With no holidays or races on the calendar for 2026, I’m doubling down on volunteering opportunities for this year. Top of that list is getting a spot as a Spine Race volunteer.
I’m working on the TrekMaster team on several Ultra Challenge events (Lakes, North Yorkshire, Peaks, and the Gower) and the Peak District Challenge in September.
The UC events are a blast, and the PDC is a fantastic grassroots event that punches above its weight.
The biggest, single volunteering gig I’d applied for, though, was the Summer Spine race. And today I got the notification that I’ve got a volunteer place on the Spine Safety Team (SST).
I’ve volunteered on the Spine Race before, but not for a full week. It’s a great opportunity to support people as they work their way up the 268-mile course up the Pennine Way, and is great experience for me.
Building experience to take part in the future
The progression on the Spine Race for many people is ‘dot-watching’ (watching the race progress from the online tracker), then getting out to cheer on course (see the post below), then volunteering, then taking part.
I’m looking to hike the Pennine Way myself in 2027 and fully intend to toe the line for the Spine as a participant in the future.
I had originally hoped to walk the Pennine Way in the autumn this year, but I don’t think I’ll be ready for it. So I’m looking forward to getting some visibility higher up the course whilst volunteering. I’ve been as far up as Malham Tarn in the past, but no farther.
I’ll post follow up blogs during Spine week in the Summer.
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