UKH

Anyone doing it?

Should be exciting, the weather looks like it might be pretty bad!

I'll be dot watching - 

https://live.opentracking.co.uk/spinerace23/?fbclid=IwAR3fxWp6gX0iM7RAvlb5u...

Thanks for the heads up - dot watching time again!

Big up for Dave from Peak Footware in Holmfirth. I'll be dot watching you.👍🏻👏🏻

I'm doing the Challenger, which - given the forecast - should be 'fun' 😬

Or type#2 fun!

Good luck Rob, I’ll be dot watching for sure. Also like above good luck to Dave from Peak Footware, only met him once but had a great chat about all things spine and gear when I popped in the shop a couple of months ago. Really nice guy! 

Good luck! 
No idea how you work what kit to wear, wet, cold and windy must be the worst combination, not to mention the ground must be bad with all the rain we’ve had (not to put you off!).

I must admit, that forecast has definitely tested kit choice to the max. If it was colder it’d be easier, but it’s that rain - coupled with the wind - that makes it more difficult. Suffice to say I’m going to be packing a bit more, both in the bag I’ll be carrying and the drop bag, as it’d be nice to get some dry clothes on for what looks to be quite a cold and windy night!! 

As for the ground conditions, I think I’d best pack a snorkel. There’s so much water about at the moment!!

You're not kidding - Hull Pot full to the brim the other day by all accounts:
https://the-yorkshireman.com/hull-pot-full/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-64234185

Lordy.  Best of luck!  I'll be dot watching too.

The weekend forecast is going to make it very hard going,good luck to all runners.

Best of luck, stay safe!

Bloody hell, never seen it like that!

I can inform you that the section in Calderdale is already f**ked with all the rain we've been having  

I'd come out and hurl abuse at you but I'm in the Lakes orienteering! 

Two friends from my orienteering club (SYO) are 'partaking of the adventure on offer'... Simon is doing the Sprint and Julian (who completed the Challenger last year) is having a nibble at the Full.  Needless to say I shall fall into dot-watching...

No covid this year then?

I'm doing the Sprint - should be fun!

Full Spine looks interesting on the men's side.

Kim Collinson, Martin Consani, James Elson, Damian Hall, Eoin Keith, Eugenie Sole. A few others like Dougie Zinis, Orran Smith, Matt Neale to keep an eye on as well.

Not as knowledgeable about the women's start list - Elaine Bisson and Sharon Gaytor only names I recognise.

Wonder if I might intercept some leaders as I cross back over the A66 on Tuesday evening.

Does anyone know approximately what time people will be heading through crowden would like to go and give a cheer if possible. 

Lead runners will take about 3hrs to Crowden 

Whilst I managed to avoid COVID, I failed to dodge diarrhoea earlier this week - and a cold the week before. Suffice to say it hasn’t been the ideal lead-up, but it is what it is!!

Good luck with the Sprint. We’ll have to do a debrief once we’re both done.

Better 💩 this week than this coming weekend!

Good luck and enjoy!

It appears UKC Rob is off to a flying start and is at the front. 

Go Rob!

Yeah Robs having a great start keep it up Rob! Bet they are glad to be up Laddow I hate that climb! 😂. Rory is setting a blistering pace, be interested to see if he can keep it up. 

Should be fast from there. Very runnable to Hebden Bridge.🏃

Still going strong Rob, keep it up!

Yeah it’s a fast section. never done the section from Hebdon up to Hawes though so no idea what that’s like. 

The leaders are flying in the "sprint". They've caught the back of the challenger now and the front two are ahead of the course record. Great going!

Keep an eye out for my mates 601 Chris Bagworth of Derby MRT and 609 Pete Spearing of Central Beacons MRT running in the MRT Challenger. Pete took 3rd in the MRT Challenger last year, though we suspect he's doing the race to avoid what's been a busy start to the new year for CBMRT!

Looks like the front have closed up a bit. Maybe Rob had longer pause at Wessenden Head. Across to Buckstones for the head down and charge to the finish.

Big congrats to Jon Shields who has just won the Spine Sprint in 8 hrs 14, absolutely tonking the previous record, and in pretty rubbish conditions too.

