The 2025 Winter Backbone Race in England is coming into its closing levels, and whereas many are nonetheless bravely battling their approach to Kirk Yetholm, on the Scotland border, the quick of us on the entrance of the race have already accomplished their journey and are simply starting to course of the previous few days.
The Winter Backbone Race travels 268 miles from south to north on the Pennine Method — the path often called the backbone of England — and takes in a few of the nation’s wildest and most lovely terrain. The race is essentially self-supported, and opponents should carry all the things they want for the week. There are checkpoints alongside the way in which the place athletes can relaxation, however the clock doesn’t cease, so sleep comes at a premium.
Situations this yr have been significantly harsh, with heavy snow underfoot and quite a lot of weather-related diversions carried out to guard the runners’ security.
This yr, the aggressive finish of the race noticed many acquainted names and returning Backbone Race veterans. Within the males’s race, Kim Collison (U.Ok.) took it out laborious, as he has completed in earlier years, however managed to carry on this time to take victory in a time of 82 hours and 46 minutes.
Within the ladies’s race, Robyn Cassidy (U.Ok.) led the cost early on, earlier than Lucy Gossage (U.Ok.) caught up, finally leaving Cassidy behind to take the win in 87:41.
Learn on to see how each races performed out.
Lucy Gossage, elated at successful the 2025 Winter Backbone Race. Photograph: The Backbone Race
2025 Winter Backbone Race Males’s Race
Kim Collison isn’t any stranger to the Winter Backbone Race begin line, with this his fourth operating, however remarkably that is his first time making it to the end — and he made it there earlier than anybody else. That is testomony to the all-or-nothing effort that Collison has all the time given this race.
The 2020 winner and former males’s course report holder John Kelly (U.S.) led the cost within the males’s race into Checkpoint 1 Hebden, round 42 miles in, in 8:21 elapsed. Collison was simply a few minutes behind him, with Backbone Race common Eugeni Roselló Solé (Spain) scorching on his heels in third. Roselló Solé gained the race in 2013 and was second in 2017. He additionally has quite a lot of Backbone Race DNFs (didn’t end) to his identify, together with a devastating DNF within the 2019 race, lower than 4 miles from the end, whereas main the boys’s race behind Jasmin Paris.
By the second checkpoint, Hawes, mile 104, Collison had taken the lead with 25:23 on the clock, and took the time for a brief sleep within the checkpoint. Roselló Solé — now in second — was chasing laborious, arriving to the checkpoint 22 minutes after the chief.
Behind them, Tiaan Erwee (South Africa), Sam Skinner (U.Ok.), and Dave Phillips (U.Ok.) labored collectively in joint third place, with Kelly about 25 minutes again from the chasing pack.
Whereas Collison maintained his dominance by way of the subsequent part, adjustments occurred behind him. Roselló Solé succumbed to a different DNF after Tan Hill, 120 miles in, and Kelly overtook the trio of Erwee, Skinner, and Phillips to maneuver into second — an hour and 50 minutes again from the chief by Checkpoint 3 Langdon, 143 miles in.
It was on the subsequent part that Kelly obtained a 26-minute time penalty, which was later relaxed to 13 minutes, for failing to observe a weather-related diversion at Cauldron Snout. The penalty was relaxed when it was deemed that it was a real and comprehensible error, and the 13-minute penalty that remained was simply the time it was thought he would have saved by skipping the diversion.
By Checkpoint 4 Alston, 175 miles in, Collison was nonetheless properly out in entrance, however with Kelly having decreased the hole to 55 minutes. About 75 minutes later, Phillips and Erwee adopted, nonetheless operating shut collectively, though Skinner had fallen additional again.
There adopted an immensely difficult 36 miles to Checkpoint 5 Bellingham, 211 miles in, a lot of which chief Collison navigated through the night time. He stated on the checkpoint that it felt “infinite” with continually undulating, rocky terrain. With a two-hour, 20-minute lead over Erwee, who had moved into second, he may afford the time to cease within the support station for somewhat sleep. Kelly was simply three minutes again from Erwee at this level in third, with solely one other one other 10 minutes separating him from Phillips in fourth — so the second and third podium spots have been nonetheless there to be performed for.
Nonetheless, it turned more and more clear that the 2025 Winter Backbone Race males’s occasion belonged to Collison. Arriving into Byrness at 227 miles, he was quoted as having stated, “that is my yr,” and proceeded after a fast cease to tackle some scorching meals and refill his water. The wild crossing of the Cheviot Hills was now all that stood between him and the end.
The race behind him continued. Going through into the Cheviots, it was Phillips in second, two hours again of the lead; Erwee in third, 36 minutes again from Phillips; and Kelly in fourth, one other 24 minutes again.
