Winter Wipeout 2026 – someone call the AA!

Pics: Eric Murphy and Del Stevyn

Andrew Armin (AA) ran the 2026 Winter Wipeout at break neck speed to take a lead in the Shadowlands Winter Trail Series at the half way point.  Finishing 16 minutes ahead of Luke Adams and Andrew Dancer who battled it out to the finish.  On the women’s side Rachel Malthouse made it three wins out of three to give herself clear daylight to any challenger in the overall rankings.  There will be a separate post on the Shadowlands series standings soon but for now we’ll concentrate on this day as it was about so much more than running as fast as you can.  You get a day out in the stunning Northumberland hills that decided this year to wear a lovely winter jacket and to gift you all calm conditions to run in.

Leading up to race day it took a couple of days to mark the course.  The forecast for Friday was grim so I decided to do the section from the road to Hedgehope and back on Thursday where I was treated to big blue skies and deep snow all the way from the bottom.  Friday was indeed pretty nasty as heavy rain removed all the snow lower down but it still managed to cling on from Cunyan Crags onwards.  The route around Brough Law was marked out and come Friday night it was only really the livestock than were going to alter the little flags and signs that were out.

After having to nip home on Friday night the alarm went off at an ungodly hour to set off to Ingram in the dark.  The car park was slightly less of an ice rink but still slippy and Drew was already on the case preparing the registration and finish area.  Biddy and her team in the cafe were all systems go preparing for the day ahead and when Andy got there he went off and assessed whether the river crossing was doable given all the recent rain.  After breaking through some ice he gleefully said it was and set about marking the finish up.

Soon enough runners arrived on site and unlike the Goat weekend Stuart’s field was frozen solid and it made for a far easier parking situation.  Registration was done just inside the cafe door by Debbie, Joanne and Kelly who were delighted they did not get to be in the nice and warm part of the cafe.  People supped on hot coffee and had a bit of breakfast before checking kit and then preparing for the big off.  With Adrian and his beard being elsewhere it was Drew who stood up to give the race brief and took delight in telling everyone about the watery finish.

9:30 came around and as the runners set off I’d just about made it to the top of Hedgehope with Ben the dog.  Clearly the torrential rain that can been falling down at Ingram the day before had actually been falling as snow up high so it was tough going carrying a bag full of safety kit whilst breaking trail through a foot deep snow.  This was nothing however compared to the hazards of the icy road through the valley as the runners set off with a mile and a half run on a super sketchy tarmac section that had people doing Bambi impressions and testing balance.  Wise heads kept off the black stuff and picked up the pace on the frozen but grippier grass verges.  The cows watched the crowd go by and wondered by these silly humans are putting themselves through so much suffering in the cold.

Over Peggy Bells bridge they went until turning off before Greenside and hitting the track cross country to the foot of Cunyan Crags.  The ground was hard which meant people really wanting to push on could get the legs pumping.  For everyone else it was a first sight of the looming Cheviot hills that would come to define their day.  It’s a steep pull up Cunyan and after you claw round the rocks you are greeted with the sucker punch of a nasty drag up to Dunmoor.  That represents two of the four viscous climbs on this run.  Once peaking out at Dunmoor you’re checked on by marshal Sean and have a section that could almost be described as pleasant.  Dunmoor slopes off gradually until it turns sharply and the climb up to the second highest summit in the Cheviot begins.

The rise out of Dunmoor after the gate is steep enough to get you working.  It then eases off just at the point the bulging bulk of Hedgehope comes into view. It’s almost joyfully cruel the way the final push steepens up so much until you’re nearly crawling on hands and knees up through the snow covered stones before eventually being rewarded with a view of the top.  I was there at the top waiting to scan runners but after repeated attempts with the front lot I gave up on the scanner and told people to touch that fence before turning round and heading back down.  Lots of people lingered at the top and took in the magnificent views whilst being rightly proud of the achievement to get up there.

From a personal point of view it was great to see so many people out enjoying this fantastic part of the world.  I hadn’t seen Owen Williams for a long time and just to see him running again was heart lifting.  33 years old and we did an ultra in Scotland together many years ago (he smashed me, obvs) but since then he’s been plagued by injuries.  After two operations he’s back in the game and getting himself into the sport he loves so much.  Ross Robertson made sure he touched that trig point before knowing he’d pick up the pace over the uneven ground going back down.  Georgia Campbell was questioning her life choices at the turnaround point and Spencer Booth just looked determined to press on.  Fellow mountain rescue colleague Dean Upton was suffering with a hip problem but managed to grit it out and then there was Frances Naylor who was heartily cheered on by husband Steve and friend Sue Jennings.  It was nice just to play a brief part of everyone’s journey that day.

