Ep 53 - So You Want To Enter The Spine Race?

In this bonus and final episode on Kev’s 2026 Spine Race Experience Kev provides a greater insight into the race conditions, kit and what he could do to meet the new time limit of 156 hours. Recommended listen before you press the entry button thus February 4th for the 2027 race. 

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Transcript

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Hello and welcome to episode 53 of the AidStation podcast. It is Monday 26th of January, 2026, and I am coming back here much quicker than I normally do for two reasons. All about the spine race. I left something a little bit unsaid or unresolved on my previous podcast, both on James Ellison's podcast for the Centurion podcast and my own. And the second reason was due to some feedback from my running club mate Mark Buckle, who I'd interviewed previously on AidStation, so you can look that up and hear from Mark at some point. And he said if you're thinking of a podcast part two content, that he'd still like to hear about the court, what the course is like, what my experience of the terrain was. As he says, I hear it was waist deep bogs at times, which I didn't realise until recently, so I guess he didn't realise that there was um bogs out on the course, and he relates that to the South Downs uh way environment in mind, I think, um, which is a completely different environment, Mark, to uh the Pennine Way. And he said, I'm also really interested to know what you learn from it and what you do differently if you did it again. The old if you did it again question, um, excluding the nav issues, he says in brackets. Well, I must admit that uh I cut out a lot of content to get episode 52 out in one episode. Uh, the couple of reasons for this is that the platform I use has a time limit of one hour and twelve minutes. It's on GarageBan, which is an Apple software. Um, and I've in the past done uh longer races over two episodes and found that people lose interest and maybe don't come back so much for the second episode. So I wanted to get it out in one go, and I've had some good feedback about it, so hopefully that worked anyway. So, but I thought it did from Mark's questions demand a bit of a follow-up. Um, and I also thought that there may be some of you who are considering a return or a first-time entry to the 27 uh 2027 edition of the Spine Race, uh, in which case I should offer more information of my experience of the race to help you out, especially those of you who are likely to be chasing the cutoffs uh like I was. So, again, as ever, this podcast is aimed at mid to backpack runners, and hopefully this will be more enlightenment before you decide to go and spend your hard-earned cash on something as vast and awesome as the spine race. Um I'll just tidy up the lost phone incident. I mentioned that I couldn't find my phone around uh Cauldron Snout and Falcon Clint's, and I got uh Juan Pajan to phone race HQ and he couldn't get through because it was a black spot, and he tried a couple of times, and I had another opportunity to drop uh with a chap who'd come down off high cup neck, and I didn't and carried on with one. Instead, of course, I did find my mobile phone later on me when I had time to search through everything. So that resolved that issue, but it was really in there just to uh say how easy it is to um end your race prematurely when you're sleep deprived and not thinking straight um and not checking through things through properly. So it's just another example of how easy it would have been for me to uh end my race earlier than it eventually did end anyway. And that could also be the case for you if you ever get out there and get yourself into that state of sleep deprivation. So to get back to the feedback for uh Mark and for anybody else, I'll take a deeper dive into the actual race conditions and its survival and the self-management elements of it. Um many of you will have seen from well, even the video I put up, but other videos or the actual race official stuff, uh, that we started in very um Arctic conditions, spiny conditions as they call them. Uh quite a bit of snow underfoot, um, very strong winds up to 60 miles an hour. Um up on the top of Kinder Plateau, it was probably around about minus two, minus three. Uh, but with a wind chill, you know, you had a 60 mile an hour wind to that is going way up there. It must have been minus nine or ten Celsius uh in the wind, um, which obviously you need to be well wrapped up, warm from the start for. Um, and of course, it all depends on what you're gonna meet uh in the weather conditions when you start out. But um I felt I started in the right amount of layers, I had about four on and didn't get cold. It was it was um dry enough to keep working hard, which kept the body temperature and core temperature rate up high enough anyway. So that element all the way out to taur side was cold and with wind chill, but if you've got the right equipment and the right layers on, there wasn't any issues with that. Uh, the ground was very firm, um, no issues with running in the snow, didn't use my spikes, so that was all fine. Then I had to put my micro spikes on, the Cthulhu ones, uh, for Black Hill. That was quite icy. And then up through that section, once you cross the road, I don't know the road crossing