Joint first place for vegan ultra runner
Damian Hall crossed the finish line of the Montane Winter Spine Sprint North in joint first place
Vegan and co-founder of the Green Runners, Damian Hall shared the win at the first running of the Montane Winter Spine Sprint North with fellow ultrarunner Jon Shield.
The ironically named Sprint is a 43-mile race along the Pennine Way from Brown Rigg to Kirk Yetholm with a time limit of 18 hours, only four of which took place in the daylight. The race was held alongside the full 268 mile Spine Race (hence its comparative ‘sprint’ status) which Damian has previously won.
Organisers warned that this is a “challenging and technical section of the Pennine Way” and “a physically and psychologically demanding route that demands concentration, good physical fitness, resolve and respect.”
Damian finished the race in eight hours six minutes and said he was “cockahoop” with the result. After the race, he wrote:
“We had such a blast up there in those lonesome Cheviots. Racing hard at first, then chilling when conditions got iffy. A sunset for the ages atop Windy Gyle. Then a spicy out and back to the Cheviot summit. I tried to get away from the rascal [Jon Shield] on descents near the end, but we both had wingey [sic] crampy bits and agreed not to wreck each other, to settle for a draw.”
Damian has a fantastic ultra history with seven course records and fastest known times and a top five placing at Ultra Trail du Mont-Blanc, commonly known as UTMB.
The ultra runner is known for his love of tea after runs as well as his performances. He turned vegan for ecological reasons and stresses the importance of taking individual actions instead of only waiting for others to sort out problems. In 2022, he published ‘We Can’t Run Away From This,’ a book that examines running’s footprint on the planet.
“I just really feel strongly that time’s running out. It’s just really quite alarming. Mostly it’s alarming that politicians and some big businesses aren’t acting quickly enough. We’re really starting to struggle and run out of time.”
Content sourced and adapted, with permission, from Great Vegan Athletes.
About the author
Nicholas Hallows
Nicholas has been vegan since the early 2000s and worked for Viva! between 2017 and 2020 as a Senior Administrator and Web Content Assistant. He is a qualified teacher, specialising in Language and Literacy, and an accredited Proofreader and Editor. He is now a freelance writer covering topics including veganism, mindfulness and minimalism.
