Stephen Hurren
The Montane Summer Spine Race is 268 miles. Stephen Hurren made it 536.
Before the race even began, Stephen ran the length of the Pennine Way from Kirk Yetholm to Edale. Then he turned around and joined the Montane Summer Spine Race, completing the full 268-mile route back north to the finish line.
In 10 days, Stephen covered 536 miles and climbed an incredible 21,464 metres of ascent. That’s more than twice the height of Mount Everest.
He completed the official Montane Summer Spine Race in 124:49:19.
Daniel Fenwick
Daniel Fenwick was officially awarded a 20 minute time bonus for stopping to assist a fellow competitor on the course. This selfless act perfectly embodies the true Spine spirit, proving that the strength of this community, camaraderie, and looking out for your fellow runners always comes first.
Hannah McPeake
During a race reconnaissance run along the northern section of the trail, Hannah McPeake stopped by the legendary Border Hotel in Kirk Yetholm. The pub staff kindly gifted her a slice of takeaway cake but handed it over with a standard metal pub fork. Instead of chucking it away, a legendary joke was born.
The fork was formally engraved with her name and 2026 race number. Hannah packed it into her mandatory kit, carrying the piece of cutlery over all 268 miles of unforgiving bogs, peaks, and tarmac. When she finally crossed the finish line and struck the famous wall, she formally returned the item. The Border Hotel has officially hung the engraved fork behind the bar, where it will remain forever as a piece of permanent Spine lore.
Rich Rothwell
Rich finished 4th in the men’s summer spine sprint south on the Saturday, and then returned to the final quarter of the course to come 3rd in the men’s sprint north.
Cathy Mousette
Cathy was the final finisher of the Challenger North and made it with 1 minute to spare. Cathy has been a long time supporter and trail angel of the Spine Race. One of the most unique and special things about the Spine is its ‘Trail Angels’. While pre-arranged outside support isn’t allowed, there is a long-standing tradition of local people living along the route offering food, drink and encouragement to all runners as they pass through.
These incredible individuals give up their time and energy to support our runners in all conditions, through day and night. While they aren’t officially part of the race crew, Trail Angels are a hugely important part of the Spine community, and their kindness can provide exactly the morale boost needed to push our runners onwards.
Cathy came in just behind Christine Mes who she had been running with since they found one another in the bogs near Tan Hill and made a pact to support each other to navigate through the bogs at night.
David Dunne
David’s world was completely turned upside down when his teenage daughter, Evie, was diagnosed with sarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer. In the raw interviews shared before the race, David opened up about the agonising trauma the family faced, stating: "We had seven weeks of not knowing if our daughter would live or die".
Evie underwent gruelling surgeries and intense hospital treatments. She showed immense resilience, eventually finishing her treatments and remarkably even sitting her school GCSE exams after months away from the classroom.
Driven by immense gratitude for her survival and recovery, David signed up for the self-navigated, largely self-supported 160-mile trek across the high-elevation bogs of the Northern Pennines. When asked how he would cope with the extreme sleep deprivation, blisters, and harsh mountain weather, David’s response perfectly encapsulated why he was out there:
"There will be long days, little sleep, difficult weather and moments where I’ll want to stop, but those challenges are nothing compared to what people living with sarcoma and their families face every day."
David completed Challenger North in 72:37:41
Read more:
The Unseen Race: Stories from the Summer Spine Race 2025
Montane Summer Spine Race Resuts 2026
