INOV8 Athlete Jack Scott Smashes 268-Mile Spine Race Record

History was made at the 2024 Spine Race with winner Jack Scott smashing the course record by more than 10 hours.

The INOV8 athlete completed the 268-mile winter race, widely regarded as one of the toughest ultrarunning endurance events in the world, in an astonishing time of 72 hours 55 minutes.

The 29-year-old ultrarunner crushed the previous record of 83 hours 12 minutes, famously set by Jasmin Paris in 2019. INOV8 team-mate Damian Hall, last year’s winner, came second in 82 hours 25 minutes, also going under the old record.

Jack, who slept for less than an hour throughout the entire race, said: “This race meant everything to me, it was all I was focused on. I had a once-in-a-lifetime type of run and I’m so happy.

“I just felt like I had another gear almost the whole race, apart from the bit near Malham Tarn (80 miles in) when I felt bad due to the fast early pace and almost dropped out. After that, I slowed the pace, recharged, then pushed again when I felt better, chasing down those in front.

“Once I was on my own in front I just kept going. I was running scared, not knowing what was happening behind me. I hallucinated other runners catching me up. So scared of being caught, I made myself run as much as possible and took only small rests.

“I remember sleeping for 30 minutes a bit earlier in the race at the checkpoint in Langdon, then later beside Hadrian’s Wall when I asked a member of the public to watch over me and wake me up after four minutes. I then had 10 minutes sleep sitting against a fence on the final section over the Cheviot Hills when I set my alarm to wake me up.

“I just wanted to win the race. That was the goal. The record is fantastic, I’m not sure I can quite believe it.”

The race, dubbed ‘Britain’s Most Brutal,’ started in Edale, Derbyshire, on Sunday morning amid good conditions. Following the Pennine Way, Britain’s oldest National Trail complete with 37,000ft of wild mountainous ascent, Jack was never far from the front as a stellar field of contenders enjoyed clear visibility and firm ground.

His big move came on the section between Dufton and Alston where the race crosses its highest point, Cross Fell at 893m. Leaving behind INOV8 team-mate Damian Hall, Jack arrived in Alston alone with 175 miles of the course completed.

With the weather deteriorating, he then pushed on solo, battling flurries of heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures, for a further 93 miles all the way to the finish at Kirk Yetholm and a place in the history books.

It was a sweet victory for Jack, who was runner-up to his friend and rival Damian 12 months earlier following a ding-dong battle on the same course. Ultra running veteran Damian, co-founder of The Green Runners, had to settle for second place this year, 47 minutes inside Jasmin’s previous record in a time that would have won him the race any other year.

Staffordshire-based Jack first began running in his early 20s, using it to help him overcome a gambling addiction that was previously controlling his life. Now five years clean, his results at ultramarathon races have elevated his status, as has his work to promote GAMSTOP, a platform that allows people to self-exclude themselves from online gambling.

Prior to this win, his two previous results at the Spine Race were a DNF in 2020 and that second-place finish in 2023.

Jack works part-time in construction, reinforcing buildings and infrastructure with steel in the foundations. He is also a running coach.

Jack wore one pair of INOV8s TRAILFLY G 270 V2 running shoes for the entire 268 miles.

Photos courtesy INOV8

FURTHER INFORMATION:

INOV8 is an ambitious sportswear pioneer whose products keep athletes within the flow. It designs and manufactures footwear, clothing and equipment that works with the body, not against it. It also has the exclusive use of Graphene – the world’s strongest material – in the rubber outsoles and foam midsoles of its shoes, enhancing both performance and durability. www.inov-8.com

See Also
Matt Green The Spine Perspective in Ultrarunning World magazine issue 40
Montane Spine Race 2016 – Updates