number, past the MRT station, you get into an area that has got river crossings, which was in snow as well. I think the rivers have probably been in more spate than they were. I encountered one crossing that almost got up to the top of my socks, didn't quite, so managed to keep the water out. Um, but you will maybe in future years have to deal with higher um levels, water levels in the rivers on those sections of the crossings. Um, but it I wouldn't say it was too bad for us, it's pretty much single track going through there on that section, so there's not a lot of room for overtaking. Um, you do meet a few other walkers coming the other way, which makes things a bit tight in places, but nothing that's not negotiable, just slows you a bit. Um, in terms of the bogs, I did fall in one in a really odd spot, um, just before Mallam itself, the village of Malam. Um, you follow alongside a river on like flat floodplain, grassy floodplain. Um, for some reason there was just this area of bog, just literally just before you got into uh hard tarmac into Malam, which I managed to get myself into and up to knee height and couldn't go forward or backwards, fell over in it. And uh I had to use my poles, I made a cross with my poles, put my body weight out over the the cross uh to take the weight so that my upper body weight, the bog would take my upper body weight, and I could lever my legs out of the bog. So, yes, you can fall in bogs. That was my only experience of bog because most of them were frozen, thankfully. There were some other long stretches uh of boggy stuff after Tan Hill, um, but nothing that you wouldn't normally get through, nothing worse than running a cross-country race, really, to be honest. But I guess if you drift off the trail or don't uh follow the line properly, you could get yourself into some messy trouble, especially out of Slate Home Moor. Um, so that is another thing to be aware of, not to be afraid of, but know that you may need to extract yourself. And I have seen pictures up to the of people up to their waist in it. Um, in terms of the river crossing, actually, I did hear that one person went in fully submerged, including their pack, and had to come change very rapidly out of all their clothing and into their spare uh emergency clothing. So it can happen and does happen. So, you know, it's out there for you, waiting for you if you get it wrong. In terms of other ground conditions, it was mainly ice on slabs, um, over a lot of the stuff like Hike Cup Nick, um, Crossfell, all of those were mainly frozen when I did them. So it's just a case of well, it's really weird actually. When on Hike Up Nick, I didn't actually use my Cthulhu spikes. Um, and it's a weird sort of five minutes of experience that you build confidence. In that five minutes of traversing over some dodgy terrain, you you get quite a bit of experience, amazingly, um, and you trust what you can stand on and what you can't, and you get used to it, and it's just all part. I mean, remember, you spend oh, I don't know what it is, like three hours, I don't know, to cross crossfell. So you're on the terrain quite a long time, and you get used to it, um, and you your body in your mind uh record what it is that's going on, and um that experience goes in there and you're just careful about how you go about it. A sort of mental programming, I guess. So then around the flatlands, around the Leeds Liverpool Canal, you get into farmers fields with a lot of clay and mud. I managed to drop my phone in the clay there. Um it's just claggy like you would get round most farmland, to be honest. Um it's you know, heavy going, sticky, slower, but nothing um unusual that you would never come across if you were running winter ultra races anyway. Um the other thing is that clag or thick mist uh with we had on High Cup Nick, and I'm sure other people we were lucky on Crossfell, we didn't get that, but um you are going to expect to meet that sort of stuff, um, and it's the highest navigation test, really, in my opinion. Um your navigation's got to be really on point in those conditions, checking all the time. It's so easy to just wander a few yards offline that can be pretty um dangerous uh in up on high on those some of those uh fells. So you should be really careful around that stuff, navigation in the uh clag. And the another thing I learnt was that two mines aren't necessarily greater than one in those situations, especially if you're both unsure and both have a different opinion about which direction you should be travelling in. Um, so yeah, you need to be courage of your convictions, check your nav, make sure you get it all right, um, and take it very carefully. Um you know, just using your senses all the time to get off of there and out of the f the clag as quick as possible. So that was really my experience of most of the terrain and the actual above ground conditions. Um it was never that cold. I mean it did we had a f quite a few frosts that probably were minus four or something at night, uh, clear skies, some wind that would lower the wind chill. But um if you've got the right layering systems, none of that should really ever be an issue unless you get really Arctic weather. Most of the time I was travelling uh in five layers probably at night, two base layers, uh a core mid layer, um, and well actually two core midlayers and a uh