Rescue helicopter put on standby as Spine Race runner collapses in late-night drama on Pennine Way
Last updated 20th Jan 2024
Another competitor taking part in the 268-mile Spine Race along the Pennine Way has had to be rescued by mountain rescue teams after collapsing on an exposed part of the route, in Northumberland.
Northumberland National Park Mountain Rescue Team and North of Tyne Mountain Rescue Team deployed to Milestone Edge - between Byrness and Bellingham - after Northumbria Police raised the alarm around 10.30pm last night (Friday).
It comes just days after another competitor taking part in what's widely-regarded as Britain's most brutal race had to be rescued, agonisingly close to the finish line in the Scottish Borders, after becoming "exhausted and hypothermic".
More than 150 runners are braving snow and sub-zero temperatures to take part in the non-stop event, after setting off from Edale in Derbyshire at 8am on Sunday. Thay have seven days to reach the finish line in Kirk Yetholm, just north of the Scotland-England border.
READ MORE: Amber weather warning issued for the Borders as Storm Isha approaches
A spokesperson for Northumberland National Park Mountain Rescue Team said: "A hasty team was deployed onto the hill with vital medical kit and a winter weight casualty bag to stabilise the situation, while other members followed with a stretcher and wheel.
"Our Mountain Rescue Paramedics and a North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) Community Paramedic from Rothbury worked alongside the Spine Race Safety Team to ensure the competitor received the best care possible.
"With the conditions underfoot being difficult due to heavily iced sections of the route into the casualty site, three options were available for the evacuation. A HM Coastguard helicopter which was initially requested, the NEAS Hazardous Area Response Team’s Polaris vehicle or, as a last resort, a stretcher carry.
"Thankfully the NEAS Polaris was able to access the location and the casualty was packaged on a stretcher and then transferred to the all-terrain vehicle for transportation off the hill. This saved our volunteers a difficult and risky stretcher carry off the hill. It also meant the helicopter could be stood down before leaving the ground.
"By 1.10am, the competitor was safely off the hill and the teams could be stood down."
WATCH: Click on the link below to view our video with 2024 Spine Race winner, and new record holder, Jack Scott...
More than a dozen runners remain out on the course, as they make the final push over the Cheviot Hills.
This year's winner, Jack Scott, won the race in a time of 72 hours, 55 minutes and 5 seconds. That's more than 10 HOURS quicker than the previous record of 83 hours, 12 minutes and 23 seconds set by Jasmin Paris in 2019.
The 29-year-old, from Staffordshire, touched the wall of the Border Hotel at the finish line in Kirk Yetholm just before 9am on Wednesday morning, after completing the gruelling run with just 54 minutes sleep.
Among the runners taking part is Gala's Rory Campbell, who reached the finish line alongside a previous winner, Eoin Keith, in the early hours of Friday morning.
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