2026 Montane Summer Spine, Ed Payne, Number 221, WINNER!

Ed Payne, June 2026.

Where to start is always the question isn’t it!! Do I start in Edale, if I do, is it 2025 or 26. Do I start by reminding you of the state my feet were in as I sat on the side of the path just after Dufton 160 odd miles into the 2025 Montane Summer Spine race? Painful to every touch, blood oozing from under toenails. I slept then, for the first time in 55 hours I turned off, I tried to freshen the mind. Maybe an hour later I got back to my feet, unfortunately still the same feet I went to sleep with, I hobbled and I limped but worst of all I started thinking. A death march wasn’t what I came here for, I’m better than that, thing is, I’m not. I got to a wall crossing, took a seat and I confirmed what I knew was happening, I rang Jen, did all the talking, explained my failures and started a chain of events that I will now try to wrap some words around.

Hours rolled into days and days into weeks and the pain of the blisters was long forgotten the only pain remaining was that of decisions made, the memories blurred and the blame ensued. I’m an overthinker, we all know that and this event, this expedition, this good for nothing son of a bitch race was getting right into me! How did I quit so easy? I should have made it to the next station, why did I quit on course, never quit on course!!

I signed up again, this thing wasn’t going to beat me, it had won the battle, but we were at war I wanted to win the war!! I hated that, I hated it, I hated that it was controlling me, it was getting time in my head that I could get better return on investment elsewhere. I break here to reiterate what I often say that all this at is core is a hobby, it’s a pastime I get to enjoy outside of what I actually do, and I am aware of how “Lucky “I am to be able to do it! Some people have actual problems, stay here if you wanna read me dramatize my makeshift problem and see if I found a solution.

Other races came and other race went all the time they floated on the foundation of the blister gate! Every chat about running with friends or family, them telling me how they have no idea how I run for so long or stay awake or manage the pain, etc. etc. would all be brought crashing to the ground as I would relish in telling them, I ain’t that good, let me remind you of Dufton. I did have some luck though and squeezed into a couple of nice positions and my confidence was growing again. My training volume on the other hand wasn’t growing and weeks slipped away and Spring time rolled in… Work! If your new here and I’m guessing there is a few of you, I’m a farmer in real life. We milk cows and Feb, March and April are busy for me and the runners get parked. 2026 was no different, add a late Spring and more cows than ever the runners stayed parked. I spent a week on the bike, Thanks to Aaron (Different story), I wangled a ticket to the 42.2 in London, one of us went under two that day, I went over four!! He’ll give the Spine a good rattle this year if he’s going, I thought to myself.

Time did its thing and waited for no one, I was digging out kit from last year, buying new unneeded but panic issued kit, I packed ten times, I bought a new pack, smaller this year, 20 litres will do. A bladder and 2 smalls the plan for water. I ran 3 or 4 times with the pack. If you didn’t know me, you’d think I was organised. Pack again, pack the big pack, pack the small pack, panic a little and reassure myself it’s only a run. Breathe. Jen the rock, had the travel plans planned and just like that it was 4am on a Friday morning. Four of us roll into Dublin port hoping that both the ferry and I would sail plainly through our journeys ahead.

How was I feeling you ask! You asked!! I had spent weeks telling myself that the only goal is to finish, the only target is to kiss the wall, death march or all out sprint I tried to dial back the noise and focus on only the finish. I visualised that a lot, often woke up and allowed the view of that to fill my head. I had more 2026 miles in the legs than 2025, I had made some gear changes, toe socks, nice shoes, better fitting pack. Aware of the importance of confidence I was certainly building that, real life wasn’t as “on top of me” as in 2025 which was nice. Each one of these little things another block in the wall I was trying to build! I was also free of pressure, no personal big goals or targets, remember just the finish. I spoke about compete verus complete and that I was only going to complete and although a speedy start is nothing new to me it would be born like everything outta the only mission… finish!!