waterproof jacket, a thick waterproof jacket, uh like a um 20,000 hydrostatic head jacket, um, which actually when I fell in the bog got really black and messy. Um it was brand new, and um I haven't been able to get the grime out of it, so anybody knows how to get bog peat out of a jacket, I'd be grateful for some uh inside info. I have triple washed it, re-waterproofed it, which is probably now ingrained the peat into it anyway, but I'm not sure that that stuff ever comes out of anything. On the lower layers, I did mainly travel in three layers. I had a pair of running tights, then I had like uh La Sportiva ski pant type uh bit like salapet trousers if you're a skier, and then I had again a 20,000 head waterproof trouser over that when and I was perfectly warm the whole time. Also it wore a neck warmer or a snood or um buff uh the whole time, obviously, as well as gloves and at times two hats and my hood up. So that gives you an idea of the layering that was going on and stayed on most of the time. The only time I stripped all that off was when I on my previous podcast I said I ran a hard effort to try and recover some time uh on one section of about eight miles. But other than that, I was mainly in up to you know four or five layers. Um and so what did I learn from the race, as Mark said? Well, self-management is obviously the biggest one that comes around all sorts of things, you know, with nutrition, uh, making sure that you've got all your uh electronics charged, um, making sure all you're preempting any of the issues that might come along around that as well in advance. So actually out on the trail, getting headlamps ready or getting things on batteries recharged while on the move, especially as you're running out of time at checkpoints. Uh remembering to eat and keep the nutrition going in. Um I wouldn't say that I was great at that. I did find that the feeds at most of the aid stations and the unofficial um catering stops were enough to get me across with just some few extra bits in between. So I wouldn't say that I was doing any calculated, I don't know, 90 grams of carbs an hour type stuff. I was just uh eating when I felt that I needed to eat and uh it was necessary. Um I think another side of the self-management is the control of pace and reframing your mindset against the progress up the course. So, and I emphasise up the course and not down it. And uh yeah, you're gonna different things are gonna happen along the way, and you're gonna have to reframe how hard you're gonna have to push, uh how um less time you're gonna spend at a rest stop or a checkpoint to make that time back. And so all those things are important as part of the self-management along the way as you move up the course. You're gonna have to make time and calculation adjustments as you go if you want to get the race done. I was probably, in terms of hydration, I was probably slightly under hydrated most of the way, mainly due to the harder work effort that I had to put in after hoars. My pea was a bit on the brown side of straw colour, so probably could have done with more um fluid going in. Um, at no time did I need to carry any more than a litre of fluid. I found that the uh checkpoint top-ups of fluid were enough, and I was able to just maintain on my two um 500mm bottles of fluid uh on my chest pack. Um, and this is personal information to me, of course, it may not be your experience or what you would need to meet your requirements. Uh, you do, however, have to carry the mandatory requirement of being able to have a capacity of two litres of fluid, uh, but I didn't at any time use that extra capacity that I had. Another side of the actual management was the loss of cognitive function due to sleep deprivation. Um, it becomes difficult to join the dots at times. You start tasks that you forget why you're doing them. Um, linking functions together and preempting necessary actions as uh becomes more difficult, like I said before about being ready with any of your recharging needs, head torch preparation, having your head torch easy access and not in your pack at the right times when you're gonna need it, and all this stuff becomes harder when you're on the move to do it. So being dexterous and with it is vital as you uh move through the race, and all the time the checkpoint times are diminishing, it gets more and more crucial. Um, micro-napping as part of that self-management becomes it's what I call the final option of deep fatigue. You've got no choice really, you just stumbling about falling asleep on your feet, and you need to sleep. Um, and the micro-nap seems to break uh the pattern of sleep deparation for me for probably about half an hour before I need to do it again, uh, maybe longer. It's better in the daylight hours, obviously, very difficult at night. So that is part of it, it's something that you can't really practice. You never really should need to run yourself to a point where you need to micronap. It's very much an in-race thing. It's something that I've done on four other 200 milers now, um, but not nowhere near as often as I had to do it on the spine race. So that again, that's an experience thing. Hopefully, you'll be travelling fast enough to get enough rest at the uh checkpoints that you won't need to enter that state of sleep deprivation, but it is something that is out there that you