There have been triumphant and emotional scenes on the Border Lodge end line when Kim Collison arrived on Wednesday night, in 82 hours and 46 minutes — the third quickest Winter Backbone Race time on report — lastly reaping the rewards for his a few years of expertise — and perseverance.
Behind him, the remaining podium positions have been unchanged since Byrness. Dave Phillips arrived in second place in 85:58, with Tiaan Erwee closing out the rostrum simply seven minutes later. John Kelly in the end completed fourth in 87:55.
Kim Collison ending the 2025 Winter Backbone Race. Photograph: @willbaldlygo/The Backbone Race
2025 Winter Backbone Race Males’s Outcomes
- Kim Collison (U.Ok.) – 82:46:32
- Dave Phillips (U.Ok.) – 85:58:05
- Tiaan Erwee (South Africa) – 86:05:09
- John Kelly (U.S.) – 87:55:32
- Max Moberg (Sweden) – 89:52:48
- Clarens Olsson (Norway) – 92:36:12
- Sam Skinner (U.Ok.) – 94:31:14
- James Leavesley (U.Ok.) – 98:09:39
- Harry Firth (U.Ok.) – 98:55:59
- Dougie Zinis (U.Ok.) – 100:00:59
The reduction is palpable, as Dave Phillips reaches the Border Lodge, after putting second within the 2025 Winter Backbone Race. Photograph: @fellsidephotography/The Backbone Race
2025 Winter Backbone Race Ladies’s Race
Within the ladies’s race, Robyn Cassidy (U.Ok.) was the early chief. She set an aggressive tempo and was already some 43 minutes away from then second-place Hannah Rickman (U.Ok.) at Checkpoint 1 Hebden, round 42 miles in. Rickman positioned second in each the 2024 and 2023 Winter Backbone Races, and gained the 2023 Summer season Backbone Race on the identical route. Lucy Gossage, final yr’s third-place lady and a number of Ironman-winning triathlete, adopted in third — simply shy of an hour again from Cassidy in entrance.
Cassidy reached Checkpoint 2 Hawes, mile 104, in 28 hours and 49 minutes elapsed, nonetheless with a snug lead, the place it emerged that her buddy and coaching companion Rickman had sadly retired from the race. This left Gossage as lead chaser, who was nonetheless somewhat underneath an hour again of the lead coming into Hawes, however had picked up about 5 minutes on Cassidy because the first checkpoint. Behind her, the hole to Nikki Arthur (U.Ok.) in third was greater than 4 hours.
By Checkpoint 3 Langdon, 143 miles in, Gossage had closed the hole on Cassidy, and the 2 have been properly away from the chasing pack. When Gossage caught up, the 2 paired off to work collectively for an extended part of the course, as Spiners are wont to do — seeing it as them versus the course.
Behind them at Langdon, there was some reshuffling of positions as Sarah Perry (U.Ok.) moved straight by way of the checkpoint and into third place whereas Arthur took a relaxation cease.
The 2 leaders coated the subsequent 32 miles as a crew, stopping to relaxation collectively, and shifting up by way of the general placings within the course of. They parted methods at Checkpoint 4 Alston, 175 miles in, the place Cassidy determined to remain for an hour’s sleep within the checkpoint whereas Gossage selected to press on, choosing a trail-nap as an alternative.
That was the final the 2 have been to see of one another till the end, as Gossage pushed on relentlessly. By Checkpoint 5 Bellingham, 211 miles in, she had elevated her result in nearly two hours to Cassidy, who now had a spot of 11 hours and half-hour to Arthur, who had since reclaimed third place.
Finally Lucy Gossage touched the end line wall on the Border Lodge in Kirk Yetholm in a time of 87 hours and 41 minutes — the third quickest ladies’s time on report.
Robyn Cassidy adopted in 94:31, taking a well-deserved second place after her courageous run, the place she led for greater than half of the race.
Nikki Arthur rounded out the rostrum in 103:36, and Sarah Perry took fourth in 115:07.
Lucy Gossage has a well-earned sit down outdoors the Border Lodge, after successful the 2025 Winter Backbone Race Photograph: @fellsidephotography/The Backbone Race
2025 Winter Backbone Race Ladies’s Outcomes
- Lucy Gossage (U.Ok.) – 87:41:38
- Robyn Cassidy (U.Ok.) – 94:31:43
- Nikki Arthur (Isle of Man) – 103:36:59
- Sarah Perry (U.Ok.) – 115:07:52
- Laura Swanton-Rouvelin (U.Ok.) – 120:16:11
[Editor’s Note: We note all the women who have finished at the time of this article’s publishing. As more women finish, we’ll update this section.]
