Runner and cancer survivor Nicky Spinks has set a new women’s record for the most famous fell running challenge in England, the Bob Graham Round.
The 47-year-old ran the 66-mile Bob Graham Round in an incredible time of 18hrs 06mins, lowering her own record by six minutes.
The iconic Bob Graham Round is an epic circuit over 42 of the Lake District’s roughest and toughest summits, including the highest point in England, Scafell Pike.
Runners taking on the challenge must conquer 27,000ft of grueling elevation gain, and do so in less than 24 hours.
Against the odds. Pic credit: Inov-8.com
A truly impressive runner
I heard Nicky, a Yorkshire farmer and Inov-8 supported athlete, talk about her love of hill running, her many achievements and her comeback from breast cancer at the Fort William Mountain Festival in February. I was very inspired by this quietly spoken and modest woman and so I am delighted to hear she has broken yet another running record.
Nicky first completed the Bob Graham Round in 2005. A year later she was diagnosed with cancer. In 2012, shortly after undergoing a hysterectomy, Nicky returned to the Lake District and smashed Anne Johnson’s record, clocking 18hrs 12mins.
Nicky Spinks’ Bob Graham Round. Pic credit: Inov-8.com
This week Nicky ran the circuit in an even faster time despite suffering a bloodied 4cm cut to her hand while descending Blencathra’s “parachute drop” and being sick multiple times.
Nicky said: “It was a day of real ups and downs. I suffered in the heat, lost the use of my left hand and was sick, a lot.
“I thought about giving up but then remembered all the kind donations people had made to Odyssey, a charity helping adults who have had cancer rebuild their lives and confidence.
“I was so happy to finish and achieve a new women’s record.”
Read Nicky’s full account of her record-breaking run.
Record-breaking Bob Graham Round. Pic credit: Inov-8.com