Spine Time
Race coverage | filming in the Pennines | Jack Scott's 2024 win | Dave Pen’s comeback | hear from a Spine co-founder
I’m not a writer, I’m an adventure librarian and I make lists. Here’s a list of some key resources and information about the Montane Spine Race.
Widely regarded as “Britain’s Most Brutal Endurance Race” the full Spine Race is a non-stop 268-mile winter ultramarathon along the Pennine Way from Edale in Derbyshire to Kirk Yetholm in the Scottish Borders (with shorter versions taking in the North and South sections).
Arctic expedition guides Phil Hayday-Brown and Scott Gilmour devised the race. After helping organise the Polar Challenge (a 320-mile route from northern Canada to the North Pole), Hayday-Brown wanted a UK equivalent. He and Gilmour identified the Pennine Way’s varied and challenging terrain as the perfect backdrop for what would become an infamous winter ultramarathon.
The inaugural Spine Race took place in January 2012 with just 15 intrepid runners on the start line. At the time, no races used the Pennine Way, there was no way to track runners, and many didn’t believe such an event was possible. Of those 15 starters, only three finished: Steve Thompson, Gary Morrison, and Mark Caldwell.
The race’s popularity has since exploded with the introduction of GPS tracking technology, which allows family, friends, and the public to follow runners in real time—a phenomenon known as “dot-watching.” Today, over a million people track participants online, and the race welcomes over 150 competitors each year.
Jack Scott holds the overall course record: 72:55:05.
Jasmin Paris holds the women’s record: 83:12:23.
Annual results table for the full Winter Spine.
The 2026 Winter Spine events launch on 10 January, with the full Winter Spine starting in Edale at 8am on Sunday, 11 January.
Spine
Dir. Ellie Green, Matt Green | UK | 2022 | 48 mins
A definitive look at the first 10 years of Britain’s Most Brutal Race
This documentary tells the story of the race from its inception to the present day, through interviews with its founders, long-standing crew members and through the experiences of athletes who have braved the challenge, such as Jasmin Paris, Eoin Keith, Damian Hall, Eugenie Rosello Sole, and Pavel Paloncy.
Spine had its world premier at the Kendal Mountain Festival in 2022 and is available on the Kendal Mountain Player (subscription) and to buy or rent on Vimeo
There’s a trailer on YouTube
For the release of this 10th anniversary special, filmmaker Ellie Green discussed her time on location capturing Spine stories in this Behind the Lens article for Montane.
The producers of Spine, Summit Fever Media, created a trilogy of documentaries from their 2017-2019 race coverage.
Broken
Dir. Ellie Green, Matt Green | UK | 2019 | 67 mins
Coverage of the 2017 Spine Race
Directors' Cut of the 10 daily 2017 Montane Spine Race TV episodes, featuring additional footage and narrated by Damian Hall, a Spine Finisher and author of the Official Pennine Way Guide Book
Buy or rent on Vimeo or Projektor
Resilience
Dir. Ellie Green, Matt Green | UK | 2019 | 45 mins
Coverage of the 2018 Spine Race
Directors' Cut of Montane Spine Race TV 2018, featuring bonus unseen footage. Includes The Montane Challenger, Montane MRT Challenge and The Montane Spine Race.
Buy or rent on Vimeo or Projektor
Endurance
Dir. Ellie Green, Matt Green | UK | 2019 | 65 mins
Coverage of the 2019 Spine Race
Directors’ Cut of the Montane Spine Race Daily Videos from 2019, featuring bonus unseen footage. Includes The Montane Challenger, Montane MRT Challenge and The Montane Spine Race.
Buy or rent on Vimeo or Projektor
The Montane Spine Race Film
Dir. Ellie Green, Matt Green | UK | 2015 | 60 mins
Documentary following competitors as they attempt to finish the 268-mile race within seven days, battling sleep deprivation, extreme weather, and exhaustion. Featuring Damian Hall, Pavel Paloncy and Beth Pascall.