The air B and B was class, cows everywhere, we bought one, no not a real one, a painting of one! Saturday before Spine day, means only one thing… Kit check. Chatty queue, usual chat if running long is your thing, we chat about running 100 miles like others chat about the price of petrol! My turn and nothing short of a random full kit check awaited me, a few minutes later I walk away, stamp on hand, race number in hand and another weight lifted off my shoulders. No back now, the only way out is through!! Back to the B and B and one last and final pack was done. Straight to bed but sleep avoided me. I would never be in a rush to call myself the nervous type, but I was anxious that’s for sure. Attempts continued to manage the thought process, dial down the noise, clear the path, see the goal!!

I’m a team player, I’ve played team sports since ages ago, I’m getting old you know! So now that I’ve moved away from team sports you’ll often see me surrounding myself with a special crew of people as I head away to run long! These crew have carried me, thought for me, listened to me, fed me, shouted at me, shouted for me, walked with me, lied to me, broken hard truths to me, wound me up, calmed me down, taken bullets for me and shot others that dare cross me. They have watched me lift trophies from back stage and these people are my people, my team players. The Spine doesn’t allow your people in, the bouncer is big, not particularly pretty and allows only runners to pass through the door. He leans heavy on letting you know that if you need help, you ask him, he’ll decide if you get help. I’m ok with that, once I know that’s the way that is then that’s that!! Got that?

I stand in a crowd now; we are moments away from being let away. What’s going on in my head you ask! You asked! I tell myself I’m fresh, I tell myself to enjoy it, I taste my water bottles. I look at the starting banner above us and I think of the wall, I look around, I dial into a chat or two. Who is going to win is being discussed, some big names get mentioned, not much doubt in anyone’s voice. I turn to a conversation I’m no part of butt in and say, “Once ya go North of 2 fifty miles it’s anyone’s race!” They look me down, if I had regrets I’d add this moment to the list, Sometimes Ed your gab is not a gift I think to myself. 10, 9, 8,7 a year of thinking flashing through my head in these 10 seconds, a year of self-doubt, what if I don’t make it, what if I can’t make it? 6, 5, 4, You’ll make it, why are you here, who are those reasons, you’ve gone further, don’t let them in, shut that door. 3, 2, 1, Back yourself, you got this, why not you? Breathe! …..

Go!! The watch beeps to life. If you don’t know, you start in a field, run through a car park, out onto the road beyond, up that road and not long later a turn left. There it is, the start of the Pennine Way, right now 268 miles stand between me and victory in this war. We start to climb shortly after, and I get quickly to settling in. The key for me is to avoid the magnitude for as long as I can, if your 1km done and 430 odd left to do that’s a thought process to avoid. So, stay off that topic, distract yourself, fool yourself. This was made easy this morning as we climbed into the day, into the weather, into the skies and into some truly breath-taking scenery. Words won’t capture it, here you are striding along a path that has carried people for generations, picture scenic views to an unimaginable scale, vast country and valleys rolling out in front of you. Going up your working hard to gain elevation and an odd glance over your shoulder shows you a scene worthy of any prize. Every time you reach a crest the horizon comes to life again, as it moves away from you it opens up a vista a lens would never capture, you tell yourself to frame it in the long storage memory box, you smile cause you can’t not smile. You’re living now.

No surprise my pace starts off pacey, I’m not the only one, I see plenty of strong legs and powerful minds around me, Last year’s winner right there, chipping away! This year’s winner, right there, pushing away. I do my thing and start the chats, the guards are up I can tell, are we racing already I wonder to myself. I move up and down along the runners, the questions the same, the info gathering! Come far? Done it before? Done the distance? Mention the weather, get a name. This is me living my best life, doing what I can do, chatting to people from every imaginary bubble or corner of the world and just chatting. I love chatting, I check my vitals, am I burning candles I don’t have, check done, we’re good to go, steady as we flow but we are flowing. Every few minutes a beep reminds me that the 430 is moving towards the 1, don’t go there, steady up. I check my vitals. That’s a hill, that’s a walk…. Walk I said. Poles click down I shift the gear down and walk. Remember the goal, you’re talking to the big fish, have your fun but remember, even sharks get eaten!!

