Montane Spine Race

Damian Hall Leads the Full Montane Spine Race, and Sabrina Verjee and Kim Collison Retire

Press Release / 11.01.2022

Simon Roberts, winner of the Dragon’s Back Race in 2021, has a clear lead at the front of the Montane Spine Challenger – North.  After a tough day, which saw him take a short recovery sleep in his bivvy by Hadrian’s Wall before he could push on to Bellingham, he has now entered the final section of the race.  He’ll pass the night alone in the Cheviot Hills.

He has a resounding lead over Howard Dracup and Roland Kelly in 2nd and 3rd places. 

In 4th, 5th and 6th overall are the leading women.  They are Victoria Morris, Hannah Rickman, and French runner Fanny Jean.  This morning, Luke Roberts, who had held 2nd position throughout, was forced to retire.

There have been more high-profile retirees in the Montane Spine Race.  This morning, Sabrina Verjee, the runaway leader of the women in the race who is celebrating her birthday today, retired at Horton-in-Ribblesdale.  Elsewhere, Kim Collison, who had been running shoulder to shoulder with race-leader Damian Hall, also dropped out of the running.

This leaves Damian Hall cruising at the front of the race with an insurmountable looking gap between himself and the runners in 2nd and 3rd who are Tiaan Erwee of South Africa, a 4th place finisher at the Tor des Geants, and returning winner Eugenie Rosello Sole of Spain.

Sabrina’s retirement passes the lead to Debbie Martin-Consani who currently has a small cushion between herself and Nicola Sommers and Elain Bisson who are virtually neck and neck in 2nd and 3rd.

In the early hours at Hawes, the winning woman in the Montane Spine Challenger reached the finish in Hawes.  Kendra Wedgwood completed the course in 46:09 and described the conditions she’d endured as ‘awful’. Nic Gibson finished shortly after in 48:48 taking 2nd place, and then much later in the day, with less than 30 minutes remaining before the final cut-off, Angela Weeks crossed the line as 3rd woman and the final finisher of the race.

Of the entrants in the Montane Spine Challenger and Spine MRT Challenge, 35 finished the race and 64 retired or did not meet the cut-off.

A note on the course record: Damian Hall is currently ahead of the pace Jasmin Paris set during her course-record setting run in 2019.  However, the damage caused by Storm Arwen has left many local trails unpassable, so from Bellingham vehicles are being used to shuttle runners 15miles north to rejoin the Pennine Way.

Storm Arwen has downed 1000s of trees and also blown away the possibility of any course records this year due to the 15 mile reduction in the distance the runners cover on foot.

LINK TO LIVE TRACKING & LIVE LEADERBOARD:

Available to view at www.thespinerace.com