Amid brutal winter conditions, INOV8 athletes Jack Scott, Sarah Perry and Nicky Spinks landed big wins in the Winter Spine Challenger races.
Jack and Sarah won the Winter Spine Challenger South and MRT Challenger South respectively, while Nicky finished joint-first woman in the Challenger North.
They all demonstrated grit, courage and resilience over the remote 100+ miles courses, battling savage weather, deep snow and freezing temperatures.
Jack completed the 108-mile Winter Spine Challenger South race route – along the Edale to Hawes southern stretch of England’s famously tough 268-mile Pennine Way trail – in 25hrs 12mins, having earlier built up a huge lead.
He arrived in Hawes exhausted after a particularly rough final 20 miles which saw him take in the summit of a wild Pen-y-ghent (694m). Soon after, race organisers amended the course for safety reasons, resulting in a shorter route for runners behind Jack that avoided the hill.
Speaking from Hawes after finishing, Jack said: “It was a long solo run with pressure coming from a chasing pack the entire way. I took risks on the tougher areas of the course and backed myself to bank time against the others.
“The conditions were so severe for the last nine hours over Fountain Fell, Pen-y-ghent and Cam High Road that there was danger to life, with diversions now in place.
“Progress slowed drastically, I got very cold and deep snow congregated. It was the sort of run that being only four miles from the finish and leading the race, I could have easily called it a day and dropped out.
“I’m over the moon to finish safe and sound in Hawes, showing patience and knowledge to take the win.”
The Winter Spine Challenger South is one of six non-stop races being held. The shortest is 46 miles and the longest is the full Winter Spine Race at 268 miles.
Jack currently holds the record for the full-distance race at 72hrs 55mins, set in 2024.
Entrants in the Winter Spine MRT Challenger South – a category exclusive to mountain rescue and search & rescue team members – set off from Edale at the same time as Winter Spine Challenger South runners.
Sarah Perry was first to reach Hawes in 31hrs 37mins. That made her fourth to finish amongst all those that had departed Edale on the Saturday morning. Jack was fastest, followed by second man Ciaran Croke (28hrs 47mins) and first woman Sarah Page (29hrs 03mins).
Sarah said: “It was an incredible experience, but a humbling one. I went into it hoping for a ‘smoother’ run than last year in the full Spine, but I’ve realised that no-one really has a perfect Spine event race. You are constantly battling something – the conditions, the terrain, or the weight on your back.
“I made plenty of mistakes, but I’m grateful for them because I’ve learned so much. I want to build more confidence with running in winter conditions and then come back to the race.”
She added: “I found the underfoot conditions the biggest challenge on the course last weekend. We seemed to have one of three options – snow, slush or sheet ice. This made progress slow and frustrating in cold, wet conditions. It made it hard to stay warm, and I finished the race in three jackets!”
It was yet another incredible performance from Sarah, who just five weeks ago claimed outright victory in The Hill and 11 weeks ago set a new women’s Backyard Ultra World Record of 95 laps (395 miles) in Tennessee.
She said: “I really questioned if I could pull this one off – doing three big ultras in a short space of time – mostly because of the mental toll. Knowingly digging yourself back into the pain cave is exhausting, and on top of that, the Spine events are always a constant mental puzzle.
“I’ve given it everything I have for now – it’s time for some serious recovery.”
Completing a trio of INOV8 athletes at the event was ultra running legend Nicky Spinks, who added to her illustrious roll of honour by winning the women's 160-mile Challenger North for a second successive year - this time jointly with Elaine Bisson.
The pair touched the wall at The Border Hotel, Kirk Yetholm, 55hrs 57mins after departing Hardraw. They'd been running together since Tan Hill, around 15 miles into the race, forging a formidable alliance.
Nicky said: "This year felt tougher. The rain seemed relentless and there was black ice everywhere. I fell over six times just getting to Keld (10m miles into the race).
"I didn't set off to win, nor had I looked at the field of runners. I knew I had been running well but that's not always an indicator as to how a race like this will go.
"I was back and forth with Elaine to Tan Hill. We left there together. We started helping one-another and briefly chatting. There was never an agreement as such to run together, but we were heading into a big night and it felt right. The companionship was great. Sometimes in races like this it just happens.
"The hardest bit was the never-ending ascent of Cross Fell that saw us both bent-double in a battle against the wind. The best bit was the last section, discussing how to stay ahead of those behind and working together to get the best out of ourselves. And also the checkpoints, where so many race volunteers want to help you - they are brilliant, and it's all done without a massive fuss.
'Finishing with Elaine was amazing. We were both so happy."
*Photos by Jamie Rutherford (@jmruther4d) and Adam Jacobs (@wildaperture), taken for the 2026 Montane Winter Spine.
