Have you ever fancied taking part in a 268 mile race across the Pennine Way? Nope, neither have we. But lucky for us, one incredible supporter is doing just that to raise funds for Curlew Action. Read below to read in David Padmore's own words, exactly why he is taking on this enormous challenge in January.
Hello, I’m David and I’m taking part in the Montane Winter Spine race in January 2026 in support of Curlew Action. The Spine Race is a 268-mile self-supported foot race along the entire length of the Pennine Way from Edale in Derbyshire to Kirk Yetholm in the Scottish Borders. A lot of the route passes through crucial summer nesting habitat for curlews and our other upland ground-nesting birds.
I moved with my partner, Melanie, to Gargrave, on the southern edge of the Yorkshire Dales, in 2020. Since then, curlews have provided the backing track to our springs and summers. I’m lucky enough to walk and run in the hills around here and it’s a thrill to see the birds returning from late February. First, the oystercatchers, the skylarks and meadow pipits, then lapwings, curlews, snipe and even the odd golden plover. A thrill, but also a cause of low-level anxiety. Each year, you can observe the birds struggling to breed in the context of early silage cuts, human / canine disturbance and a large number of carrion crows, gulls and other predators. The returning birds get older each year and without replacements will simply cease to be seen and heard in our lifetime, let alone in future generations.
I think we all share an urgent responsibility to help reverse the decline that has happened on our watch. Just like tackling the Spine Race, this will require resilience, patience, persistent determination and great teamwork. The challenge may feel insurmountable at times, but if we keep putting one foot in front of the other, we will get there and the rewards are immeasurable.
My running journey if it’s of interest…
I’d run a couple of road marathons when I was younger but I hadn’t kept it up. It was moving to Yorkshire in my 50s that got me going again and onto the trails. One January day in Gargrave at the start of 2023, I saw a woman with a race number on her backpack making her way up the Pennine Way. I went home, went online and discovered the Spine Race. I immediately started to “dot-watch”, following the runners’ GPS signals on the Spine website. It seemed crazy and out-of-reach, but at the same time I instinctively understood why they were doing it. It felt like a tribe I would like to be a part of. And it went right past my home (73 miles in)!
I started dreaming up a plan to tackle the Spine. I knew you couldn’t just put your name down and expect to complete these races, particularly in your mid-50s. So I devised a 3-year campaign to gradually develop my body and mind into a condition where I could have a realistic hope of finishing the full distance in January 2026. I found that there is lots of help out there, from the advice of the generous running community through to some fantastic professionals who directly helped me with running coaching, strength and conditioning and keeping the injuries at bay. I ran a half-marathon, then a full marathon, and I entered my first ultra-marathon, the 40-mile Chalkland Way, which I finished the day before my 55th birthday.
Now, it’s worth saying that the Spine Race is not just one thing. There are, for starters, both summer and winter editions. And each time, in January and in June, there are five different races: two “Sprints” which are roughly the first and the last 40-odd miles; two “Challengers” - the Challenger South being the first 110 miles and the Challenger North being the last 150-odd; and then the summer and winter big ones, the full 268 miles.
I completed the Challenger South in Summer 2024, repeated that race in January 2025 to get the full winter experience, then did the Challenger North in Summer 2025, all to be ready for the full Winter Spine in January 2026. And here we are, ready for the final challenge.
For anyone reading this who also gets why people do these things, I’d definitely recommend having a go. The trail-running community is genuinely inclusive and supportive, full of wonderful people and superb events. It has been life-changing for me.
