Lucy Gossage in podium places after stunning start to Winter Spine Race

Former triathlon star Lucy Gossage has made an outstanding start to the Montane Winter Spine Race.

We caught up with the multiple Ironman champion before her debut in the 268-mile continuous running event which is billed as ‘Britain’s most brutal’ race.

She is fundraising for a charity close to her heart – ‘Move Against Cancer’ – and achieved many of her triathlon feats while working as an oncologist in Nottingham.

Exceeding expectations

Her victories in that sphere included the extreme Patagonman and Norseman triathlons but she modestly played down any expectations of a high finish at the Spine, telling us: “Anyone who thinks I’m going to be near the front – they’re wrong. I won’t be.”

But she could hardly have begun much better, ticking off the first 100 miles along the Pennine Way with incredible enthusiasm before getting some rest in Hawes.

She reached the Dales village in third place, with only reigning champion Claire Bannwarth and last year’s runner-up Hannah Rickman ahead of her.

Inside track

In a further bonus for triathlon fans, Lucy’s social media is being looked after by last September’s IRONMAN Wales winner Nikki Bartlett for the duration of the race and the posts give a fantastic flavour of the challenges she’s facing – and the stunning scenery she’s running through.

The weather has so far been relatively kind to the competitors – it’s very cold but is dry and solid underfoot.

In the men’s race the defending champion is also going well with Damian Hall not only leading the way but also well ahead of the male record time which he set himself last year.

The only runner to ever complete the race faster than Hall is Jasmin Paris, who clocked 83hrs 12mins when she became the first woman to win the race outright in 2019.

You can track Lucy’s progress via GPS here – and our sister site RUN247 is providing regular updates throughout the event.