On the descent back down the snow had been compressed or pushed aside so now the frozen ground underneath could bare its teeth.  Several runners put the “wipeout” name into effect but all of them got back on their feet and soldiered on.  The way back down is a fine reward for all that effort to get up there and people were off the hills in half the time it took to get up there with only the slight rise to Dunmoor in the middle to check the speed.  As runners came cross country from Cunyan Crags they once again hit the road and it was plain sailing back to Blighty.

Except it wasn’t.  Halfway back along the road came the special sauce in the form of a crawl up the face of Brough Law on hands and knees through thick bracken.  Everyone gave rave reviews for this wonderful section and wished the entire race could be like this next year.  This vertiginous section was thankfully pretty short and spat runners out on to the regular route up to Brough Law and its ancient hill fort at the top.  No sight seeing for these people though as they were cast far behind Ewe Hill and then ran the fast but traction-less path back down to Ingram.  I had visions of people trying to go fast with arms swirling all over the place and eyes on stalks but in reality the realisation that a tough run was nearly over turned this into an enjoyable slide back to the cafe.

All that lay ahead now as a little jog back through the tiny hamlet before sampling the delights of Andy’s special water crossing finish.  Over the bridge people were sent before turning right and dipping into the icy cold waters of the Breamish.  Toes were treated to some free cold water therapy whilst early runners benefited from a bit of ice breaking to clear the way.  Spectators waited on the far shore and with clean trainers the runners popped out and ticked off the finish by being scanned and filled with the pride of a job well done.  The hazards of a soaking wet floor in the cafe were nothing compared to the perils faced out on the hill and a mug of hot soup went down a treat to replace some of the calories lost and put some fuel back in the tank.

A massive well done to all those runners who took on the challenge and got the job done.  It’s called the Winter Wipeout for a good reason and it was clear that everyone on the day knew how to handle themselves in difficult conditions and terrain.  The sense of accomplishment is well deserved because that’s nearly 1000 metres of ascent in 15 miles whilst taking on uneven ground, deep snow, icy patches, double digit minus figure temperatures and a neat little water crossing.  Hats off to each and every one of you.

Now for a quick run over the results.

In the V60 women Carol Cervenak was simply awesome by getting home in just over 4 hours to claim top spot.

Next up in the FV50 category Helen Heaney was in sparkling form as she romped back to Ingram in 3:13, an hour ahead of the next in category.  Floor Christie-De Jong then led Philippa Cole over the line to grab second and third respectively.

FV40 was well contested with ten runners all battling it out.  Emma Leigh grabbed excellent series points finishing third behind Susan Higgins in second.  Top spot was grabbed by Jane Pugh in a time of 3:15 with an eight minute gap.

Catherine Bonn and Jen Shell pushed themselves to the absolute limit to finish third and second respectively.  It was the indomitable Rachel Malthouse who made it her third Shadowlands victory out of three races to take the win and be the only woman to dip under the three hour mark.  Outstanding work to rightly grab the Sarah Wilson trophy.

In the male categories you have an absolute legend in Martin Riall taking top spot in the MV70 category.  I’m just under 50 and can barely run now so this guy has my full respect!  Annoyingly I can’t find a picture of him.

In MV60 it was Stephen Cowell in third behind Tony Brown who was fresh on the back of last weeks win at the Osprey Run.  Both of these trailed Richard Bewell who only just came over as the clocked ticked over three hours.

I was told the MV50 trophies may have gone to the wrong people and those at the finish line were pointing the finger at those pesky scanners again.  In what turned out to be a very close race third place Paul Pickering clocked in at 3:15 a minute behind Stephen Paul who was two minutes being the leader Stu Milburn.

In the MV40 standings it was a triple win in the Shadowlands series for Andrew Dancer but breathing down his neck in the Cheviots were Jonathan Dowson in second and Andrew Phizacklea in third.  Andrew Dancer’s time of 2:33 was good enough for third overall.

Lastly in the overall male category it was AA himself, Andrew Armin, who blazed home in a time of 2:17 to take the win.  Sixteen minutes behind was a tough Luke Adams who had to go deep to get 29 seconds on Andrew Dancer in third.  What a race!

Full race results can be found here: https://results.opentracking.co.uk/event/winterwipeout26?individuals=false&teams=false&gender=null&stage=null&classes=null&group=null

A load of pictures can be seen on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/coldbrewevents

There are three races remaining in the Shadowlands Winter Trail Series and they are open to anyone who wants to give them a go whether they are going for the series or now.  These are:

24th Jan – Lewis Burn Run

31st Jan – Lonesome Pine Run

7th Feb – Duergar Run