Our annoyingly cheerful ultrarunner Damian Hall is feeling awed by a very special runner (and person)

TOKEN BLOKE

I was very lucky to be a very small part of something utterly amazing this month. Hopefully most Women’s Running readers will have heard of Nicky Spinks, the serial fell-running record-breaker and cancer survivor who was recently awarded a British Empire Medal. I’ve known the 51-year-old, curly haired, macaroon-thieving Yorkshire farmer for about two years, partly because we’re both ambassadors for inov-8. I was incredibly fortunate to have her crew for me at UTMB last year. There’s no whingeing about a hot spot on your little toe when she’s around.

In 2016, to celebrate 10 years since she was diagnosed and treated for breast cancer, Nicky ran a Double Bob Graham (BG) Round. That’s 132 miles, 54,000ft of ascent (Mount Everest is a mere 29,000ft) and 45hrs 32mins on her feet (with just one 10-minute power nap), breaking a record (set by a man) that had stood since 1979. Incidentally, at least three men are known to have attempted to break Nicky’s record since, and not got close.