Mail Sport Extreme: It's 3am, I'm out in the middle of a bog somewhere and part of me wants to go to bed. But the other part of me is like: "No, it's really cool!"
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While most casual runners pack away their outdoor gear when winter sets in and take to the treadmills, some don’t stop. Indeed, some take it to the extreme. Take the Montane Winter Spine, for example. Starting in the Derbyshire village of Edale earlier this week, participants have 168 hours to travel 268miles, through the Peak District, Yorkshire Dales, Northumberland National Park and taking in Hadrian’s Wall, climbing over 10,000metres and eventually finishing in the Borders town Kirk Yetholm.
![[The 38-year-old only joined a running club five years ago but now travels the world competing]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/16/18/94170441-14292915-The_38_year_old_only_joined_a_running_club_five_years_ago_but_no-m-11_1737052247038.jpg)
One who braved the Spine was Victoria Morris. The 38-year-old only joined her local running club in 2019, but has been a long-distance walker for the majority of her life. After succumbing to the cold last year, as well as suffering from Raynaud’s disease (when the blood stops flowing properly to your fingers and toes), Morris went into this year’s race looking to right that wrong and find success after the disappointment of her first experience in the event.
![[Next stop for Morris, who loves the Highlands, is Nepal... and some higher peaks!]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/16/16/94170431-0-image-a-21_1737043687348.jpg)
Sadly, however, things did not go the librarian’s way. Just weeks before raceday, Morris was struck down with flu but determined not to give up on her goals, still entered the race not feeling 100 per cent. She was then forced to withdraw after just over 12 hours on the trails.
‘I had a go at this race last year and I got Raynaud’s, so I struggled to keep my hands and feet warm,’ she says. Victoria Morris competes in all types of conditions - but the cold did get the better of her. The 38-year-old only joined a running club five years ago but now travels the world competing.
