Pretty brutal conditions today for the exhausted runners still pushing on at the @spinerace.bsky.social Hot, humid, zero shade, nowhere to hide. Personal admin is of paramount importance now. #spinerace #dotwatching #ultrarunning

We’ve seen this immense determination from Jon Shield before. If he 𝙘𝙖𝙣 keep moving He 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 keep moving

Women take 1st and 2nd place overall at the 2025 summer Spine Race 🙌 once again ultra women showing the power of endurance! Find out how women are beating men in their thousands (and why we don't hear about them) in the new book Ultra Women www.amazon.co.uk/Ultra-Women-... @emmajourno.bsky.social

Another outright female winner of the @spinerace.bsky.social! Huge congrats to Anna Troup!! Ultra women are rockstars 🙌

Anna Troup wins the Montane Summer Spine Race 2025 Anna Troup won this race in 2021 and 2022. Her course record has stood unchallenged since 2022. She has now returned 3 years later and once again won the women’s race, and this time as the first runner over the line… #SummerSpine #SpineRace

Inaugural Spine Sprint North @spinerace.bsky.social - thanks to all the support team for making an epic day

Great day up at the finish line @spinerace.bsky.social in Kirk Yetholm & SO excited to meet @ultradamo.bsky.social and I made sure I brought some (proper) tea @yorkshiretea.bsky.social ☕️🫶🙏

Oh to be in Kirk Yetholm right now. What a moment this is going to be. Anna Troup, outright winner of the full Summer Spine. @spinerace.bsky.social #spinerace #dotwatching #ultrarunning #sheraces

The top 3 is currently ALL FEMALE! 😀 live.opentracking.co.uk/sspine2025/?... #spinerace #dotwatching #ultrarunning @spinerace.bsky.social

If all goes to plan on the final stretch, James Hargreaves in the Montane Summer Challenger North will be in among the Northern Sprint finishers arriving in Kirk Yetholm tonight, and he will arrive as our winner… #SpineRace #SummerSpine

Proper nail-biter happening in the inaugural Sprint North @spinerace.bsky.social This is going to the wire. #spinerace #dotwatching #ultrarunning

Anna Troup won the Montane Summer Spine Race in 2021 and 2022 breaking the course record each time. But she picked up an injury shortly afterwards and the road to full recovery has been long. She’s now our race leader with nothing ahead but trail and a goal she’s worked towards for 3 long years…

The first ever Montane Summer Spine Sprint North is underway! The runners left the line at midday exactly. They have 43 miles to cover including the Cheviot Hills, one of the most ruggedly beautiful and remote stretches of the course… #SummerSpine #SpineRace

The runner furthest south is Jon Lord. He has 2 Winter Sprint South finishes and 2 Summer Challenger South finishes to his name. He has a plan and he’s moving forward. Never write off the backmarkers. It’s a long hard road, but there’s more than one way to solve the #SpineRace

Episode 3 of Spine TV is a great watch. They always are. youtu.be/x_NPx-UvUkI?... #spinerace #ultrarunning #dotwatching @spinerace.bsky.social

A note on cut-offs. These are in place to keep runners at a pace that gets them to their finish line before their race ends. They are the time by which runners need to move on from a checkpoint - not just arrive there. Those skirting cut-offs get little time in the checkpoints… #SummerSpine

Good morning sports fans. We have 4, yes 4, women in the top 5 of the Big Race. This is absolutely bloody fantastic. Cross Fell awaits today. live.opentracking.co.uk/sspine2025/?... @spinerace.bsky.social must be buzzing. #spinerace #dotwatching #ultrarunning #running

Jon Shield reached Middleton CP - nicknamed the Teesdale Tandoori - around 21:00. His feet are still recovering from his 2nd place finish at the Cape Wrath Ultra under a month ago. He was moving well and feeling strong though and set off again just before 23:00… #SummerSpine

Alex Salt finished the Montane Summer Challenger South this morning in Hardraw. This afternoon he went to Middleton checkpoint to join his Mum, Moira on the volunteer team and help others reach their own finish lines. That’s the #SpineFamily #SpineRace #SummerSpine

Night 2 on the Big Race. This is where the screw really starts to turn, sleep monsters will be lurking, nav will become tricky as the brain function reduces. Who rests when, and for how long, becomes so important now. #spinerace #ultrarunning #dotwatching @spinerace.bsky.social

Dusk brought down the temperature and stopped the scorching sun that’s been steadily baking our runners. As we go into another long night on the trails there’s cloud rolling in and rain is forecast as we approach dawn, bringing a new set of challenges again… #BritainsMostBrutal

If ever you need to have your faith in humans restored, come to the @spinerace.bsky.social Run it, volunteer at it, hand out flapjacks on the course. Whatever you put into the #SpineRace you get back in buckets ❤️

As the runners in the Montane Summer Spine Challenger North and MRT Challenge North start their journey toward Kirk Yetholm and glory, here’s your Monday morning update from @willbaldlygo.bsky.social Part 1… #SpineRace #SummerSpine

➡️ The Montane Summer Spine Challenger North begins at 08:00 In Hardraw, one group of runners are anxiously anticipating the start of their 160 mile test on the trails… #SummerSpine #BritainsMostBrutal

What Oli said ⬇️

Michael Bickers and Ian Jackson had never met when they started talking at Bleaklow. They’ve been through a lot in the 96 miles since then, and they just crossed the Montane Summer Challenger South finish line like brothers. #SummerSpine #SpineRace

It’s ’claggy’ out there now. It’s dark across the Pennine Way National Trail, mist is rolling in, squalling showers are sporadically soaking the runners and cold wind is whipping through the hills. Jon Shield is opening an almighty lead after a storming first day on the Pennine Way… #SummerSpine

