A friend, Catherine Hill, and I hugging at the end of her 267 mile Spine Race. It’s not an exaggeration to say that this community is my second family ❤️

This photo by Andrew Hendry encompasses how I feel about the Spine community. There is nothing quite like the group of extraordinary people who run it, work on it & follow it

Love is palpable here. The #SpineFamily is deeply life-affirming

#SpineRace

Dean and Helen-Ann standing by the iconic Tunnocks truck by the trail

Dean and Helen-Ann on a wooden bridge over a stream on the way up towards the Cheviots

A selfie with me, Dean & Helen-Ann by a National Trail acorn post

A Pennine Way finger post with rolling hills behind

Fabulous jaunt along the Pennine Way with @helenannhartley.bsky.social & @deanread.bsky.social today! It was such a fabulous and very welcome break. We put the world to rights and made trail plans together

Wonderful 🥰

#PennineWay #SpineFamily #SpineRace

Alex Salt greeted by his partner at the Montane Summer Challenger South finish line.

Alex and his mum, Moira, at Middleton CP a few hours later

Alex Salt finished the Montane Summer Challenger South this morning in Hardraw.
This afternoon he went to Middleton checkpoint to join his Mum, Moira on the volunteer team and help others reach their own finish lines.

That’s the #SpineFamily

#SpineRace #SummerSpine

Not sure if he’s running it or not 🤷🏻‍♀️ but he’s an established and much loved part of the #SpineFamily so we always hope to see him in one capacity or another :)

The allotment is an excellent reason not to be there - share pics of your produce when the time comes?

Thinking of you in the Arctic!
The tangerine dictator can’t take away your sense of adventure or your #SpineFamily

A Running Show award for ‘Running Event of the Year’ awarded to the Spine Race

Thrilled to say that the Spine Race has won ‘Running Event of the Year at the National Running Show awards. What a lovely end to this year’s winter race!

For me, this is a trophy for the 350+ #SpineFamily volunteers who make this race happen 👊🏻🧡

#SpineRace

Thank you for writing such a wonderful chapter in #spinerace history. You’ll always be welcome in the #spinefamily

🏆 Nicky Spinks wins the women’s Montane Winter Spine Challenger North! A legend in UK ultrarunning, she battled snow and bogs to cross the line in Kirk Yetholm with Joe Farnell (2nd in MRT North). “This was our dream race,” she shared. 👏 #SpineFamily #TrailRunning #spinerace

She was also already a member of the #spinefamily having finished 5th in the women’s race at the full Winter Spine Race last year, and come to past events to help other spiners on their journeys as part of our volunteer team…

The first edition of the Sprint North will feature in this year’s Summer Spine Race and is already sold out.
We can’t wait to see the #SpineFamily take to the course.

Checkpoint 2 in Hawes closed at 20:00 last night.

A massive thanks to those volunteers for all their amazing work.

📸 Jane Miles

#spinefamily #spinerace

So good to see you here @spinerace.bsky.social!

Roll up for a week of incredible grit, courage and skill. And that’s just the volunteers #spinefamily 😉

Elite ultra runner John Kelly loading drop bags into my van on the winter spine race last year. Pavel Paloncy is not far behind him

Flashback to when John Kelly and Pav Paloncy DNF’d from the Spine Race last year, so they came along in my van, helping to load lead runners drop bags and making tea at checkpoints.

Banging addition to the crew 👊🏻😂

#SpineFamily #SpineRace

Screenshot of an online meeting showing thumbnails of some of the participants from our 2025 winter checkpoint crew

Excellent Spine checkpoint meeting with 77 or so of our crew tuning in to say hi and ask questions ahead of January’s Pennine Way adventures

Absolutely fabulous bunch of people! 🤩

#SpineFamily

Proud to have run the Sprint twice, proud to be a returning volunteer #Spinefamily

A view behind a group of people sitting and listening to a presentation & taking part in discussions in a hall.

Relaxed time at the Spine Summit in Hardraw, discussing current systems and taking on board suggestions for change. Lovely to see everyone!

#SpineRace #SpineFamily #SpineSummit

Four men stand together outside on a sunny day, all smiling. One is wearing a running vest. They are ultra runners waiting for the start of the Tor des Geants race, which started this morning. In the background there is a race banner.

A post from the race with an update as of 1800 BST on 8/9

All eyes on Tor Des Geants over here. Rooting so much for Damian, Jasmin, John, Ajay, Sabs and all our other Spine buddies taking on those mountains 🤩🙌🏻👊🏻

#TdG #TorDesGeants #EnduranceRunning #UltraRunning #TrailRunning #SpineFamily