Familiar countryside flows away, I know I keep saying it but it really is beautiful. The Spine race has 5 main aid stations, the first is perched at 46 odd miles. So here we all are trying to run and fuel an Ultra marathon that is only stage one of the bigger picture, there’s that big picture again, stay small, one step, don’t let the magnitude in. Sometimes I fail at this and 430 seems so far away, how many nights am I gonna be out here? In these moments I tell myself after halfway it’ll start to get short, this is an attempt to trick myself to quickly calculate how far away halfway is, see no more 430… shit I said it again. You see how this plays out ya?

Runners catch me, that’s no problem, more chat. We are moving to CP1, its close. I’m in toe with a legend, a good guy, a chatter like me. We are climbing, I hit a wall, the oil light comes on, I stop on the spot… What’s happening here, this hit quick, I’ve eaten, have I pushed too hard, Vitals not looking good just now. You go ahead I insist, weakness shown, clear as day. I sit down, I’d say I was close enough to smell CP1, move you idiot! I sit down, what’s happening you ask! You asked? I don’t know.

Another runner comes along, I’m sitting now, head in hands, looking down, looking out. I can’t read minds, I can read his. He’s a dude, little or no dickheads in this game! He moves through, I regroup and move.

Check points are welcoming, don’t let that trick you. You need to be on the ball, have a plan and execute. First get the plugs out and phone/watch on charge. Then get food on route, some liquids. Then dial in, clothes, feet, food for next leg, fill water bottles, empty rubbish. Calculate how much you ate and plan for what you’ll need. Ask the vitals, how far to water, how long is the leg, any weather issues. What’s the terrain like. Stay focused, stay light, keep it light, joke, smile act fast but act right. Lovely people but I miss my people. This gets worse!

I roll outta CP1, fresh again, it’s on an out and back so I meet a familiar face or two. One person in particular crosses my path. Handshake, brief words, plans to meet at the end, we fought together in the past, we carry the same badge, we have the same demons. We don’t discuss this, a real if ya know ya know moment fills the air and passes. Job on! Section 2 is the longest of them all, in the evening we go and 64 odd miles must be covered before we see our drop bag again. Dig in I tell myself; this section can make or break a thing!! Night 1 closes in, we are mid-June so plenty of light and its late before I reach for the torch! Light on, focus the eyes, picture the goal, move, simple.

Apart from the first 15 odd kms where both my calves locked up the whole time and screamed at me my body was feeling good, I’ve been sporty since I could walk, I’ve known how my body works for many years, recently I dig more into finding out what’s going on inside my head but as for physically I can with confidence say I’m pretty dialled in. So apart from the calves which I knew would settle and the random 5 minute breakdown just before CP1 my feelers were getting good responses to questions asked. If I lengthened the stride, the power flowed in, if the bump was small and I asked for a run over, the power flowed in, if the bump was longer and steeper and I moved out onto my toes… the power flowed in.

As I regrettable said earlier north of 2 fifty is anyone’s race that same anyone need everything to go right, things outside of their control must bounce their way. We were only just reaching night one but I could sense that not only the power was flowing in, a little bit of luck and good fortune was right there with it. Eat!

A head torch behind, that’s fine, I’m not racing, he’s welcome to my patch. A head torch ahead, that’s strange, he had plans. Either I’m pushing or he is pulling. I don’t push, I hold fire. I’m not racing, if Jen sees me pass that headtorch she’ll eat this shark! I don’t push. I’m shooting in the dark here but maybe 14 hours in I pass that head touch, I am a dead fish I know it. I go a little off track, get a shout from behind, realign and pass the torch again. Oh, here we go, we’ve been here before, don’t push. I remind myself of the misery this race has brought me over the past 12 months, I remind myself that stupid decisions lead to the very misery. I tell myself to think clearly (Does that ever work?) So now I think I’m thinking clearly because I told myself to do that and I ask myself important questions. I ask myself to remember how I’m ok with slowing down and this is the moment to do that. But now you need to understand that competitiveness is a thing, it’s an illness that I’ve enjoyed suffering from all my life. It jumps on opportunity recklessly, throwing caution to the wind and praying to whatever God will listen as it feeds you highs unattainable anywhere else but can leave you high and dry when its prayers are not answered and you have to personally carry the empty can. Yet, you will protect that side of yourself and go back chasing the high next week.

