There was a shortish feature on the event in the regional 'Inside Out: Yorkshire and Lincolnshire' programme on BBC1 on 2nd February, available on i-player as of 8th Feb.

I saw that Inside Out North West is also featuring it tomorrow 9th Feb.

Iain

There's more on the Spine story in grough.

And to Jim Tinnion who completed after a nail biting night (for his followers)

Congratulations to Matt Neale who finished in 7th place in a whisker over 5 days.

Jim still hanging in there - front runners now home

Julie now well ahead but seems to be wandering around in the dark on Cross Fell - What a night to be off route and alone on the highest point of the Pennines. Jim starts the night in the Middleton checkpoint - good idea to stay there a while. Correction - I think he is on his way out. This tracking is addictive viewing. Only 49 still going - Julie currently 15th and Jim 27th.

Julie approaching CP 3 at Middleton. Jim now in CP 2 Hawes. The leader has been held at Middleton for 16 hours because of dangerous conditions on the next section. 35 retired now - 55 still going.

Jack said it was too icy for her and she was going home for a hot bath. Good decision Jack.

Looks like Jacqui has retired but Jim and Julie still going strong - Julie climbing up Stanedge and Jim not far behind. Weather looks (predictably) awful - hail and some snow flurries. Good luck to them all - and particularly to our LDWA friends.

Some LDWA members started the race this morning. I've spotted Jacqui Cooper, Julie Gardner and Jim Tinnion on the list.

Tracking

Congratulations to LDWA member, Jack Cooper, who completed the Spine Challenger Race 2014 at 02:34 on Monday morning, in 43 hours 13 minutes, only (I think) female to finish the Challenger Race and with new course record.

The Spine Race 2014 continues.... updates here.

Yes: Okay we know you are all needing updates so... The last placed team has been withdrawn from the race course as the snow conditions were too severe to progress. Annie Garcia, Russ Swift and David Lee are currently being safely evacuated from the route.

Not their choice: 'has been withdrawn' But other posters mentioned snow drifts 7 metres deep.

Also they had not reached the mountain refuge hut as far as I can tell. That update was added to a thread about them but referred to the group ahead of them.

The group in front of them spent the night in the refuge hut and reached the finish an hour ago.

See from the facebook page that Dave, Russ and Annie have been pulled by the organisers because of worsening snow conditions. 250 miles and within sight of the end.

Keep the information coming in Elton (Leaderboard useless)

Another update, about an hour ago:They left very early this morning to make the cut off and are currently at the Mountain Refuge Hut on the trail.

I think that must refer to the first hut up in the Cheviots, near Lamb Hill. If so, that means 1) the snow up there is not so deep that they can't walk through it, and 2) that they are 8.1 miles from the point where the Pennine Way leaves the Cheviots and begins descending to Kirk Yetholm, and 16.4 miles from the finish.

16 miles in eleven hours - they should make it, even up through the snow and the night.

Times are looking very tight: 23.5 hours to go and the trio including David are not recorded as leaving (or even as having reached) Bellingham yet. From Bellingham to KirkYetholm is 1.5 days walking in summer.

On the other hand updating of the leaderboards has a time lag: Morrison and Lendon are finished,and the leaderboards don't show that yet.

Hot off the press, 5 mins ago via mobile: 'Dave was with Annie n russ approaching c.p .5 at 7am'

So they're still in there, with a chance and fighting.

Any news about Dave and his mates - one a lady I see

So we have three LDWA members in the Spine Race. Alf Short, in the Spine Challenger, had to retire early on.

Mick Cooper left Alston 12 hours after Eugeni Sole, and had reduced the lead to just over 2 hours by the finish. And this is after having already done 180 miles. The word ?determination? doesn?t begin to describe these men and women.

Sole's diversion off the Cheviots didn't help. By the route he took, it seems he thought he had missed the Kirk Yetholm turnoff, but this was still some miles ahead. He left the escarpment at 630m, went down to 200m, wandered around in the valleys for a bit, then climbed back up onto the route again to 480m. He did at least 5km extra. At any time an incident like that would have been frustrating, but at that stage of the race it must have been morale shattering.

Three have now finished. And they say the weather is ?turning?. Eleven or twelve are still out there.

David left Alston with two others at 07:15, 86 miles to go.

Mick at the finish.

Another LDWA member, Mick Cooper from Bradford, second person to finish, 5d7h11m - and he ran to the finish line. Get the man a beer Jack.

Minus 7 deg in Dufton (at the bottom of Cross Fell) overnight.

So on Cross Fell itself ??

And add wind chill??

Leader boards give exact times but usually omit to say what day...

Today, Wednesday, David left CP3 (Middleton in Teesdale) at 03:33

Was 'Fueling up' for Cross Fell at 14:00 with 6 others

And was 'Moving down' Cross Fell at 21:00 with 3 others.

So he should reach CP4 (Alston) shortly.

"All the athletes are using around 9 layers for protection," according to the organisers

Almost half the field have retired so far..

Looks like he is still going - anyway it doesn't say "scratched" on the leaders board - anyone know more?

David has just left CP2, Hawes, 107 miles, 60 hours into the race.

David drives himself with a bullwhip, so his time is an indication of conditions: appalling.

Many withdrawals from injuries and exhaustion.

https://www.facebook.com/TheSpineRace

They started 8am today. Updates here

http://www.thespinerace.com/updates/

Good Luck with this David.

Good luck with the weather and conditions on the race, David. I admire but do not envy you.

thanks for the link

what an epic event...

I did N - S in 10 days and I thought that was tough... clearly I wasn't trying... ;)

Just read Gary Morrison's account of this epic.

http://garyandvic.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/spine-race-2012an-epic-adventure.html

And I thought the Hundred was tough!

Attended a training event over the weekend for this race along the full Pennine Way in January 2013.
The training was a series of lectures on safety, medical, survival, navigation etc, followed by a simulated race of 45 plus miles around the Mary Townley Loop of the Pennine Bridleway.
Some competors will be walking it all whilst others will go Ultra Marathon style and be running at least parts of it. There is a 7 day time limit, but is well supported with 5 checkpoints.
Basically the first one to Scotland wins!
Dave.