That’s a great effort!

Wow now that impressive,setting new standards.

Still following you Rob! Brilliant effort, not far to go. I know this section well having recently done an ultra from/to Malham via the 3 peaks. Best of luck 💪

Well, Rory is stopped at the CPC cottage in Horton warming up. Had quite a battering on Pen Y Ghent.

We've got an refreshment stop set up...

(some of our members - Craven Pothole Club - are 'running')

Still in bed as they leave Edale on the main event.😄 Some serious dot watching to look forward to. Go Dave Riley!

They're certainly getting a tough start, it's sleeting at my place, and I'm only at 400m, so the Kinder plateau is definitely going to be 'type 2 fun'.

Rob G still in joint 4th in the Challenger approaching PyG

I did the Sprint yesterday and can confirm that conditions were awful! Constant gale force winds and blizzards, ground conditions also heinous , loads of flooding, constant thick mud - I was pleased to be finished at Hebden!

Joshua Lee & Rupert Lee in joint 2nd on Challenger - obviously brothers - are they twins?

Good on you, well done. Huge respect to anyone who did the Sprint yesterday. I was running on the moors too, but only for an hour, and that was quite enough for me in those conditions.

One of the runners did the Sprint and then went back to Edale to do the full Spine!!!! I can't get my head round that.

Keep it up UKC Rob, not far now, doing a great job!

It's evidence that aliens or robots live among us. 

He looks like he’s really going well…great effort.

great effort Rob and all other participants 🍺

It's a nail-biting finish on the dot watching right now..  Rob & Alex Sharp neck and neck for 4th place with less than 2km to go.

One second in it - was it more hand in hand than neck and neck, or was it an epic tussle at the finish there?

Either way, 4th place! Incredible effort, well done.

Yeah 4th place is outstanding! Well done Rob! A great effort, you should be proud! 

Yes but he retired from the full Spine after only a few hours - shame ☹

Do you remember a few years ago, somebody did the full Spine and then reversed the route all the way back to Edale!!!

Apparently Eugini has retired. A shame, he's always been good to watch. 

Oh yes I remember - astonishing.

Sad the other guy retired. I should think that doing one race and then doing the same route as part of a much longer race must mess with one's head a bit.

Wow, well done Rob.

Was it Eugini who was "retired" at Hut 2 - nearly at the end and in 2nd place IIRC - because he was hallucinating, hypothermic and wasn't warming up in the hut.

Yes, that was the year Jasmin Paris won. 

And an interview with Eugeni about that race and his DNF, translates from Spanish OK

https://carreraspormontana.com/noticias/entrevistas/eugeni-rosello-sobre-th...

Leaders appear be coming together approaching Hawes. Must have been a rough night.

I think it was. I had a friend running and she's retired at Lothersdale

I've got enormous respect for anyone even entering!

David Riley From Peak Footware still seems to be going well, mid pack just coming to Gargrave, 

and if the dots are right Damien Hall is flying, don’t know if Kim is still with him as he looks to have lost signal. But they were at Hawes together. Still along way to go yet though. 

Suddenly Damien has a 4 or 5 mile lead, according to the dots; that's happened since Hawes.

Damian Hall also some way ahead of the best time trophy icon (as is Kim Collison, but not by much). 

Kim's tracker has lost signal. The likelihood is that they are still together

Yeah that was my thought, I think they will stay together, the company over night in these conditions will be invaluable, and they are both moving at a really good pace. 
 

*Edit* just checked again and Damien has hit Tan Hill, and Kim seems to be moving again now but seems a mile or so behind.

Yes you're right, both trackers are now working and Damian has definitely pulled out a lead

Looks like Kim has retired at Tan Hill, hope he is ok and it’s nothing too serious, a great effort regardless. 
 

Damien is still going strong and is well above record pace. 

Shout out for the three guys still out on the Challenger. Must be depressing being at the back and and always rushing to beat the cut off times. They've only a couple of downhill miles to go so should hopefully make it. Well done to them.