Bur or rent on Vimeo or Projektor
Run Again
Dir. Alexis Berg | France | 2025 | 67 mins
Archive frontman Dave Pen takes on the almighty Spine Race in this multi award-winning documentary
A portrait of a man who refuses to stop. Dave Pen, 45, lead singer of Archive, a British rock band that has filled Europe’s biggest venues for 30 years. But this father is forced into silence: Archive hasn’t played live for four years. Back in his hometown of Southampton, Dave has returned to work as an electrician and is searching for a new breath. He signs up for England’s toughest footrace, the Spine Race, a 268-mile footrace that follows the Pennine Way through England during winter. It will be the race of a lifetime, an endless quest.
Watch the film and trailer on YouTube
🎤 a bonus track..
Dave Pen on stage with Archive at Rock Werchter 2024
🎧
The Home Trails Podcast (multiple episodes)
Samuel Hill’s official podcast in residence for the 2025 Winter Spine Race, featuring race coverage, interviews with participants, and in-depth discussions about the event and British ultrarunning culture. Now featuring 2026 event preview interviews with Spine legends John Kelly, Damian Hall and James Noble.
She Trails Podcast - Robyn Cassidy’s Journey across the Full Winter Spine Race (2025)
How ultra-Runner, physio, researcher and all-around outdoor lover Robyn Cassidy completed the Full Winter Spine Race in 2025 as 2nd female and 9th overall.
Tea & Trails Podcast - Ep. 102 Sam Skinner (2025)
Pre-Spine Race interview with Sam Skinner, discussing his preparation and previous ultrarunning experience.
Tea & Trails Podcast - Ep. 105 Mel Sykes (2025)
Mel Sykes shares her journey from brain surgery to preparing for the 268-mile Spine Race.
RunPod - Phil Hayday-Brown (2025)
Jenni Falconer meets Phil Hayday-Brown, co-founder of the Spine Race, to discuss his pioneering career in adventure racing and his polar expedition experiences.
📖
Running Through the Dark (2024)
Ultrarunner Jen Scotney has achieved podium finishes in some of the UK’s toughest races and now has her sights firmly set on the Pennine Way. In her memoir, Jen talks about her ambitions, not just to run the 268-mile Pennine Way but to take the record as the fastest woman to do so. But that didn’t happen. Nothing went according to plan.
Articles on the legendary 2024 race at which Jack Scott broke the record..
INOV8’s Jack Scott Wins the Montane Winter Spine Race 2024
Jack Scott: How I Won the Montane Spine Race by Rick Pearson
How I Didn’t Win the 2024 Winter Spine Race by Damian Hall
Further Reading
Run247 race reports and features, especially during and after each January event, with up-to-date records, interviews, and photo galleries
Runner’s World - Everything You Need to Know About the Spine its history and key stats
Montane® - The Story Behind Britain’s Most Brutal Race its origins, the highlights of the route and everything in between
Montane® - Winter Spine 2025 reports on the weather conditions that pushed even seasoned veterans to their limits
BBC News - Winter Spine 2025 Britain’s most brutal race has lived up to its reputation
Inov8 - Winter Spine Race 2025 results, round-up and athlete Q&A
A Life of Adventure - Debbie Martin-Consani and the 2020 Race how she placed second woman and eighth overall
BBC Sport - Jasmin Paris Wins the 2019 Race smashing the course record and becoming the first female winner
Sarah Perry, Spine Race 2025 - Image Credit: ericmurphy.co 
Image Credit: Andrew Hendry / Montane Winter Spine Race
Notes
The Northbound project is building a searchable, non-commercial library of links to films, podcasts, articles and books on environmental, adventure and outdoor themes. We do not offer critiques or opinions on the works cited.
Some text and images have been sourced from online articles and promotions. If you spot any errors, omissions or incorrect attributions, please contact me below.
Links were active at the time of publishing. Some may be geo-blocked to specific territories.
This is so great! I follow the spine religiously and have also worked on it a few times - so thanks for putting this together!