Race victor Damian Hall. Photo: Spine Race

Damian Hall and Jack Scott have finished the Montane Spine Race together, but Hall took the title because Scott was penalised for a navigational error earlier in the event.

The two men touched the wall of the Border Hotel in Kirk Yetholm, but a time penalty for leaving the official route pushed Scott down to runner-up position.

Hall and Scott arrived at the finish line in a provisional time of 3 days 12hrs 36mins 24secs but the earlier addition of a time penalty for the latter after a navigational error In Wark Forest saw him taking a shorter route and gaining an advantage. He was handed a 48-minute addition, but also had seven minutes credited for helping a fellow runner.

His runner-up time was therefore judged to be 3 days 13hrs 16mins 24secs.

Jasmin Paris’s course record of 3 days 11hrs 12mins 23secs, set in 2019, stands but Hall has taken the fastest men’s record from arch Pennine Way rival John Kelly by more than 2½ hours. Scott also beat Kelly’s time.

Jack Scott took the runner-up title. Photo: Bob Smith/grough

Damian Hall, a one-time record holder for the fastest known time to complete the Pennine Way, ran the early stages of the race with Kim Collison, who dropped out at Tan Hill on the second day of the race. After that, Jack Scott stayed within a short distance of him, swapping places from time to time. Irish competitor Joe O’Leary was in third place at the time of writing.

Leading woman runner at the time of writing was Claire Bannwarth of France, ahead of British runner Hannah Rickman in second, with French competitor Fanny Jean in third place. Bannwarth is hot on the heels of O’Leary and Dougie Zinis, running close together in third and fourth overall places.

Rory Harris took victory in the Montane Spine Winter Challenger South, run between Edale and Hawes, with Sarah Hodgson taking the women’s trophy. Mike Bottomley won the MRT Challenger Race, for mountain rescue team members, with Steph Dwyer fastest woman.

Claire Bannwarth leads the women's Spine Race. Photo: Bob Smith/grough

Winner Jon Shield took two hours off the course record in the 46-mile Montane Winter Spine Sprint from Edale to Hebden Bridge. Winning woman Louise Venables broke the defending champion Alice Kershaw’s course record by over half an hour.

UK runner Tim Bradley was the victor in the Spine Challenger North, with Irene Kinnegim of the Netherlands taking the women’s honours.

Runners have encountered typical winter Pennine conditions, with early snow, rain and high winds, followed by waist-deep snow and temperatures dropping to -17C overnight temperatures.

By Wednesday night, 60 Spine Race runners had retired from the event.