should be aware of and know about. And uh, yeah, when you get to that point, it's my opinion that you're operating at the absolute limit of human athletic function. And I say athletic function because clearly the human body is capable of deeper um deprivations, but not when undertaking an athletic endeavour with a finite end like the spine race. So that although you're capable of far, far going far deeper, and obviously it's proven in all sorts of particularly in war times, what the body, human body can do, but um this is as near as you're going to get in terms of doing it in an athletic environment or situation where you have to get it done by a certain time and the race. Uh let's have a look at uh successes and failures with kit, the pack setup. I did loads on this beforehand, and there's a whole episode on my kit setup, and obviously, everybody is got their own personal favourites with kit and things that they've done and things that work from them. The one thing I would say, the chest pot set up, I had the OMM one, but there's also the Geeky Hiker pack that a lot of people use. Um, and I had my chest pot set up so it was only released on one side, uh, so the the pack stays uh the chest pod stays attached to the main pack. Um I should have had more food in my front pouch. This wasn't a problem for most, I guess, but I was carrying two pieces of extra podcast equipment in my front pouch, a podcasting expectation that was uh way too ambitious for me in this race. Um, and that would have been much better off making some room because on top of that I had my GPS device in there, handheld one, and loads of other bits of odd clothing like spare gloves and hats, and so it all gets a bit crowded, and um your mobile phone. That you can lose in your chess pack, believe it or not, buried under all that lot. So, yeah, I would leave out the podcasting stuff, which was only applicable to me, I guess, and get more food into the front pack to keep the nutrition level ticking over. In my opinion, microspikes are better than Yak tracks from what I've seen out there on the route. They were needed a heck of a lot. I wore them much more than I'd expect to do on this year's race. I must have had two spares, two spells where I wore them for five hours at a time, something like that. And I just hooked them onto a carabiner on the front of my pack. I thought at the time this was going to be a problem that the spikes might snag my waterproof clothing or something else, or just generally get caught up and get in the way, but they didn't at all. Um, I didn't even notice them when I was running along. So they're a no issue, and this is the best place to store them. I saw quite a few people having them that way because they're so easy to take on, uh put on and take off from that position rather than having to unload them out of your backpack every time. So I'd highly recommend that. And I'd get the spikes. I think you'd get more use out of those longer term as well. But it's up to you, and you know, get both if you want to try both and carry both and see how it goes. Uh, also, obviously, spare gloves, have a minimum of two pairs of warm waterproof gloves. Whatever you do, do this. Um, I found that I needed at least that. Um, and I went to a Gore-Tex waterproof ski mitt as well, um, which was my favourite thing to wear, to be honest. But when they got wetted out, they were similar to the montane ones, they stayed warm and dry, but they did just get to a point where they were so wet it made sense to change over to my montane. So I ended up, I had three pairs of gloves actually, and would highly recommend that you do that. So, with the entry process for the spine coming up on Wednesday, February the 4th at 12 noon, uh, fastest fingers first. I'm sure there'll be loads of people out there who are listening to this that are considering giving it a go. And the best of luck to you all. Um, the the race organisers have announced a reduced time limit. They're taking 12 hours off the race, so there's going to be tighter um some tighter checkpoint cut-off times, um, and the race is reduced to 156 hours from 168 hours. But there's no change in cut-off times from Hebden to Hawes. 84 hours you have to be out of Middleton as opposed to 87, so there's a three-hour drop there. In Alston it's 110 hours, uh, which is the same as existing, so it's there's some funny uh which I don't really get, some funny sort of um tightening of areas and then loosening them in other areas as you go up the course. Uh Bellingjam is now down to 130 hours to be through there instead of 136, so that's six hours gone off of there. And then it goes out again. Bryn Ness is 144 hours instead of 146 hours. So you're back to two hours difference there, as opposed to the six between Bellingham. Kirk Yetum is 156 hours instead of 168 hours. So it's really that leg from Bryness across to Kirk Yetum that's really uh takes the chunk of the time off. So, as a back-of-the-pack runner representing the over 60s, I could start moaning that this is discriminatory and that 16 of this year's finishers would have been eliminated, they wouldn't have made it. Um and it would reduce the finishing field by something like a further 18%, and it's already pretty well reduced. Um, but it is what it is. I fully understand that the race organisers want the race to continue to live up