Lucy Gossage in action in the 2025 Spine Race. Photo: Bob Smith Photography

Some of the country’s most brutal long-distance races begins this weekend.

Runners in the Montane Spine Race will set off from Derbyshire on Sunday in a challenge to complete the full 268-mile route of the Pennine Way.

The winner typically finishes the course in less than four days. Kim Collison won the men’s race in 2025, arriving at the Border Hotel in Kirk Yetholm 3 days 10hrs 46mins 32secs after setting off from Edale. First woman at the finish was Lucy Gossage.

Runners will brave snow, rain and wind, with daytime temperatures as low as -15C. The format of the race is self-supported and non-stop, meaning participants must carry their own equipment, sleep where they can, and endure the full brunt of the British winter.

Safety teams closely monitor all participants, while checkpoints manned by volunteers offer moments of respite to keep spirits high.

This year’s start roster includes well known runners including Anna Troup, Damian Hall, John Kelly, Allie Bailey, Jon Shield, Eugeni Roselló Solé, Sophie Grant, Claire Bannwarth, Samantha Lissauer, Chris Cope, Sebastien Raichon, and Victoria Morris.

Participants will navigate some of the most beautiful yet unforgiving landscapes in England and Scotland, battling freezing temperatures as they climb more than 10,000m of total ascent.

The Spine Race is one of a series of endurance events on Britain’s original national trail. With more than 700 runners from across the globe, the event features seven races of varying distances, from the 46-mile Sprint South to the 268-mile full Spine.

The first races, the Sprint South Race, 108-mile Challenger South and the MRT Challenge South, over the same distance and for active mountain rescue team members, begin on Saturday.

The Challenger North and MRT Challenge North, both 160 miles, start from Hardraw in the Yorkshire Dales on Sunday evening, with the Sprint North, a 43-miler, beginning on Tuesday from Bellingham.

Dot followers can keep track of the runners via the Open Tracking website.