First-time Molly Browne, 31, has shaved an incredible 11-minutes off the record for the “sprint” section of the Montane Summer Spine race this weekend. Her time of 8hr 30min 29sec beat Hannah Rickman’s previous course record. She was also fourth overall, only beaten by three of the male runners – and she was less than nine minutes behind the men’s winner, Stephen Earle (8hr 21min 49sec).
Lizzie Broughton and Debbie Martin-Consani came second and third in the female race. Of course, this is not a sprint in the way most of us understand the term – Browne actually covered 46 miles to claim the new record. It’s just a sprint in terms of ultra running (which ), and the full Montane Summer Sprint actually comprises four separate races run along the UK’s Pennine Way, the longest of which – from Edale in the Peak District to Kirk Yetholm on the English-Scottish border – is 268 miles, and is still in progress (it can take up to six-and-a-half days before organizers call a halt to it).
The other two races are the 108-mile Summer Challenger South and the 160-mile Summer Challenger North, which are basically the north and south sections of the main race. The “sprint” is the first section, from Edale to Hebden Bridge. And they do it all twice a year – there’s the Winter Spine too: the same set of races, just chillier.
The race began in the pouring rain at midday on Sunday with 100 runners assembled at the start line. After crossing the finish line, Browne said,.
