Written by Andreas Siebert - https://vadda60.wordpress.com
(*) = reporters freedom
Spine Race: The Loffenauer ultrarunner Andreas Siebert passed the most spectacular nonstop race in south (*) england. From Stephan Juch
Loffenau/Kirk Yetholm- It’s called the most brutal race in england and belongs certainly to the hardest, sportive challenge in the world.
The Spine Race, what goes along the Pennine Way from Edale, about 20km west of Sheffield, to Kirk Yetholm in Scotland. From 10th to 17th January, 98 adventurous extrem athletes dared to face this even for experienced ultra runner barely unimaginable distance of 431 km and 11000 m altitude (*). One of them is Andreas Siebert from Loffenau (germany).
The 55 year old reached in aprox. 142 hours (+22h due to race stop in Alston and a non Dufton runner) at position 39 the finish line and belongs so to an elite circle of three german runners what finished the spine race since his existence. In this year edition more of the half of the starters got a DNF state, only 46 out of 98 did reach the finish line. The winner the Czech Pavel Paloncy’ finished this 431km within incredible 81,34h.
“The time to finish was unimportant for me” said Andreas Siebert retrospectively to the most spectacular race of his life, at the BT-Interview: “I only wanted to finish the race”. There where many of situations where he thought he will fail. “This deeps mostly are due to lack in sleep”, explained the Loffenauer. Because sleep at the spine race is luxury what you can not have too often. The time limit of the annual race is seven days. There are only 5 CP’s each aprox. 80km apart. They are in (*) simple huts and tents, partly spartan in comfort and offering only a minimum of service (*) ( he must have it from old pics but it sounds good). There for every runner do have a drop bag with additional clothes and food, what where transported from CP to CP.
### Luxury: four hours sleep in a ladies restroom” ###
The start fee is 550,- £ aprox. 670,- EUR. Plus the runners equipment – Equipment you must carry with you is a sleeping bag, a tiny biwacksack, emergeny foil, rain jacket, additional warm clothes, spare batteries for GPS and head torches (and certainly the GPS and head torch it self, also some more stuff as you know). The most of the fee is for the mountain rescue team (don’t know where he has this from, surely this will cost some pounds but if it is the most of the fee I don’t know) what are for the safety of the runners to rescue an injured athlete. Short after the start nearly Andreas Siebert have had a use of the MRT. After about 8km he dropped into a gap between two flagstones in speed motion and took a flesh wound out of it. “for luck it was not as sore as it could have been” he told, to quit the race about this he never thought about. Danger situations are awaiting the runners everywhere along the hilly landscape with moor, bare mountain’s crest and gorges. The partly bad signposted ways have less common with the good prepared service and forrest roads in our country. Furthermore are the extrem weather conditions: Siebert is reporting about rain, sleet, hail, snow and an average windspeed of 90kph (*) (maybe yes, maybe no but it felt very strong) and temperatures from four to minus 14 degrees celsius. In addition it had rained a lot the weeks before the race, there for you sank in to mud to your ankles. “To withstand the forces of nature was my desire” named Andreas Siebert his motives for participating the spine race. Especially at the first three day he have had some deeps in motivation “but when you have had at least some hours of sleep, the motivations was here again”. But sometimes it is difficult to find a place for a biwak in times of heavy rain and strong wind. “for once we found a place to sleep in a public ladies toilet of a village” told the extrem athlete who mastered this race together with his friend Michael Frenz. “After CP3 I have had a bare hope to finish this race” told Siebert. 84h he already was in race, 58h more to Kirk Yetholm followed. Due to over fatigue the joy, the inner satisfaction to have it done only came after long while describe the Loffenauer his feelings: “It makes you proud to have overpowered so many mental deeps” in reviewing the exertions. But this will not retain him from further adventures, quite the reverse “I will do that again in any case”.