Lucy Gossage in podium places after stunning start to Winter Spine Race
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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 âBritainâs most brutalâ race.
She is fundraising for a charity close to her heart â âMove Against Cancerâ â 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: âAnyone who thinks Iâm going to be near the front â theyâre wrong. I wonât be.â
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 yearâs runner-up Hannah Rickman ahead of her.
Inside track
In a further bonus for triathlon fans, Lucyâs social media is being looked after by last Septemberâs IRONMAN Wales winner Nikki Bartlett for the duration of the race and the posts give a fantastic flavour of the challenges sheâs facing â and the stunning scenery sheâs running through.
âïžUPDATE from Goss: approx sunrise I think.
A thread of updates: Goss is smashing it. Sheâs now at Checkpoint 2; Hawes, and having a good rest there. There will be a big psychological element to this, as other competitors may choose to head on⊠pic.twitter.com/083sgHTqQw
â lucy gossage (@lucygoss) January 15, 2024
The weather has so far been relatively kind to the competitors â itâs very cold but is dry and solid underfoot.
In the menâs 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 Lucyâs progress via GPS here â and our sister site RUN247 is providing regular updates throughout the event.
Written by
Jonathan Turner
Jonathan Turner is News Director for both TRI247 and RUN247, and is accustomed to big-name interviews, breaking news stories and providing unrivalled coverage for endurance sports. Â
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