Just seen this on Twitter. Jovica Spajic at Gregs Hut. Brrrrr!

https://twitter.com/thespinerace/status/1614942062364819456?s=21&t=jW-6...

Wow! That’s a great pic 

Just passing the creamery now.

Made it with 17 minutes to spare, good on them.

That’s great news! Well done to them!

The Challenger North looks a good bit harder than the standard Challenger. A friend of mine, Fiona Lynch, is doing it. She did the full Spine in 2020 (I think).

Looks like she's doing well. 2nd woman and 8th overall just coming up to Hadrian's Wall. They obviously had it pretty snowy, nearly a third retired already.

Thanks to everyone who's posted words of support, it's been great to read back over them now that I'm back in a centrally heated house.

I'd always thought the Winter Spine races sounded unimaginably awful and - as a result of this - they held absolutely no appeal whatsoever; however, something changed in/around the Cheviot Goat, when I found myself enjoying and appreciating the challenge (and that it wasn't actually that awful - it was actually quite good fun). Having now done the Spine Challenger, I completely get it, because the experience is incomparable to anything else I've ever done and I'm still absolutely buzzing.

I'd love to do a proper write-up of the experience I had, as it felt like I lived a thousand lives within the space of a single day, so bear with whilst I try to put something vaguely meaningful (and coherent) down on paper.

Thanks once-again for all the support, it means a lot.

There is nothing of her, but she is pretty strong when things get difficult. Despite being Irish, she is Manchester based, so most of her running is in the Pennines.

I dot watch this every year and it looks both horrific and amazing and I want a go :-D

Those of you running it - what kind of training did you do? What went well? Would you do anything differently next time?

Well done to everyone running and volunteering. 

Another slant on the mad world of ultrarunning,  the Tunnel Ultra in Bath

https://www.bbc.com/sport/64139029

I guess a very different challenge to Spine,  but probably as challenging in its own way. 

Bit of a long read but fascinating how people's brains tick.....

Don't think you can dot watch !!

Looking forward to seeing if Ultra Damo can bag it this year....

Chapeau Rob, chapeau! Was there much dry up at Blackstone

My allegiances are now with my mate Jake 177, somewhere shy of Thwaite. Sheesh.

A write-up would be greatly enjoyed and appreciated. And huge well done you were amazing.

It looks like there are 42 runners a Hawes right now 1715 Tueday), half of whom the tracker says have retired. Must be quite an operation to support that many at once.

I have a suspicion that Eoin Keith is doing it this year at a relatively slow pace and getting enough sleep so that he can actually enjoy the experience as type 1 fun (rather than type 2).

Maybe he's had injuries or his training's been less than normal, but he's certainly going slower than in previous years. I reckon he'll finish higher up than he is now as people ahead retire whilst he just steadily carries on.

Eoin Keith does the tortoise mode every year, and when the cards fall right it works out for him ('16, '19, '22) However, I saw an interview of him on the start line where he said he was going to take it slower this year, or something along those lines. Still a nail 💪

I think for the quicker runners, the "normal" Challenger can be attempted without any mid-run sleeps (have to see what Rob G says), whereas the Challenger North looks that bit too long to be able to do that - so the strategy will be very different.

Fantastic! No desire to do it but I love reading about that sort of mad event. 

The addition of the hideous looping violin music really makes it. 

You're quite right, the Challenger South is generally tackled in a single push, which felt more manageable than I was expecting.

The Challenger North looks like a different proposition altogether. It's 52 miles longer (160 vs. 108) and I'd imagine those miles make a massive difference - not least because they're over some of toughest ground of the whole Pennine Way (Cross Fell, Cheviots etc...) - but also because you're going to be more tired, hence they're not going to be the quickest.

I doubt the front runners will sleep for long, but they'll definitely have to, and I'm guessing it'll be Bellingham when they do, as you've only got 30 minutes (max) at Byrness.

Be interesting to see how it all unfolds, because like you say - it's a very different strategy to the Challenger South.

Front 2 in the Challenger North are now together on the Cheviots. Brian Hutchinson has been steadily reeling in long time leader Tim Bradley all day

And in the full Spine virtual Jasmin is steadily closing in on real Damo

Yes, it is 24 hours for the leaders. The Challenger North is 50% further and tougher terrain.