to its title of the most brutal, and the new time limit of 156 hours falls in line with the first ever race finish times. In 2012, there were 11 starters, and two of those, Gary Morrison and Steve Thompson, finished in just over 151 hours, and there was a third and final finisher, Mark Caldwell, and he took the best part of 159 hours. So what they're reducing it to is somewhere near what the first people ever did on the spine race. And I don't think that's unreasonable, really. I mean they can't keep the race going for people like me or you know, just slower movers. Um I get where they're coming from. I think, as I said, it is what it is, you have to just suck it up and decide whether you can make it across before you go and spend whatever amount of money it's going to be this year. Um it was thirteen hundred and fifty quid this time around. I don't know what the twenty twenty-seven fee is, I imagine it's gone up a bit. Um but before you press that button, give it some serious consideration whether you can get it done or not. From my perspective and having another look at it, my companion from Malin Cove to Hawes this year, Phil Bristow, who's age sixty-four, I don't think you mind me telling you that, uh, finished in 158 hours, and I'm sure he could have found a couple of hours somewhere over the whole race to get himself in uh 156 hours. So to me, it is doable. If Phil can do it, I'm sure it is possible for many others to get there within that time limit. Um, I think you have to remember that although the biggest driver in this race is to finish, that you should enter expecting an incredible test of your limits and exposure to a great adventure. Um, finishing ended up being not everything for me. I got so many other rewards and emotional highs and positive reinforcement from my race outcomes than any medal round my neck would ever have given me, thanks to the community out there and the support I receive. So don't just enter thinking you have to finish this race because, yes, get as far up as the course as you can and gain as much of the spine experience as you can, but believe me, it is an incredible experience and an incredible adventure, and it's not just all about finishing. As James asked me in his interview with me on the Centurion podcast, uh, we come to the final and ultimate question. Would you do it again or are you going to enter again? It's the most used podcast question, probably, along with you know what's next. So for me it would be like, well, how would I get that time back if I did it again? I'd certainly go out a little more focused from the start and not mess around taking videos and photos and uploading them to the social media, which I reckon would save me half an hour at the start. It'd be slightly faster pace over to Torside Reservoir, which would gain me a bit of time, maybe gain an hour quicker to Hebden Hay, so that would be another hour. Um, my lost navigation time came to around five and a half hours, or 12 miles of additional running at a higher pace as well, um, because it was running uh due to my stupid nav errors. I haven't included anything for being lost in CLAG because I think you should expect that, and that's something that's going to come along. Um so that was about five and a half hours lost in nav. Uh, less stopping time at unofficial catering points, such as Nikki's, uh, the pub at Lothersdale and Annie's at Garragil could save me another two and a half hours, I reckon. Um, I could reduce my stop time at Tan Hill by an hour. I took an hour and 45 minutes, and I reckon 45 minutes with a 20-minute nap would be plenty enough there to keep going, so that would save another hour. Um, and just having a faster overall travel time due to more even effort and less working hard and less micro napping. I think the micro napping probably cost me half an hour as well. So, all in all, I reckon that would total about ten and a half hours that I could get back if everything went smoothly and I got it all in order. I've not reduced any of the checkpoint times that I took during the race as I think they would still be vital and needed, especially without any of the more unofficial stops or longer unofficial stops. And I would still need to get time in the bank for the last leg from Bellingjam to Kirk Yatom. Uh, but I do think it would be in the ballpark to give myself a chance. And as I've said earlier, another positive spin I'm putting on it, on my chances of getting it done if I entered next year, um, is the performance of Phil Bristow and uh his finish time. So I reckon I could get another I'd have to find another couple of hours anyway. I think I've got ten and a half hours that I can uh get back on the race that I actually had, and I need to find another couple of hours to get it done. So if you're the back of the pack, these are all thoughts that you need to put into it. Um you need to look at the timings, uh, compare them to something else that you've done that's long, and add a percentage to that, because obviously you're never going to have done anything this long before unless you're re-entering. And well, good luck with pressing the button and getting in on the entry. Um, I think on the kit side that I should just mention um be prepared well before I started six months out. Um there's a presumption that you've already got some of the quit kit that you're