Joanne Lloyd takes 3rd at the Montane Summer Challenger South This result has been 3 years in the making and it was clear how much it meant to Joanne. She DNFd the Winter Spine Challenger South in 2024, then came back in the summer only to retire again after with a torn calf muscle at 77-miles…

Andrew Pearson of Cleveland MRT took 3rd in the Montane MRT Challenge South Tired but smiling at the finish, when asked to sum his race up in two words he chose: “Pretty awesome.” He loved running through the night, watching head torches snake through the hills… #SpineRace

Ellie Atkins takes 2nd woman at the Montane Summer Challenger South 2025! She came to Edale just aiming to have fun and finish—but surprised herself with a podium. “I’m from Cambridge, so we don’t have hills… my legs are trashed!” Day 1 brought perfect weather and stunning views… #SummerSpine

Mathew Kilner wins the Montane Summer MRT Challenge South Mathew was running in support of Holme Valley MRT of which he is an active member. MRTs are reliant on donations and you can support their essential work here: holmevalleymrt.org.uk #SummerSpine #SpineRace

Eleanor Walker wins the Montane Summer Challenger South 2025 🏆 Part 1… #SummerSpine #BritainsMostBrutal

Anna Troup neck and neck with Anna Troup neck and neck with Anna Troup neck and neck with Anna Troup… #SummerSpine #SuperTrouper #SpineRace

We’ve had a steady stream of arrivals at the Montane Summer Challenger South finish in Hardraw. Julian Ayres bags another #SpineRace medal and his second summer top-10. He called it tougher than winter—he’d know, having finished the 2024 Winter Challenger South… #SummerSpine

Jon Shield is through CP1 in the Montane Summer Spine Race 2025 He arrived 17mins ahead of CR pace. His feet are good, he’s feeling focussed, and he’s flying on up the course. #SpineRace ##SummerSpine

Nikki HAN was seen off at the 2025 Summer #SpineRace start line at Edale earlier today by fellow #HK4TUC Finisher LAW Kai Pong. The race began at 8am local time (3pm HKT). Live dot-watching: live.opentracking.co.uk/sspine2025/ Follow @spinerace.bsky.social for updates (on all race distances).

Dougie Findlay takes 3rd at the Montane Summer Challenger South 2025! 🏆 In just his 3rd ultra, the Scottish runner backed up a strong 4th at the Winter Sprint with another outstanding result… #SummerSpine #BritainsMostBrutal

A first update from the Montane Summer Spine Race 2025: Jon Shield is off to a flying start, 7 mins ahead of CR pace at Torside. The Montane athlete and Winter Sprint & Summer Challenger South winner is looking every bit the threat we expected… #SummerSpine #BritainsMostBrutal

And they're off! Full Spine, 268 miles of Pennine Way ahead of them. Best of luck to them all. #spinerace #ultrarunning #dotwatching @spinerace.bsky.social

Mark Potts takes 2nd at the Montane Summer Spine Challenger South 2025 🏆 Mark is a serial podium-placer on #SpineRace events and also finished 2nd at the Montane Winter Spine Challenger South back in January. #SummerSpine #BritainsMostBrutal

Chris Andrade wins the Montane Summer Spine Challenger South 2025 🏆 Congratulations from the #SpineRace team. Overnight Chris faced rough weather on the highest most exposed parts of this brutally difficult course…

Ruth Loughrey is right on record pace in Challenger South. The front 3 men are all within touching distance of each other, anyone's race as they head into the night. live.opentracking.co.uk/ssc2025/ #spinerace #ultrarunning #running @spinerace.bsky.social

Sean Merryweather is the 3rd runner over the finish line of the Montane Summer Spine Sprint South. Sean held 2nd place for a long time in the earlier stages of the race, keeping Chris Cope in sight in front and Victoria Thompson far enough behind…

Victoria Thompson wins the Montane Summer Spine Sprint South 🏆 She was 1st woman, 2nd overall AND finished over 40 minutes ahead of the Course Record. Massive congratulations from the Montane Spine Race #SummerSpine #SpineRace #BritainsMostBrutal

MONTANE SUMMER SPINE / Episode One Catch up on all the action from the start line in Edale over on the Spine YouTube Channel 👇 youtu.be/TbzCBWPH_1E?...

Chris Cope wins the Montane Summer Spine Sprint South and breaks the Course Record 🏆 Last year’s winner of the full Montane Summer Spine Race set a blistering new time of 6:36:41. #SpineRace #SummerSpine #BritainsMostBrutal

Chris Cope passes the White House pub with around 10 miles to go in the Montane Summer Spine Sprint South. He’s got an almighty lead and is around 30mins ahead of the Course Record. #SummerSpine

❗️Correction - Montane athlete Victoria Thompson did reach Torside 20 minutes ahead of the Course Record, but that record was set by Molly Browne in June 2024 when she broke Hannah Rickman’s 2023 CR. Apologies Molly. We’ll be delivering emergency spreadsheet training to our Media Team immediately.

At the front end of the Montane Summer Spine Sprint South, Chris Cope who won the full Montane Summer Spine Race last June, has passed Torside 22 minutes ahead of Rupert Allison’s record. Not far behind and pushing hard is Sean Merryweather, a runner with a string of 50-mile race wins on his CV…

The runners in the Montane Summer Spine Sprint South are heading north with 46 miles and 2017m of ascent ahead of them. Their final cut-off in Hebden Bridge is 06:00 on Sunday 🤞 Live GPS tracking: live.opentracking.co.uk/sspine2025/ 📸 @clorroe.bsky.social #SummerSpine #BritainsMostBrutal