I noticed that.  With over 60 miles to go, it will be tough for him to stay ahead of the virtual Jasmin.

If I remember correctly she was very strong in the closing stages as well.

Not sure but I think the trophy is just set to the average pace not her actual performance, not that it matters much.

Normally it's just average pace, but I thought I saw virtual Jasmin stationary at a checkpoint at one point, so I assumed it was her actual race. If it is average pace, then I'd imagine Damian is going to struggle to stay ahead. 

Either way, I'm sure he'll be focusing on securing the win before risking it going for the record.

I think it might be an exact replay of her gpx file

I just love the hideous looping violin music!

Hang on, how do I see where virtual Jasmin is?

https://live.opentracking.co.uk/spinerace23/

The trophy just behind Damian (at time of writing).

You can't see the trophy on the Android app for some reason

Virtual Jasmin isn’t the only company that he has got. There are 10 or so Challenger North mid-packers between where he is and Bellingham (about 12 miles) starting to pick them off might help him push the pace a little.

Has Jasmin taken a shortcut?

Looks like this year's route does not follow the Pennine Way from just past mile 210 to just after mile 215.  Jasmin did follow the PW here, this is a straighter line and is maybe 3 miles shorter.  Explains her virtual move to the front.

Guessing here, maybe the "proper" PW route still has problems with blown over trees from that huge storm in late 2021 and the route taken is on forest tracks that are known to be clear.

Yes there is a diversion in place there through the forest, so they were always going to lose out to virtual Jasmin taking the more direct route!

Apparently Jack didn't take the correct route through the diversion and has been given a time penalty

https://twitter.com/TheSpineRace/status/1615597936447995904

This is getting interesting. Even with the 41 minute penalty for Jack, Damian will have a fair bit of ground to make up. All depends on how his longer rest benefits him.

This race is really exciting! 

Both leaders are back on the trail with Jack 5km ahead of Damian, but with a 41min penalty to factor in.

Edit: Damien is flying, roughly 8kmh.

On the tracker they've now got virtual Jasmin (orange trophy) ahead and virtual John Kelly (green trophy) behind

IIRC John and Jasmin set their records in the same year, so both will have taken a shorter route than this year.

Just shows how fast Damian and Jack are currently moving, and how exceptional Jasmin's performance was.

Somewhere along the Challenger South one of the people I was running with mentioned that the year Jasmin set the record, she made it to Horton in Ribblesdale in 24hrs. Suffice to say I didn't make it to Horton in Ribblesdale in 24hrs (and suffice there's no way that if I did, I'd have been in any physical state to carry on to Kirk Yetholm)!!

John Kelly was a diiferent year, 2020 IIRC, so different conditions but yes also didn't have to take the longer diversion. Indeed, here's the tracker from that year https://live.opentracking.co.uk/spinerace20/

I think the overall record could still be on. Jasmin was very sleep deprived at the end, Jack and Damo have had some sleep at Bellingham and are racing each other. I think they are gaining on virtual Jasmin

Thanks, thought it was the same year for some reason. Could well be a close thing!

It looks like Damo is actually making ground on Jack.

I remember the year Jim Mann did it (2019?) they got to Hawes under then then-Challenger record and he asked if he could have that. I think they said no!

What's happened to Jack? He seems to have detoured into Byrness...
Is he serving his time penalty? Or something else? He's pretty close to virtual Jasmin.

The route on the map goes that way, I think there is a checkpoint of some sort there? Virtual Jasmin went into town slightly too

I think a CP and/or food stop. The route actually detours that way. Jack is 'resting'.

They then have the delight of a 340m climb up toi Ravens Pike. I don't know how they keep going!

Jasmin's record is a only 2km away (uphill though)

There's an intermediate checkpoint at the Forest Inn in Byrness

Jack's back out, Damian's still at Byrness but has those extra minutes.

Gap under half a mile.  Exciting stuff.

They're both out and halfway up Byrness Hill - Damian is closing in.

Did Jack just rest at Byrness or did he 'serve' his time penalty?