So where to from here I hear you ask! You asked!! I make a deal with both sides, just don’t push, don’t burn a single candle, don’t sit back either, don’t hand it up, but listen here now, don’t you dare push!! We had a deal, night 1 slips away.

It’s not bright yet and I run past the place I went so wrong last year, I smile at the sign I missed, I recall the incident, I realise how far I am ahead of my time last year. I run into the water check point and it’s still dark, that was not the case last year. We have a deal though, no push! I check the vitals, that’s vital. Night one felt good, sleep never came into the picture, I took confidence from this for the nights ahead. Monday morning brings life back to the trails, to the nature around and to me. Trail running through a night and into the day is a part of the sport that never gets old. I start to meet other runners in other races now. This is nice, why, chats, simple. More Kms clip away and we slide into CP2. Same plan, different house… power supply, food, feet, supplies, focus, eat, focus, socks, shoes, pack. Still not pushing wanting to be out of CP before anyone else enters, success. 108 miles deep now, nearly halfway, and when we get there we’ll still be miles away from where the race actually starts!! I remind myself of that and my deal. Stick!! Eat.

Monday now, weather good, mood good, rinse and repeat. Slowly but surely, I start to feel tired. The plan was to not sleep till daylight Tuesday at the earliest. This plan was not yet open for discussion. Yet, my eye lids got heavier. Sometime Monday afternoon the discussion was forced open. I find a quiet corner beside a gate with shelter from the wind, pack comes off, alarm set for 10/15 mins time. Head down, wow I am tired I think to myself. 7 mins later I come to life and stand to my feet. Pack on, move. Eat. Instantly fresher I take that as a win and my legs move again, power flows in! In 2025 I didn’t sleep in CP3 trying to make up time for my nav error. This decision weighed heavy with me anytime I thought back to all the mistakes that led to my failure and always saw this as bad decision. Still ahead of last years’ time now, surely I have more time to sleep this year, cause the finish is first and foremost. I feel strong as I approach the station, I lift the knees and settle in when I get there. Same again different house, you know the drill now, etc etc. Familiar faces in the team here, I think! All good. Will you be sleeping here I’m asked!! They asked! Hardly able to believe myself saying it, I tell them I’ll be going on. This decision was probably the first one that competitiveness made completely on its own and unchecked. Someone had just thrown washing up liquid onto the slippery slope we were on. Quickly things were getting riskier for the cost of glory chasing. I didn’t want to sleep here and meet the next runners in the station when they arrived shortly. I was happy I would be able grab enough sleep on the trail. The only problem with that plan being the clear and understandable rule that the next section of the route we were not allowed to sleep on due to it having no phone or tracker reception, so movement is compulsory.

Compulsory but at times completely impossible. As dark times go during this event, Monday night is high up. I was sleepwalking large sections, I was following the line on my watch aware I was at great heights travelling around High Cup Nick but I was literally asleep on my feet, Caffeine wasn’t taking the edge off. My eyes wanted to shut, and my body wasn’t willing to fight back at them. The night dragged and I pulled myself through. Slowly, no power flowing now I tell ya. I crept down into Dufton. Getting ever closer to where I withdrew last year things were getting real now. Into the water station I checked in and asked could I sleep. 30 mins max are the rules but go to the bus shelter and sleep there. Plan, I call the office cause any sleep on trail more than 30 mins must be notified to the office. Job done, I set alarms, rest on the bench, it’s raining but I have a roof. 25 mins later I wake and walk.

