This week on Trails, Tales & Fails, we’re joined by co-host Sarah Page, fresh off an incredible performance at the Montane Winter Spine Challenger South 2026.In her first-ever Spine, Sarah claimed 1st female, 3rd overall, and ran the fastest women’s time ever recorded on the Challenger South, stopping the clock at 29:03 — nearly 40 minutes quicker than the previous best.All of this came in truly brutal conditions. Storm Goretti dumped snow across the Pennine Way early on, followed by driving wind, rain, and ice through Saturday night and into Sunday. Classic Spine weather.We break the race down in detail:The emotional build-up to her first SpineSnow, darkness, navigation, and the mental grind of the night sectionA pivotal 40-minute stop at Hebden BridgeRunning deep into the race with Rich BryarsPicking off competitors and opening a decisive gapDiversionsA tense podium battle in the icy final milesSarah reflects on the highs, lows, lessons learned, and what this race revealed about her as an athlete — and answers the big question:👉 Does this performance tempt her toward Challenger North… or even the full Spine Race?An honest, insightful deep dive into one of the standout performances of the winter ultra season.We’re proud to be supported by ⁠Protein Rebel⁠ — get 15% off with code TTF15 — and by ⁠Beta Outdoor Sports⁠, where you can get 10% off ⁠BV Sports⁠ compression and apparel, plus 10% off ⁠Näak Nutrition⁠ products to fuel your adventures using TTF10.Don’t forget to⁠⁠⁠ click here⁠⁠⁠ to join our Strava club to connect with fellow trail lovers and celebrate your own achievements.👉 Join our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Trails, Tales, and Fails Facebook Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to continue the conversation and connect with fellow trail and ultra runners.If you enjoy the episode, please leave us a rating and share it with your running buddies.

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