Penalties are only served at the end, not at checkpoints. So they are still racing with a 41 minute time difference.

Ooh, good point! That would make this leg really exciting! Wish I didn't have a bunch of meetings today :-D

Just rest, penalties aren't served they're added to the time at the end.

They did used to have to stand in the CP kitted out to serve the penalty but not any more it seems

I thought you could choose? https://thespinerace.com/faq

Though Byrness isn't an official checkpoint?

Maybe the FAQ is just a bit out of date, sounds like from what everyone else is saying that it's served at the end.

From the official Facebook just now:

"Good Morning Spiners. Some clarity on Spine Rules regarding Time penalties and Credits.

If a runner makes a navigational error, one which leads them to take a shorter route than the official course and therefore gain a time advantage, then the exact length of that time advantage is calculated using current and historic tracking data from that part of the course. This is a rigorous process done at Race HQ. Once calculated, that time advantage is doubled as a penalty for deviating from the course. This time is then added to the runner’s time on the tracking system.

Runners are not held at checkpoints to serve time penalties, the time is simply added on.

The process of doubling the time advantage is there to deter runners from deviating from the course.

When a runner stops to help another runner on the course and is delayed as a consequence, the tracking data is used to determine how long the runner was held up in that area and this time is taken from the runner’s overall time.

All runners are aware of these rules at the point of signing up for the race.

The result of this could be a situation where the runner who is physically at the front of the race could have a greater overall race time than a runner/runners behind them, and therefore finish behind them in the rankings.

Enjoy the rest of the racing

Spine HQ"

I'd have thought serving it at the end would make more sense, otherwise you'd be partly benefiting from extra rest time while serving a penalty (even if kitted out / standing etc). Though the advantage of doing it mid race would be allowing the head to head race to continue and the first person to cross the line being the winner.

Kind of a shame in terms of dot watching, they look so close but only because Jack's not served his time. Maybe they should have a virtual Jack with the time already served, although it could get a bit confusing!
Probably good for Damian though, probably spur him on if he knows he's hot on the heels of Jack.

All incredibly exciting. I'm at work with a Spine windows open, trying not to check kn it too often.

They appear to be running together for now, which I guess is good for Damian but Jack needs to be ahead by 41 mins.

They are both roughly 2 miles behind virtual Jasmin.

Edit: Exciting running behind the leaders as well. Claire B is closing in on O'Leary and Zinis as they head for the remaining podium spot.

From the tracker, it looks like the leading two are moving together. I wonder if Scott has conceded knowing he would not be able to overcome the time penalty in the relatively short distance left. It would be splendidly in keeping with the ethos of the event if they were to finish together. 

It is rare to see the GPS locations for 2 runners stick so close together that you can only see one dot for so long.

I wonder whether the time penalty has been added to Jack's time on the tracker a stated by the organisers and this has confused the tracking system.

If you zoom and click on one of the dots you can see that they are indeed together - both dots joined by a thin black line.

Is it in the spirit of the event? I enjoyed Jasmin Paris's interview somewhere after she won where she talks about Eugeni trying to team up and run with her and she was like "I don't think so mate"!

There is a definite tradition of joint finishes though - the first two in the Challenger North this year, for instance, and IIRC there was one year when 5 finished together, holding hands down the street at silly o'clock in the morning (Beth Pascall was one of them, can't remember who the others were).

The trackers update at different times, so even when people are together, they can appear to be hundreds of metres apart.

Ive been watch Fiona Lynch in the Challenger North, as she is a friend of mine. I know for a fact that she is running every step with David Ward, as she has with all of her multi-day races, yet it often shows them apart.

I think it depends upon your approach.

I finished alongside someone within both the Cheviot Goat and the Spine Challenger and in both instances it meant a lot more to finish together than it would have to finish apart, but I'll be the first to acknowledge that I am not the most competitive of people.

For those who are of a more competitive disposition I could see how that would be highly unappealing!!

Yeah, I think it's just a coincidence that Jack and Damian's trackers are so synchronised, if you click on their icons it gives the last update time and they are within a few seconds of each other.