Obsessed as to where the dots behind me are and watching for them to make a move I get back on track and without pushing, I try to slowly build a gap. Steady as she goes, run smart I would remind myself. Run smart.

Tuesday now and I leave Dufton, memories flow back as I pass the point, I first took off my shoes last year, next the place I tried again to cover the blisters, next the place I took my first and last sleep. Then I reach the wall, like last year I take a seat, I look forward and I look back. My breath deepens as tears fill my eyes. I know for a fact I still have many miles to cover but right now, I’m doing better than I was, I take that as a win and move forward. I gained strength from passing into the unknown.

As expected, those behind me slept well in CP3 and came out firing, their dots flowed down the trail and I got worried. Tuesday, I pushed, not full of the pipe, not that much, but I lifted, I asked questions of myself, and answers came to the fore. But at what cost, my feet began to heat up, I could feel hot spots on my heel, my toes. For the moment the pain was well within control, but what debt was I creating, to who and when would repayment be due? I put a lot of climbing in the legs in this section before CP4, knowing every meter up is one less to cover, knowing I was toying around with the halfway mark. Little wins starting to come together. But stay in the game, focus. Eat.

CP4 came early Tuesday, Same question….. will you be sleeping? Same stupid answer, I’ll get going once I’m sorted but thanks. Again, if I traded in regrets I would add to the list my not having a second or more slice/s of lasagne here. It wasn’t good, it was bloody great! Lots of chat now about a lead time, a gap, comfortable, extended etc etc. Not that I should need to but remember that once you go past 2 fifty miles its anyone’s race and is so to the very end. Focus. Eat. CP4 was the first place I out loud while looking into my drop bag had to tell myself to think straight. I looked into this 20kg bag that was losing its shape and order, it was showing me nothing of what I thought I needed and I just said it…. Think straight!!

Packed up I left and headed for the last check point. During Tuesday I passed about ten miles of the amazing Hadrian’s wall. I have no problem showing my stupidity and I asked someone what the history and reason for building such a magnificent thing. So here we are in year 2026 and I’m told I’m running along a wall built and still here from 122 years after the count started. So, one thousand, nine hundred and four years ago the Romans built this. How’s that for perspective folks? Have you built anything recently that will carry us through to at least the year 3930? Think about that. Eat.

Off the wall and back onto high, rough, wet, depressing, long, miserable bog and forestry. Tuesday night now and it was getting ugly again. Body screaming for sleep and slowing down fast. I tried again for another track nap; no dry lie I squeezed myself into the steps of a style. I wasn’t comfortable but 5 maybe 7 minutes passed while my eyes were forced shut and I went again. Knowing now that no matter what I would be having a proper sleep at CP5. The Pennine Way is in the majority remote but passes through many farms and farmyards, some of these places set up honesty box approach tuck shops, maybe four or five over the length of the race. The last one and for me the most rewarding was the one 10km shy of CP5. I was struggling with the sleep demons and was very grateful of a seat and some sugary offerings.

In the depths of Tuesday night/ Wednesday morning I found the much sought after CP5 and with 42 odd miles remaining from there to the finish, I reminded myself that the only person at this moment able to lose this race was me! I had a lead, but I had blisters and we had history. To this point I had been in the same pair of shoes and had changed socks at every CP except the first! I took off my shoes and socks here and now and exposed many the ripe blister. Choosing to eat, focus, get sleep and allow my feet to dry out. CP5 is well known for its midges, I had told myself that surely the rain would mean they wouldn’t be there. Oh how wrong I was. They were angry, It was so hard to find peace from them in the main tents, they added a level of difficultly to every task. Thankfully the tents for sleeping were in the dark and not so midge busy. I aimed for an hour sleep and dozed for another 30 minutes past that. Then the magic happened, I don’t like to name people but please forgive me Hope and Ash the medics in CP5 that helped and guided me through some foot care management. Taped, new socks on and large toe box shoes I left CP5 a new man and took great confidence from this.