going to need to do the race, and you've run some qualifying ultras or some mountain endurance events anyway, along the way to do it. Um, I thought I'd have a look at the kit costs because I have never really wrapped that up. The entry fee, as I said, was well, it was 1,345 in 2026, so I imagine it's going to be around£1,400 this year. I don't know. So that's your first outlay. And then I spent£1,350 with Centurion on um waterproof jacket, microspikes, Dexel socks, OMM core midlayer, uh OMM core beanie hat, second pair of Montane Dry Line gloves, a windproof I didn't use to be fair, um, pretzel nano head torch and spare batteries, Harvey maps that you now know don't don't need, but you might want if you're gonna do any recis or um want to just get up to speed with the nav on the course anyway. Uh montane leggings, my whole sleep system, the sleeping bag, mat, and big bivvy bag, which I didn't use any of, but you have to have anyway. A set of uh black diamond carmant poles, one of which I bent in the first three hours in a snow drift. And on top of that, I bought oh I spent£53 on£35 litre dry bag to line out the inside of my race pack. Um, and I bought other dry bags and a poo shovel. Um, the backpack was 124 quid, an Osspray 30 litre uh talon backpack. I bought£17 on a pair of clear goggles, which you have to have. 290 quid on a Garmin Edge GPS device, which is actually a bike computer. Um, you want to put some serious thought into that. If I did it again, I would definitely get myself a really high-end spec watch with uh full colour mapping, but that's just for me. I bought another pair of waterproof trousers, 116 quid, and I bought a flask which I didn't use, but I would recommend, especially if you're going to reduce the amount of stops you're gonna have along the way on the course. The flask cost me 34 quid. Uh, really good one lasts about eight hours hot. So if you want to carry hot water or coffee and you're not taking a stove, I would recommend that you take a flask. I spent 15 quid on Torky Toaster maps, which I had to get downloaded onto my GPS device. That is quite a technical operation. I used my 14-year-old grandson Harry to do that for me, who was brilliant. So you need one of those as well if you're old and not that techie like me. Um, and I spent about 88 quid on hill food and nutrition. So my equipment and nutrition came to 2192 quid. I spent£68 on one-way travel up to E-Dale from Woking. And remembering that I have a senior rail card, so I benefited from that. And the accommodation at E Dale Youth Hostel was£110. I booked a large room and I recommend you do the same. And I thank Steve Bennett again for that piece of advice. It's brilliant to be able to spread out your kit. Um, I ended up sharing the room with um Ashley Ward, um, and we had loads of room to spread out our kit and repack and get everything ready for the um race itself after kit check. So I had no recce costs, so you'd have to factor those in as well if you're gonna recce any of the course or all of it, that could come to quite a sum of money. But my total costs was£3,715. So some food for thought there, just in costs. I mean, it is a bucketless race, it's equivalent to a holiday, a really good holiday. And so I was happy to spend it, and you know, that's the sort of thought you have to put into it if you're gonna have another go. Um, obviously, it'll be cheaper for me if I did choose to do it again next time around. Um, yeah, of course, you can also use the beg borrowing stealing methods. I did borrow one pretzel head torch from my friend Matt Harper at the running club. I didn't actually use it, but uh it was very useful to have. So that was only one item that I got off of somebody else, but you could well uh use that method. You will also find probably quite a second-hand market out there with past spiners who are now had enough of the race and aren't going to challenge themselves anymore, and have bits of kit that they're gonna be selling uh probably over Facebook or within the community groups anyway, around the spine race. I'd say my vital kit over mandatory quit was a set of Gore-Tex schemets, a spare pair of poles, definitely, and a flask, if not using a stove. So those are just the um final items around the kit element. I failed to read out the results of all my friends um who are mainly mid-to-back packers normally on the race uh in 2026, and I'm gonna start with the first one who is by no means a mid-packer anymore. Uh Mr Benjamin Potts, who came twelfth in a time of 119 hours, 34 minutes and 54 seconds. Darren Greasley, who was returning, big knotts forest fan, uh, after his DNF last year, he was 16th, 121 hours, 2 minutes and 37 seconds. Ashley Ward, who travelled up with and spent the night with at the youth hostel, was 31st in 130 hours, two minutes and forty-three seconds. Uh, that was right with in what he was looking to achieve, I think. So well done to Ashley. Um Fumiaki Imamura, a Japanese guy who I have been on the Dragonsback race and the Northern Traverse with, and he has got better and better and better as over the years that he's been doing these. Um he's taken on all the big stuff by the look of it. And he was 38 in 132 hours, 12 minutes and four seconds. And then we come to Phil Bristow, who I've mentioned loads of times now, 77th, 158 hours, 12 minutes and 4 seconds at the age