Ultrarunning legends Jon Shield and Damian Hall crossed the line together to take joint first place in the men’s Montane Winter Spine Race Sprint North while Louise Goddard was the impressive women’s winner.
New for winter 2026, the route took on the final section of the Pennine Way, and the runners faced heavy rain at the start, icy and snow-covered ground on the tops, and strong winds throughout.
Here’s how things played out…
Teamwork
Full Spine Race winner – and previous Pennine Way FKT (fastest known time) holder Hall – tested out the route in 2025, and in what was almost an exhibition run he clocked just over 10 hours for the 43-miles from Brown Rigg to Kirk Yetholm.
But this time the pace was way faster despite the testing conditions and Hall and Shield, who had run alongside each other pretty much throughout, crossed the line together in 8:06:51.
Graham McKinley was third just over an hour behind, holding off Howard Dracup by six minutes, to complete what was an all-British podium.
Spine Sprint double
Meanwhile Goddard became the inaugural women’s Winter Spine Sprint North winner, finishing in 11h:53:25.
She was also the first ever Summer Spine Sprint North Women’s winner in 2025 so now holds both course records.
She set out her stall early, leading the women from the beginning and fending off the chasing pack in the Cheviot loop.
Tasha Brooke and Ilona Morgan were second and third respectively.
Known for her resilience in harsh conditions, experienced mountaineer Brooke was nonetheless racing her very first ultramarathon and crossed the line in 12:19:35, with Morgan not far behind in 12:26:26.
