Application sent - application accepted - butterflies activated.

Well yesterday morning the applications for entering the Spine races opened. I duly sent in my application, which includes all my race and mountain experience, including the fact that I had successfully completed the shorter race this year.

Within the hour I received a response stating that my application had been accepted and that I was entered into The Montane Spine Race. This is the daddy of the race I did this year. Instead of the 108 miles in 60 hours I faced this January, This time it will be 268 miles in 168 hours.

I have 11 months to sort myself out so I can confidently set out to complete it in the allotted time, first i still need to sort out my ankles and feet, which are still suffering the after effects of this years race...

Plenty of time for that 😀

Here is what the organisers say about the race:

The montane® spine® race is widely regarded as one of the world’s toughest endurance races. A truly epic challenge that will test your physical resilience and mental fortitude. Racing non-stop along the most iconic trail in the uk, you will experience the full intensity and ferocity of the british winter. Prepare yourself for the biggest challenge of your life.

The Pennine Way is one of the most demanding National Trails in Britain, and certainly the most iconic. The trail crosses some of the most beautiful and at times difficult terrain found in England, including; the Peak District, Yorkshire Dales, Northumberland National Park, Hadrian’s Wall and the Cheviots; finishing at the Scottish Borders.

The MONTANE® Spine® Race is open to anyone with appropriate experience* who wishes to test themselves and compete in a truly demanding race. Expect to face extreme weather, deep snow, ice, mud, bogs, ground water, storm force winds and driving rain in a gruelling, non-stop, 7-day race from Edale to Kirk Yetholm.

It’s not just the conditions that are against you, your own body and mind could become your worst enemy. Tiredness, fatigue, sleep deprivation and exposure to the extremes of winter weather are all to be expected. To finish you must be prepared and willing to push yourself harder than ever before.

There is very little hand holding on this race. We expect you to travel with a degree of self-sufficiency and skill which sets this race apart from others. Why? You should never embark on an adventure of this magnitude without the appropriate knowledge and skill to make yourself safe in a time of need. There is nothing more personally reassuring than being secure in your own abilities. That said, we still attach a GPS tracker to you with an emergency button just in case!

The MONTANE® Spine® Team will support your herculean efforts by being there when you really need us. We have an event safety team who will support you on the course, checkpoint teams who will provide you with some of the comforts of home when you need a rest, baggage transfers for your resupply and an excellent medical team provided by Exile Medics.

And here is a high level map of the route:

I am still a bit daunted by the distance, but i have nearly a year to train for it, so it should be ok, although it will involve a lot more running than last time if i want to finish within the cut off, and still be able to sleep!

So, that's it for now - see you soon.