That might be it. A few seconds ago Damian was shown as a few hundred metres ahead, now Jack has 'jumped' level to Damian. Must just be update times.

If you look at the dots on the main Spine & Challenger North it looks like they might be going that way again

The top 2 in the spine are quite steadily with a group of about 4 in challenger North.

That is what I normally expect to see, there was a period this afternoon when that wasn't happening with Jack and Damian and you could only see Damians flag regardless of what you did.

Normal service now seems to have been resumed.

That is certainly what usually happens, there was a period of at least an hour os afternoon when that wasn't happening on my browser.

Things have returned to normal now.

Irene Kinnegim, John Murray and Mark Richardson ran through the arches side by side but took it in turns to touch the wall (Irene first). Their times are showing as 3 seconds apart. Anybody know whether they share third place or does Irene get it?

PS. The race has just made the BBC evening news, good to see.

They're both inside 3 miles to the finish and it looks like Jack has made a break for it. 

I think the gap is simply an artefact of the update intervals.

I think Jack will need to be 41 minutes ahead of Damien to take the lead due to his earlier time penalty due to a nav error and cutting a corner

Yep - looks like they are going to finish together, meaning Damian gets the win.

1 Km to go and it's literally downhill all the way.

What a fantastic race this has been, I'm in awe of anyone that finishes, but these two are on another level.

Looks like they've finished, with the time penalty Damian must have it, but both must have been neck and neck.

There's a lovely live interview with them both on the Facebook feed. Amazing they still had the capacity to crack a few jokes on 2 hrs 20 mins sleep over 268 miles!

Yes, a sterling effort from both of them, Jack was gutted, you could see that in his face when they finished. Damian was unsurprisingly upbeat.

They have just said that they both had the same amount of sleep - 2h 20m sleep to run 268 miles!!!

Edit: Snap Mountainbagger - that was a lovely live feed wasn't it? 

2nd edit: Here's the clip: https://www.facebook.com/TheSpineRace/videos/1312495572639397

Absolutely outstanding effort and amazing to dot watch! I have loved the daily episodes on the spine YouTube channel as well. 
 

my hats off to everyone who has taken part and those who are still battling out there truly inspiring stuff!

Thanks Tony, I couldn't work out how to get the link! Yes, it was great to watch 😊

I enjoy cheering on (not that they can hear) the rest of the participants, with the race to beat the cut offs being as enthralling as the race to win. Sometimes more so!

Definitely. The folk who've just left Middleton-in-Teesdale still have just short of half the race left to run. I'm watching a friend and contemplating him and others tackling Cross Fell tonight brrrrrr!!

Lovely.  Thanks for the link.

Good morning all!

On BBC Breakfast at 7:53 they interviewed Damian and Jack. You can find it on iPlayer if you watch BBC One Live and rewind to 7:53!

Edit: it was a fun interview. They introduced Damian as the race record holder. It's a shame they didn't specifically say men's record holder and clarify the overall record holder was Jasmin but apart from that it was great to hear from them!

Nice.  The both came across really well (in spite of some fairly witless questions, and unlike Charlie Stayt interviewing them who came across as a bit of a nob quite honestly).

It's a shame they made that mistake about the men's record vs the overall record in a voiceover rather than in the interview itself, because if they'd done that then Damien & Jack would probably have corrected them on the spot.  (Like Andy Murray did that time.)

When is the final cut-off for the race? I can only find the check-point cut-offs.

Ignore my question: 0800 Sunday is the answer.

And the cut off for the Challenger North is 0600 tomorrow morning. The final trio are just on the last big slog up onto West Cairn Hill so ought to be fine.

Still plenty left battling away, on the go for 120 hours nearly so far, they are all absolute legends!

Looks like the remaining, hardcore, participants are within 30 miles of the finish.  Hope they all still have the wherewithall to make it.

From Facebook:

"The final cut-off on the course was midday today, and though the last of the runners at the back of the Montane Winter Spine Race left Checkpoint 5.5 in Byrness before the cut-off took them out of the race, they shuffled out with seconds to spare.

