268 MILE SPINE RACE | 130 Hours of Thunderstorms, Heat and Blister Hell

In June 2023, I traveled to the UK for only the second time ever to participate in the 2023 summer edition of the Spine Race.

This race spans the entire length of the 268-mile Pennine Way National Trail and traverses 4 National Parks. It starts at the southernmost point in Edale, England, and finishes at its northernmost point in Kirk Yetholm, Scotland. Runners climb nearly 40,000 feet while navigating some of the most challenging and varied terrain Britain has to offer.

My only goal was to make it to the finish line within the 156-hour time limit, but even that seemed impossible as I was finally toeing the starting line. Just making it to the starting line seemed unlikely just 4 days earlier. Not only had my passport arrived just 4 days prior to my flight to Europe after its renewal had taken nearly 13 weeks, but all of my luggage (and all 40lbs of my running gear and nutrition for a week) had gotten lost during the journey. I was only able to pick it up at Manchester Airport the day before my mandatory gear check and race bib pickup. The weather forecast for the entire race week had been very promising just a week out from the start.

However, this changed dramatically just days before I would depart on my biggest challenge, yet. Now, we were promised extensive thunderstorms and rain for 2 or more days. In between, we would get to enjoy unseasonably warm temperatures. Unfortunately, these conditions did materialize and caused havoc on the entire field, especially our feet. Blisters and trench foot caused some of the field to drop out early in the race. This is considered a self-supported event and with checkpoints a minimum of 40-60 miles apart, runners needed to be largely self-sufficient. I had developed my first blisters by mile 70 and with the help of one of the medics, I was able to take care of some of them. Unfortunately, a couple of them were too deep below the epidermis to lance. They would continue to get worse, limiting my ability to run.

The physical challenge of running 268 miles, the severe lack of sleep, and the compounding foot issues made this not only my longest ultra by more than 30 hours but also my most challenging. The struggles and low points throughout the race were more than counterbalanced by the amazing scenery of the place. If you enjoy this content, please do me a solid and subscribe to my channel. It helps me out a lot. And if you have any questions about gear, nutrition, or anything else related to this race in particular or ultra marathons in general, please feel free to post your questions in the comments below.

And don't forget to check out my two race prep videos discussing the mandatory gear as well as the one 40lbs drop bag runners are allowed for this self-sufficient race.

Please visit http://www.ultrakrautrunning.com/2023... for my complete list of both mandatory and optional gear choices.