a “Merci” but like Hannah seems pretty focussed on trudging on through the now ankle-deep snow, trodden down in places by the passage of recent feet,
Where is Marco?
I am now gaining height quickly and pause to see what progress Marco is making. He is still several km away. Probably 2-3 hrs worth of km from the last check-point at The Hut
I press on and two other real spine runners pass me descending well, as I climb up below the wonderfully named “Black Hag”. Contrary to its name it is covered in a white blanket of snow glistening in the now warm feeling, morning sun.
The ground levels out and the next spine runner encountered is John Knapp, who stops for a chat to ask how far I have come. His focus unlike the runners I have seen so far is a little more relaxed. He is moving and chatting well, belying the fact he has spent the last 5 days and over 260 miles on his feet with little sleep. We survey the wide open vista around us and he comments that a day like this with a cloudless sky and sun shining on fresh snow is a wonderful way to finish the Spine. You could easily be mistaken for thinking he is barely an hour into a little morning stroll.
Britains most beautiful?
Today, he says you would think this could be “Britains most beautiful event” rather than the race branded “Britains most brutal” event. You feel he could carry on to Edinburgh if asked to do so.
Two more runners trundle down the short sharp climb from the summit of The Schill as I head up. They are making good progress on the descent and pass with a smile and a brief greeting.
The summit of The Schill is breathtaking.
The summit of The Shill is breathtaking. The whole white expanse of The Cheviot Hills is laid out before one. The summit of The Cheviot ahead and slightly left is silhouetted against the sky, and rolling hills ahead and to the right, all bathed in sun-drenched snow stretch as far as the eye can see down into England. The realisation dawned I had crossed the border somewhere along the trail since leaving Kirk Yetholm.
While almost windless when I started some 8k back down the glen, there is a breeze up here as I find a sheltered rock to pause and have a snack of soup and sandwich. I assess the tracker and Marco’s progress, as I spot a group of 3 runners approaching in the distance, climbing slowly through the snow up towards The Schill summit. It is the last wee climb for them, which has separated them a little.
It turns out to be David Bone of London’s Camino Ultra Crew, leading to the top of the climb. He is happy to pause and chat. He remembers meeting me when he ran in the Sri Chinmoy 24 hr race at Tooting a few years ago. It’s a small world.
The strength of little clusters
He is with Richard Garland and Eddie Sutton who is the third lady. “How are you Edwina” I ask. She barely looks up from the trail ahead as she quietly utters, “I am broken but I will get there” in reply.
The company of David and Rich Garland on the long stretch over the Cheviots from Byreness shows the solidarity that develops when clusters develop in an event like this.
Now! Where exactly is Marco?
He is still several km away is the answer. Making slow progress on his own. As the spine is self-supporting and no pacing is allowed, I had always known that if I met Marco it would be a brief “Hi how are you” before letting him press on. My original calculations from studying the dots and the averaging tracking times of previous runners was that I calculated he would have at least made the Hut CP by now. However, he is pacing his effort to the finish.
After being entranced by the wide snowy landscape for a few more minutes, I realise I am starting to feel the cold and must get back on the move. I head, back down through the snow to Kirk Yetholm. Runners I have recently met are visible in the distance and moving well, but no one passes me and there is a large gap to the next one.
Back in Kirk Yetholm
Back in Kirk Yetholm, I meet up with Debbie, Marco’s wife. She, as most ultra runers know, is no stranger to the Spine herself. We figure out Marco could be at least another two hours yet so we head into Spine Race HQ in the border Hotel to chat with Edwina her old friend and other finishers. They are all being well attended to by the “Finish Care crew” with hot food and drinks as they all adjust to the reality that it is now over!
A big screen shows the tracking and the now familiar series of green and orange dots making their slow but steady progress over the Cheviots from Byreness.
Marco and David Cummins are the next two dots showing but still several km away.
We decide, that rather than sit around in the hotel to drive back the 3-4 km up the lane to the farm and wait for him there. When we arrive, it is a gorgeous almost ethereal light surrounding the hills. Although the sun has sunk below our horizon we can still see it shining on the higher ground around us. Cairn, Debbie and Marco’s son heads off to explore the snowy landscape down by the burn. Another Consani adventurer in the making no doubt.
The two dots are slowly bouncing down from The Schill. David appears in real life first and Debbie offers her usual encouragement. He looks to be moving well now down below the worst of the snow.
As we wait for Marco, the silence is only broken by a distant dog barking and a few crows circling a copse of trees on one of the hillsides.
YAY! Marco is here.
Then all at once, we spot a figure moving along by the hedgerow and approaching f the Farm. Debbie rushes to greet him and they have a little moment together. He still has to get to the finish .
“How are you Adrian?” Marco asks. I of course immediately turn the question back at him. I give him a big hug. He, like many others ahead and behind him, has had a long day on the trail, but he now senses the finish. Mindful it is essentially a self supporting event ,we leave him to Sumter Eoin as we go back to the car to make our way back to the village.
David has just finished when we get there and the usual small band of spine volunteers and other runner’s friends and family gather expectantly around the finish. Cairn trundles up the road to find his Dad and chum him the last few hundred metres to the finish.
A head torch is in sight. A spontaneous cheer goes up and Marco pumps the air as he crosses the line and heads to the Wall of the Border hotel for the celebratory kiss. Damian has a lot to answer for starting this tradition!
The race photographer asks him a question and he is off! Unleashed, like the runner who has hardly had anyone to speak to for a few days he waxes lyrical for a few minutes. Tales of Hallucinations of children sitting by the roadside, an overwhelming relief to be here and how the first day seemed the most difficult before he slowly grew into the reality and routine of the Spine Race. Other, instant, short, recollections follow.
We head into the hotel to rest in the lounge, the race has taken over. Spine support crew swing into their well-rehearsed post-race welfare routine. Hot foot baths, shepherd’s pie and coffee are brought out almost automatically.
Marco can’t stop talking now he has someone to talk to again. Maybe he needs to get out more.
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