Grasmere’s Anna Troup wins women’s Montane Winter Spine Race

The first woman over the finish line of a gruelling ultramarathon along the Pennine Way said there were “terrifying” moments during the race.

Anna Troup, from Grasmere, Cumbria, completed the 268-mile (431km) non-stop Montane Winter Spine race in 106 hours, 19 minutes and 12 seconds, along tough terrain covering Cumbria, Northumberland National Park, Hadrian’s Wall and the Cheviots.

She said the late night journey through Cross Fell, the highest of the Pennines, tested her grit and determination.

The 56-year-old, who also won the race’s summer version in June, was crowned the women’s champion after Sebastien Raichon was first to cross the line in the men’s race.

When she reached the finish line at Kirk Yetholm, in the Scottish Borders, at 18:19 GMT, Troup said: “It was really tough. Getting up on Cross Fell in the dark was terrifying, I don’t often put myself in those situations but it was really scary.”

She said however women should not be discouraged from taking on the challenge.

“They don’t have to jump in at the deep end, they can build up from smaller distances and join some of the women’s WhatsApp and chat groups to get that sense of community,” she said.

This year has seen high performances from Cumbrian athletes, with Cockermouth’s Sarah Perry winning the MRT Challenger South race and Rhys Beddoe, from Kirkby Stephen, who broke the record for the MRT Challenger North race.

Raichon said he “ran a patient race” with “the parable of the tortoise and the hare” in his mind.

“I was expecting smaller hills, and the trail was more beautiful and brutal than I had imagine,” he added.

Jack Scott is the current winter record holder, who came in at a time of 72 hours, 55 minutes and five seconds in 2024.

The event features six other races of varying distances, one of them being a Mountain Rescue Team (MRT) strand, where volunteers compete.

Beddoe smashed a new record of the MRT Challenge North, which starts near Hawes and finishes in Kirk Yelthom, in 54 hours and 42 mins.

Meanwhile Perry, who broke the women’s record at the Backyard Ultra Individual World Championships in the United States in October, was victorious in the MRT Challenge South, completing in 31 hours and 37 mins.

The main participants aim to climb more than 10,000m of ascent as they tackle tough terrain between Derbyshire, Yorkshire, the Northern Pennines and the Scottish Borders.

Each competitor has one week to complete the main race.