You’ve secured your place in the 2027 Winter Spine. Congratulations, you’re committed to one of Britain’s most demanding ultra-endurance challenges. Now the real work begins.
Getting to the start line in Edale is just the beginning. Success on the Pennine Way demands more than fitness. It requires meticulous preparation across every dimension of performance: strategic nutrition that functions in extreme cold, sleep protocols that balance rest with forward progress, preventative foot care that withstands 268 miles of punishment, and the psychological resilience to push through when your body insists you stop.
I provide comprehensive coaching for all Spine Race distances, combining race-specific physical conditioning with the tactical expertise that separates finishers from DNFs. As both a full Spine finisher and former Spine safety team member across winter and summer events, I bring intimate knowledge of the route, terrain challenges, and the critical decisions that unfold between Edale and Kirk Yetholm.
The Spine Race rewards preparation. Let’s ensure yours is complete:
As a distance runner who has never been coached before, I wasn’t sure how it would help me prepare for the Spine Race. At the age of 62, I entered the Winter Spine Race and I contacted Kate from Run Moor and Mountain to discuss the possibility of her coaching me through the preparation.
Kate’s coaching was excellent. She worked out a clear plan for the year based around my personal commitments, races and Spine-specific training. Using the coaching app she met with me regularly and created detailed weekly plans, which included running, cycling and Pilates to maintain my fitness and build strength throughout the year. In the 4 months prior to the race itself, she added in longer sessions or reccies with some or all of the Spine kit.
In addition to the physical coaching, Kate arranged several sessions to go through foot-care, kit requirements and lots of practical, Spine-specific detail around what to do at checkpoints, setting a sleep plan, when and what to eat and much more. All of these were based on her own experience of completing the Winter Spine Race herself and proved invaluable for my race and I feel were instrumental in my successful completion.
I completed the 2026 Winter Spine race in 6.5 days and felt totally prepared both physically and mentally throughout and owe most of that to my training and meetings with Kate. She gave me the confidence to tackle foreseen and unforeseen obstacles that the race might present and I never once felt I was not going to get to the finish line.
I would recommend Kate to anyone looking for advice and assistance with preparation for either for a specific event or on-going endurance training. Her personal experience and ability to pass that on to her athletes is excellent.