The Spine Race 2026 has come to a close. After a week of racing in tough conditions the final runners have crossed the line.
Unfortunately SCARPA athlete James Nobles had a disappointing DNF. Read on for James' thoughts on the race and what went wrong.
James Nobles Spine Race 2026 Report
I believed I could have a crack at competing for the win this year. I knew who I was racing against and thought I had a strategy in place to maximise my odds of doing it.
One thing that I kept in mind was "make smart decisions" and from the start, that's what I did. I put spikes on when others didn't, I didn't chase Chris and Eugeni and banked on reeling them in later, and settled into a "comfortable" pace on my own.
Leg 1 went by without too much of an issue, albeit that the conditions were about as testing as they come.
Leg 2 though was where things started to fall apart. Although I was still moving relatively well, my feet and quads started to flare up. I've had maceration before and knew that this was the beginnings of it. And my quads felt like I'd run a hard 20 mile, mountainous AF fell race.
Getting into Hawes was not pretty. My plan was for a full re-set here. I spent a long time drying out my feet, had a quick nap, and then got back out of the door to head up Great Shunner Fell.
This was when I rang Laura for the first time. My quads just felt like they had nothing to give. I crawled up the hill in contrast to 2024. And then coming off the other side, down into Thwaite, I went equally as slow. I couldn't figure it out. Thankfully, my feet were okay again - so positives there.
By the time I'd made it round to Keld, I was moving at less than 1mph. Every step was now agony and I was having to lift my legs just to get over the styles. I rang a few good friends and Laura during this time saying that I was done. Game over. No point or purpose in carrying on.
Thankfully, Jamie had the sense to say that it could be an electrolytes issue. So, I made it to Keld, had two rehydration sachets and loads of food, then slept here for over 2 hours. It worked. I could move my legs again, and that stretch up to Tan Hill was one of the best on the course. There was a glimmer of hope. Till this point, I’d enjoyed about 20% of the race and felt “good” for a similar proportion.
I wanted to enjoy the race as much as I could, so I stuck with the new plan of keep moving, stop and eat whenever there is an option to, sleep if I need it, and see what happens. Whilst I was still “competitive”, that mattered far less now than trying to finish.
Back to decision-making. I made a conscious choice at Langdon to not put extra layers in my bag. What I’d had this far had served me really well. Merino base layer, synthetic pull over, and my mountaineering shell. Ultimately this decision cost me the race.
I made my way to the top of High Cup Nick in the day light and had the true pleasure of seeing it in almost all of its glory. The decent into Dufton was magical. Sunlight cutting through the clouds. Vivid green countryside ahead. Good conditions underfoot. Perfect. I also got to see Laura, Bryher, Maeva, my Mum, sister, and nephew here too for the first time. Powerful fuel back into the tank.
I’d passed Pawel on the decent and we decided to head off up Knock Fell together. I’d been up there before and knew how hostile of an environment it could be. This trip was no exception. Warmth turned to bitter cold. Wet ground turned to snow and ice. And the winds were howling over Great Dunn Fell. I was scared up there in 2024 and was equally as scared this time.
We’d moved well over the hills here though, following James Leavesley’s footprints, safe in the knowledge that he’d completed this race many times. They didn’t let us down. A few hours of steady progress later and we were at Greg's Hut.
I knew I’d been very cold on the hill but I didn’t think that it was an issue. Pawel and I both sat down by the fire, ate the famous elixir and had a brew, and then Pawel headed out. I stayed for another 20 minutes or so trying to get a bit warmer, and as I stood up to put my things back on, the cold really set in.
For the next 6 hours, I was wrapped in several sleeping bags, John’s infamous arctic coat, multiple down jackets, a foil blanket, and had five hot water bottles stuffed inside. All the while, I was sat 1 foot away from the fire. I could not get warm and my breathing was laboured. I knew in my head that it was over but didn’t want to say the words. The medics made it easier for me and said that it wasn’t safe to carry on.
This is a race where decisions have severe consequences. If I’d put the extra layer in my bag at Langdon, I would have gotten to the next checkpoint and perhaps the end. Make good decisions. Take more than you need.
Despite this being the end point, it was also one of my best memories from the race. The medics were outstanding, as was John and the SST, and they all did everything that they could to ensure I was okay. I was in the hut for >12 hours in total before walking down the track to get a lift into Alston.
Not remotely close to the ending I wanted but that’s the Spine Race. It is however a reminder of how powerful the community is around the Spine. There was a WhatsApp group of friends and family that had been pinging away with hundreds of messages during the race. There are the people that you meet on the route who come and sit on top of a hill in the rain and wind, offering out chocolates to all competitors in the dead of night. There are the volunteers who do all that they can to get you on your merry way. This is what makes this race different to any others I’ve done.
Thanks so much to Montane, SCARPA, Leki and Voom for the support in the lead up to this race. I was fortunate enough to have some exceptional kit and none of it let me down.
I went for the Spin Ultra 2 this year having opted for the Spin Planet previously.
The Ultra 2s offered plenty of grip on all aspects of the course, whilst also providing all the comfort and stability underfoot that I needed.
I did go for a half size up just to provide more room in the toe box for waterproof socks and any swelling! I’ll certainly be using these again for future events.
