‘A 100% brain-related DNF’ – Hannah Rickman’s brutally honest appraisal of Spine Race exit

Hannah Rickman, runner-up in the Montane Winter Spine Race for the last two years, has penned an honest and emotional reflection on her exit from the 2025 race.

The British ultrarunning star was one of the favourites this year and in contention early on along with Lucy Gossage as Robyn Cassidy set the pace up front.

But she would retire at Horton-in-Ribblesdale for reasons which were unclear at the time.

‘Proud’ of 2023 and 2024 performances

However she explained the reasoning when she posted the following on her Instagram page:

“A 100% brain-related DNF at 90 of 268 miles of @spinerace ❄️
Wasn’t hurt, wasn’t cold, wasn’t sick. My body was ready to go to Kirk Yetholm, but my brain wasn’t.

“I love the Spine, but it’s HARD, and I’d thought a lot about whether to come back. In the end I wanted to have a big fun adventure with this amazing community and women’s field, and to see if I could put some lessons into practice to run a bit harder, fuel a bit better and sleep a bit smarter.

“I won’t lie, there was an obvious outcome goal having finished 2nd two years in a row, but that wasn’t in my control (so I didn’t really appreciate all the times people asked me if I was “finally going to get it done this year” – I got it done in 2023 & 2024 😘 and am proud of those performances.)”

‘Heading up to Kirk Yetholm to see some legends finish!’

Rickman also won the Summer Spine Sprint in 2023 and had been part of a three-day recce for this year’s main race with many of the other leading female contenders.

Her exit left two of those – Gossage and Cassidy – to battle it out for the title as the snow and ice melted to leave bogs and flooding to contend with.

Rickman added: “I’m not going to complain about the conditions – it’s the Spine! – and we didn’t have it anywhere near as bad as the Challengers breaking trail – …but they were tough and did impact the goals of running harder and having fun.

“I know I can finish this race, but I also know how deep I’ve had to dig to do it, and how physically and mentally broken I’ve been at the end. Standing on the side of Fountains Fell in knee-deep ice-snow, being pelted by sideways rain, my brain told me all the reasons to stop. I told myself that this is my hobby. I thought of the stress in the “real world” and how it would be quite helpful not to be broken all month. I imagined how much louder those voices would be once I hit niggles, nausea and sleep monsters. I visualised all that warming snow melting into the bogs at Sleightholme and Blenkinsopp…. and I didn’t want to do it. Got myself down to Horton and handed in my tracker.

It felt like an amazing decision at the time. Predictably now I’ve had a good night’s sleep I feel a lot more mixed about it.

“Big thanks for the messages & support. HUGELY grateful to Spine family (SST CP2 @kirstyreade72 @ab_runs @nickilygo @oli.hague & Sharon D) for sorting me out 🚿 🍲 🚙 🛌

“Heading up to Kirk Yetholm to see some legends finish!”

A fascinating, honest and heartfelt insight into the physical and mental challenges the Winter Spine imposes on all those who take part.