Some have set off into the Cheviot Hills to make the most of the remaining daylight. A few have chosen to use their bivvies and bank a little more sleep before they take on the last major obstacle of the course.

Every runner left on that tracking system now has one goal, to reach Kirk Yetholm before the final cut-off, the end of the race, tomorrow morning.

We'll be here throughout the night to meet them all.

We'll be willing on the backmarkers just like you are and our teams in the hills will be doing everything they can to help them keep moving safely."

Thanks for the update. I'm keeping an anxious eye on Dave Riley, 232. Digging deep, every respect.

Looks like he has got 10 hours to do 10 miles…

sounds easy but he has covered 250 miles already, it’s 10 o’clock at night, freezing cold and he still has to get up the last hill of 750m. Really hoping he makes it.

Normally you'd think that all those still out there should make it in time, but this is the Spine, funny things can happen with knackered sleep deprived people.

Hope they all make it after all that effort.

My estimate is that last person in will be between 5&6 tomorrow unless they have a bit of a kip at hut 2.

Those final miles are going to be long ones.

Interestingly, they remove retired runners tracks after they've retired...

Woke up early, checked Spine, 2 retirees at Hut 2. Was looking at one of their tracks to see where it had "fallen apart", then looked at the last remaining runner's track, tried to go back to the retirees track but it no longer came up (all this on phone so only 99% sure I'm doing it right).

But similar on the Facebook feed, description of the last 2 runners to arrive, commiserations to the 2 who've had to be pulled out at Hut 2, and a "then there was one" comment. Now when you look the "commiserations" and the "one" comments have gone.

Edit: What I did see of the track before it disappeared was a big slowdown before that final ascent up the shoulder of The Cheviot and that it then took 3 hours to reach Hut 2 from there (normally 1 hour). Gutted for them for it to unravel like that so close to the end.

And the final runner might not make it, less than 2 miles to go and he's showing a couple of wobbles on his track. Edit: If the tracking is accurate then he came off the tarmac road!!! but he appears to have rejoined it.

Presumably experiencing the "cognitive breakdown" (i.e. hallucinating) that occurs with exhaustion and sleep deprivation.

Very tense, I'm willing him on.

Edit2: Bl**dy hell, he appears to be running the last mile or so judging by the increase in speed - respect.

Our guy made it.👍🏻🍾 Crossed the line at 03.22.59 this morning. Good effort. Would you believe he's back at work in the morning?!

What an amazing week. Huge respect to all involved.

Looks like he made it with just 17 minutes to spare. Fantastic to be able to pull out the stops after what must have been a really tough night. Huge respect to him.

Shame about the other two, must be gutting for them. Still a huge achievement getting to where they did in those conditions though.

For those that don't do Facebook:

"Roberto Semprini made it. Let’s open with that because I know you’re worried, just as we were.

Within the last mile he stopped. Stationary. And we scrambled.

Phil and Will jumped in the landrover, calls went to HQ, and all wheels were in motion.

It couldn’t be.

He couldn’t be done here.

We found him a short way from the finish and he was running. Running like a person who had just realised how close they were to their goal and relief from a week of grinding endurance.

In the end, he’d just stopped to switch head torches and it had taken a while in the cold. Everything was fine and he was sprinting in. Tension turned to relief turned to elation.

Our team are so invested in these runners finishing, and so alarmed by the idea of Roberto falling so painfully short we couldn’t help but run out into the cold.

Roberto Semprini was in tears by the time he was under the arch and most of our team was by the time he touched the wall.

The Montane Winter Spine Race 2023 has come to a close.

We always said these runners deserved attention. We always said the world should be celebrating what they do. There have been more cameras around the course than ever and more eyes on the tracking system. Millions saw the race winners talk about their incredible achievements and it’s no less than they deserve.

Thank you once again for sticking with us. Thank you to our volunteer army, to the Mountain Rescue Teams who support us, to the venues that house us and welcome the chaos that comes with the race, to the kind people in communities along the trail who come out in freezing conditions to ply the racers with tea and cakes, but mostly, thank you to each and every one of our athletes. You’re all Spine Family.

Until next time."

I've got a lump in my throat.