British ultrarunner smashes “unbeatable” course record at Montane Spine Race
Britain's Jack Scott won the overall race while France's Claire Bannwarth successfully defended her title on the women's side
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Montane Winter Spine Race
The almost bizarrely hard 2024 Montane Winter Spine Race has both a men’s and women’s champion, and a remarkable new course record. On Wednesday morning, 29-year-old British ultrarunner Jack Scott clinched a resounding victory on the gruelling 432-km Pennine Way, in 72 hours, 55 minutes and five seconds.”Britain’s most brutal” race witnessed France’s Claire Bannwarth becoming a rare two-time winner on the women’s side, claiming fifth place overall in 92 hours, two minutes, 23 seconds.
Bannwarth and Scott began their journey along the Pennine Way National Trail on Sunday, lining up with 163 other runners from around the world. Competitors toe the line in Derbyshire, England, and have a time limit of 168 hours to reach the village of Kirk Yetholm on the English-Scottish border, climbing more than 10,000 metres. The race has become very popular for fans, who can follow the athletes, shown as tiny dots on the tracker, as they traverse the Pennine Way (this is called “dot-watching”).
Five winter Spine Race events are held concurrently: the 268-mile Spine Race, the 160-mile Spine Challenger North, the 108-mile Spine Challenger South, the 108-mile MRT Spine Challenge and the 46-mile Spine Sprint. Runners in the Spine Race have until Jan. 22 to finish.
All Spine Race events are self-sufficient; runners carry their own food, clothing, medical supplies and sleeping bag along an unmarked route. No planned outside support is allowed and pacers are not permitted.
Men’s race
Scott, who was last year’s runner-up to renowned British ultrarunner Damian Hall, found himself in a familiar position alongside his friend and rival during the early stages of the race. Early on Tuesday morning, Scott managed to surge ahead, eventually establishing an impressive lead of roughly eight hours over Hall.
Scott’s extraordinary achievement not only eclipsed Hall’s previous men’s record of 84 hours, 36 minutes, and 24 seconds; it also surpassed the overall best set by Jasmin Paris in 2019 (by more than 10 hours), a record considered “unbeatable” by many.”What he has just done is mind-boggling,” American runner John Kelly wrote on Instagram after Scott’s win. Kelly, a fan favourite, was one of several well-known contenders who exited the race; Kelly did so after an ankle injury around the 100K mark.
“If there is such a thing as a perfect performance in endurance sports, then this just might be it,” Montane Winter Spine Race shared on social media.
Women’s race
This year’s defending champion, 34-year-old Bannwarth, has carved her name in Spine Race history with her second win, taking more than five hours off last year’s time after an almost ridiculously impressive 2023 season.
Over the past year, Bannwarth seemed to capture one victory (or near victory) after another, with little to no recovery time, packing several years’ worth of races into a matter of weeks. In July, she ran her way into the record books by becoming the first woman to win the Tahoe 200 Mile Endurance Run outright—only one week after securing a fifth-place finish in the women’s category at Hardrock 100.
“Those of us who have had the good fortune to have met Claire and to have seen her race will tell you there is no evidence her energy reserves have any limit at all,” Montane Winter Spine Race shared on Facebook. Bannwarth faced little competition, with second place Lucy Gossage still out on the course at the time of publication.
For results in the other Spine Race events or to follow along as the rest of the finishers complete their journey, head here.
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