On January 11, 2026, the Winter Backbone Race group made an announcement on social media about one of many contributors within the 108-mile Winter Backbone Challenger South race: “Sarah Porter, who has been fundraising for charity … has now been withdrawn from the race as a consequence of security issues.” Porter, from the U.Ok., was pulled from the course on the advice of the race director Phil Hayday-Brown after solely 30 miles of racing when the group grew to become conscious of dying threats towards her.
Sarah Porter was pulled from the 2026 Winter Backbone Challenger South race after security threats. Picture courtesy of Sarah Porter.
When contacted, the race group defined, “On Saturday the tenth we made the tough resolution to take away one in every of our contributors from the race following a private security risk, we have now been working with all of the related authorities and consider there is no such thing as a wider risk to different contributors on the course. We perceive that that is disappointing for the runner in query, however the security of all our contributors is all the time our main concern.”
Fundraising for Afghan Ladies
Porter was utilizing the race as a fundraiser for supporting younger ladies in Afghanistan, a trigger she has been concerned with for a very long time. Exterior of working, Porter is the founder and CEO of InspiredMinds, an AI expertise firm that lobbies for expertise for use in a constructive, democratic method in low- to middle-income nations. In 2017, as a part of her work, she was launched to the all-girl Afghan robotics group that was initially unable to compete at a world robotics competitors within the U.S. after being denied visas. Via Porter’s work, the younger ladies have been ultimately in a position to journey and compete. Porter stayed in contact with these ladies, and earlier than the autumn of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, to the Taliban in 2021, grew to become instrumental in evacuating them, their households, and associates to security. Her work expanded from there, and she or he’s at present concerned in serving to ladies in war-torn nations past Afghanistan.
Porter remains to be fairly new to ultrarunning, having solely been racing for the previous 18 months. And whereas working could also be new, taking precautions to guard herself is now comparatively commonplace for her. Sadly, due to her work in supporting these ladies and different oppressed teams, threats towards her security often occur. Nonetheless, that is the primary time she’s handled them within the context of a race.
Sarah Porter on the 2026 Winter Backbone Challenger South race course earlier than being pulled from the race. Picture courtesy of Sarah Porter.
The choice to make use of the Winter Backbone Challenger South race as a fundraiser was made with an abundance of warning and superior planning to make sure security. She has a safety group and in addition had a bodyguard close by always alongside the course. Porter labored intently with race director Hayday-Brown forward of the occasion, and highlights that he actually wished to help her in racing. When she first approached him, she mentioned, “I’ve seen that that is referred to as ‘Britain’s most brutal race’ and given the brutality that’s occurring to ladies all over the world and the work that we do, it feels so applicable.” She noticed that it drew many parallels to the ache, endurance, and resilience that girls are struggling below oppression. Porter is fast to level out that you simply can not ever evaluate one thing to the extent of what these ladies expertise, however for a fundraiser, it felt like match.
Porter is disillusioned at not with the ability to end the race. When she acquired the decision from Hayday-Brown telling her that they wanted to get her off the course, Porter remembers it solely as a blur, excessive on caffeine and reeling from the robust circumstances she’d endured thus far. Porter understands that had she stored a decrease profile, she could have been in a position to end the race with out threats, however she additionally is aware of that to be able to get the media consideration and help the fundraiser deserved, she needed to share her try publicly, and as such, make herself susceptible to threats.
Trying Ahead
Just a few days later, Porter is recovering from the expertise, each mentally and bodily, however she says it hasn’t shaken her. Whereas Porter could not have had the possibility to complete the Winter Backbone Challenger South race, she doesn’t plan to cease her fundraising efforts for Afghan ladies. She additionally doesn’t plan to allow them to get in the way in which of her larger objectives.
She has extra path and mountain working races developing this yr and one thing to point out: “I actually must go on the market now, not only for myself, but additionally for the women that I’m supporting, and end one thing large, and I’m not going to cease till I do this now. I’m hell-bent on it.”
Sarah Porter bundled towards the weather on the 2026 Winter Backbone Challenger South race. Picture courtesy of Sarah Porter.
And she or he passionately needs extra individuals to talk out and combat for the numerous injustices on the earth: “You possibly can, as a person, have an enormous impact. You simply must know the place you stand and be ready to face up and combat for it.”
You possibly can donate to Porter’s fundraiser right here.