I was moving again now and at times power flowed in. I was about 22 miles from getting what I set out for… a finishers medal. Aware that the Cheviots and plenty of climbing lay ahead I was in for a long day at the office. Again, I was starting to meet runners from other races, and my mood was on high, chats flowed, people asking me for selfies like I was someone. That was so surreal, I played myself down, they would build me up again.

Into water station 5.5 and the mood rose again, if that was possible cause I was loving life just now. With the lead where it was and strict instructions from Jen and others, finishing time was not the issue, the issue was what it always was, stay in the race, finish at any pace from here. Wednesday was a highlight day. I could smell the finish, yes parts of me could even smell victory. I was meeting like minded people on their own journeys, I had time to chat, I love chatting. Hut one was alive, I fanned the flames, bubbles came together and we were just chilling like Wednesday morning. Picture it, I’m 245 odd miles deep, sitting on a decking, cup of tea in hand, high, high up in the Cheviot hills. We enjoy the spoils of our effort to get here as sunlight and speckled clouds kissed to grassy hills to light and shade! The more you looked the more amazing the view became. Tea drank, mood up yet again I made a move for hut 2.

After spending days wishing the kms away, wanting to find the next station, hoping that the next mile would be shorter than the last I started to find myself asking for this feeling to never end. Flowing across the slabs not a care in my little world, looking inside and out, thinking back to 2025 and forward to Kirk Yelthom. Tears flowed, happy ones, some relief related ones, some for reasons I’m sure I’ll find out again. Another runner, a top guy, a gent, struggling, battling but moving. Down to hut 2 now, I’m flowing mainly, the race that I hated for a year is now teaching me exactly why it has the badge it has. All the respect I lost for it cause when you let hate in you push respect out, all that respect was back now. Once you go north of 2 fifty miles, its anybody’s race, right here, in this moment, in all these moments this was my race.

I sit here now early Friday morning writing this up and reflecting on those moments, some that I shared on the route with others, like the aid stations, the chicken dude, the gate lady, the camera man and the burger, the young farmer atop the hill, the wall builder, the fencer, the young man with the dog, Hope and Ash and their magic, Bob at his house, Joe’s inspiring run to the end, the gentleman academic, the running buddy, the homemade flapjacks and many, many more. Some moments or feelings however, I enjoyed on my own. The views, the trail naps, the mood swings, the screaming to myself, the screaming out loud, the birds singing to me, me singing back, that guardian bird that flew with me for God knows how long, the hallucinations, the dark thoughts, the small wins, the sunsets, the sunrises, the countless times I kicked a rock, and the moment I knew I was going to get down off the Cheviots and run to the wall.

Onto tar again, watch now had come full circle, 425 odd done, less than 5 to do. What was big had been managed, I am team player, but pride started to fill me, I had done this, self-propelled from there to here, I missed my people. This is where I usually send them a message of thanks. This time not so much of that, my line, my race, my day. Let’s not be silly, I was in a fair bit of contact with Jen and without her it wouldn’t have happened, but this one felt more alone because it was! I went in with plenty of whys and three of them now waited for me in KY. I hike one last hill in the road, see the village below, fold up my poles and get my jog on. I feel strong, feel new, feel ….. fresh! Hand in hand Ben, Aaron and I cross the line, I pause with them for a second, share a moment with them, make a memory for us all. One last job, approach the wall, breathe, kiss, touch, think, remember, lock in. Just like that plans become memories and all the to do lists are done. Hug and kiss from Jen, I’m home!!

On a personal level thank you all for your support before during and since. My phone has come to life over the past number of days; you are all great. I rode the waves, caught some lucky breaks and hung on like hell! I have been called inspirational, legend and other things, this must stop. I met people out there that would put me to shame on all levels of humanity. I heard and have heard since some great stories and reasons why others crossed the start line, thank you for sharing the trail and the stories with me, great memories made, Thanks!

Be good!!