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 Spine

• Snow, darkness, navigation, and the mental grind of the night section

• A pivotal 40-minute stop at Hebden Bridge

• Running deep into the race with Rich Bryars

• Picking off competitors and opening a decisive gap

• Diversions

• A tense podium battle in the icy final miles

Sarah 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.

Welcome back to Trails, Tales, and Fails — the podcast where we celebrate the highs, the lows, and everything in between on the ultra-running journey.

Today’s episode is a little different. It’s just the three of us — Max, Rob, and Sarah — catching up, talking training, and looking back on 2025 with a fun (and slightly chaotic) quiz based on our previous guests. Expect confident guesses, very shaky answers, and a surprising amount of disorder.

We also dive into where everyone’s at right now:

• Sarah is deep into her build-up for the Spine Challenger South, juggling winter miles, kit admin, and long dark days.

• Rob is gearing up for the Arc 100, while Max is preparing for the Arc 25.

We talk honestly about training through winter — the highs, the setbacks, the kit that’s actually working, and the mindset shifts needed when motivation dips and conditions get tough. As always, we share lessons and tips that might help you navigate your own winter running.

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.

Ultras aren’t usually lost because you’re not fit enough — they’re lost because of one bad decision made when you’re tired, cold, or emotional.

In this week’s Ultra Tip Tuesday, we introduce the Traffic Light Decision System: a simple framework to help you make smarter calls during long runs and race day.

Learn how to:

• Keep moving when things are green

• Monitor and manage problems early when they’re amber

• Act immediately when things turn red — no ego, no delay

This episode is all about staying calm, avoiding unnecessary stops, and knowing when stopping is the smartest move you can make.

Train smart. Race smart. Finish strong.

For coaching enquiries, DM me on Instagram or ⁠click here⁠.

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.