of 64, the oldest finisher, I believe. Well done, Phil. And finally, and by no means last, Jacko Schwart, who saved my race, or as far as made me get a bit further up the course, thanks to the telephone uh incident loan. Thanks again, Jacko, and he was 88th in 164 hours, be 5755. So just under 165 hours, Yacko was in 88 position. Uh quick mention for Paul Telford, just because he's a good mate of mine and helped me out loads on this race in race. Um he did the spine challenge herself, came 63rd in 52 hours, six minutes and thirty-nine seconds, and I'm sure he's avidly listening to this because he intends entering the main spine race uh for 2027. Uh, finally, I must thank all my friends and relations that have been involved around this race again. Thanks to Paul and Fran Telford, Steve Jones, uh, an old mate on a number of races, and recis for the Dragonsback race, uh, who was constantly on it ahead of most people with the nav, knows the course really well. Pass finisher. Um, well done, Steve. Sorry I messed up badly for you. Uh John Roberts, or Migsy, as he's known in our social group, um, for his support in trying to get me done, especially at the end up on Hadrian's Wall. Lizzie Gatherer, as ever, supportive and positive Lizzie. Graham Smee from the Running Club, Heart Road Runners, also was quick to try and correct my uh mess-ups. Graham's been a uh great supporter, especially when I did the King Alfred's Way. Sophie Bennett, as ever, Sophie's always out there giving out love and encouragement. Um, my sons Lyndon and Lewis, who I mentioned in the previous podcast. My stepdaughter Beck Straker, who was very active on the message boards, helped me loads with the um charity stuff and social media stuff. And in a very emotional moment on day five, in crossing some more somewhere very early in the morning, I told her I loved her, which I don't think I've ever done in a very emotional state, but I do love you back. Um, and final love to my long-suffering wife Jill, uh, who put out a pleading message to the race organisers to turn me around, bless her. And she really is long-suffering, as you can probably understand. Finally, um, I have to mention, of course, the charity Free2Be Kids. The fund yesterday on Sunday ticked over just over£6,000. Thank you all once again for your incredibly generous support for this wonderful charity. Um, if you do still want to give, look up Enthuse.com and find Kevin Munt on there, and you'll find my uh page for that charity. Um, I will uh end it after next weekend. Um I am leading our club's training camp coming up on Dartmoor this Friday coming. Um, and I have a feeling there might be some more money coming to the charity from uh that training camp. So it will be closed after this weekend coming, probably. Um I had loads of wonderful donation messages. Um somebody messaged me to say that they were um going to start exercising more in the summer. I'd changed their mind, they were now going to start their exercise regime in the winter. Um, and they ran home from work and sent the charity their train fare. Um, and I had loads and loads of stuff like this, which really Really moving and inspiring, and I'm so glad that in some way I'm helping other people to get out there and get exercising and donate to charity and do all sorts of lovely things that make you feel better as a person. And I'm saving the last bit because I had a message from an old friend called Barry Lonigan, who I've had many a drunken ski holiday with. Lovely guy, could probably, and I think um he wouldn't mind me saying this, is as far from removed from running the spine race as a lot of people can be. But he sent me this message and I want to read it out because uh it's not just about me, I think it's about what this whole ultrarunning community is about. And Barry says, An amazing achievement beyond most of the populous ability at your ages. It's an incredible push/slash commitment and pure grit psychologically and physically. While most people are sitting around chilling, give yourself a huge pat on the back. I have no clue how you built the mindset, stamina, commitment, energy, and sheer determination to even sign up for these events, but it's incredibly awesome, self-discipline, determination, and confidence. Amazing, mate, well done, you. Sounds like you are embraced by a unique, solid community in this high achieving group of unique people. Heart 100%. And I just thought from a guy who, you know, is not in to running, even let alone this level of what we're doing, uh, was wonderfully insightful, um, very moving for me when I first read it. And I just wanted to share it with everybody because that sums up all of you who are out there doing this stuff, and I think Barry has really hit the nail on the head with it. Also, as a last postscript, I've heard from Juan Pajan, um, and he intends coming back for his revenge, in his words, uh, not mine, next year. So best of luck, Juan. I hope you do get back in the event. It would be absolutely awesome to see you back there again. And I I really admire your self-belief uh to enter Britain's most brutal ultra race. And I hope you all apply that self-belief like Juan is going to do, and give it a shot. Believe me, it's one hell of a ride. So until the next day's session, this is Kev saying bye for now.

SPEAKER_00 47:01

To the next bloody hate station.