After 268 miles of hard graft on the iconic Pennine Way, Ed Payne and Jenny Hartley were crowned the winners of the 2026 Summer Spine Race.
Men’s race
After a DNF at last year’s race, Payne was back this year stronger than ever, finishing in an impressive time of 82:28:07.
He was consistent throughout, taking the lead after Jon Shield dropped out at Hebden Hey.
From there, Payne dominated the men’s race, steadily extending his lead. He crossed the finish line on Wednesday evening over 9 hours ahead of second place – Samuel Adams in 91:34:55.
Women’s race
Before stepping onto the Pennine Way, Hartley had never run further than 100 miles in a single go but already holds two gold medals and a bronze in track running from the Invictus Games.
As an Army veteran and her daily life as a working GP, she had the qualities required in abundance and looked strong as she came into the finish on Thursday afternoon in a time of 104:55:46.
Danielle Macgill was second and Lindsey Collins third.
