Compiled and fact-checked by Tommo, Verus founder · Last verified August 2026 · Spot an error?
Running · Ultra Marathons
Montane Winter Spine Challenger North 2027
- Race day
- Sunday, 10 January 2027
- Location
- Hardraw, North Yorkshire to Kirk Yetholm, Scottish Borders, UK
- Distance
- 160 mi / 257.5 km
Montane Winter Spine Challenger North: 10 January 2027, 160 miles, from Hardraw, North Yorkshire. Entry, route, a pace chart and the race-day forecast.
Montane Winter Spine Challenger North Race Timeline
122 days to go
This is where the real training happens — building your long run and getting comfortable with ultra race-pace.
Montane Winter Spine Challenger North 2027: quick answers
When is Montane Winter Spine Challenger North 2027?
Montane Winter Spine Challenger North 2027 takes place on Sunday, 10 January 2027, starting at 18:00 on Sunday 10 January 2027.
What time does Montane Winter Spine Challenger North start?
Montane Winter Spine Challenger North starts at 18:00 on Sunday 10 January 2027 from Hardraw, North Yorkshire.
Where does Montane Winter Spine Challenger North start and finish?
Montane Winter Spine Challenger North starts at Hardraw, North Yorkshire and finishes at Kirk Yetholm, Scottish Borders.
How many miles is Montane Winter Spine Challenger North?
Montane Winter Spine Challenger North is 160 miles (257.5km).
How much elevation gain does Montane Winter Spine Challenger North have?
Montane Winter Spine Challenger North has approximately 17356ft of total elevation gain. 17,356ft (5,290m) of ascent across 160 miles, per the organiser — that works out at roughly 108ft of climb per mile. The going: northern pennine way — dales limestone, cross fell, hadrian's wall and the cheviot ridge, in winter.
How much does Montane Winter Spine Challenger North cost to enter?
£745, paid as a £300 deposit on entry with £445 due 100 days before the start. 100 places. Entrants must be 21 or over with prior ultra experience over 60 miles or a previous Spine Challenger.
Key Race Metrics & Overview
- Date
- Sunday, 10 January 2027
- Distance
- 160 miles / 257.5km
- Location
- Hardraw, North Yorkshire to Kirk Yetholm, Scottish Borders, UK
- Start Point
- Hardraw, North Yorkshire
- Finish Point
- Kirk Yetholm, Scottish Borders
- Start time
- 18:00 on Sunday 10 January 2027
- Elevation gain
- 17356 ft (5290m)
- Surface
- Northern Pennine Way — Dales limestone, Cross Fell, Hadrian's Wall and the Cheviot ridge, in winter
- Cut-off time
- 108 hours, finishing by 06:00 on 15 January 2027.
Not published by the organiser at the time of writing: age requirement, tracking app. Verus records these as unconfirmed rather than estimating them — check the official race website closer to race day.
Direct Entry Summary
£745, paid as a £300 deposit on entry with £445 due 100 days before the start. 100 places. Entrants must be 21 or over with prior ultra experience over 60 miles or a previous Spine Challenger.
Ballot Policy
No ballot — entry is direct through The Spine Race.
Montane Winter Spine Challenger North Race Day Weather
A real forecast appears here once one exists for race day — usually about a week to ten days out. Nothing is shown until then, because a made-up forecast is worse than none.
Montane Winter Spine Challenger North Route Map & Elevation Profile
Starting at Hardraw, North Yorkshire and finishing at Kirk Yetholm, Scottish Borders. 17356 ft of total elevation gain across 160 miles.
Is Montane Winter Spine Challenger North flat?
17,356ft (5,290m) of ascent across 160 miles, per the organiser — that works out at roughly 108ft of climb per mile. The going: northern pennine way — dales limestone, cross fell, hadrian's wall and the cheviot ridge, in winter.
Montane Winter Spine Challenger North Course Profile
17356 ft total elevation gain.
Tap a point on the course for details.
Hardraw, North Yorkshire
Start line.
Where Montane Winter Spine Challenger North starts and finishes
Montane Winter Spine Challenger North starts at Hardraw, North Yorkshire and finishes at Kirk Yetholm, Scottish Borders. We haven't been able to place those on a map accurately enough to show one — a pin in the wrong place is worse than no pin.
These are the start and finish points, not the route. Verus doesn't hold course files for this race, and drawing a line between two pins would be a guess you might end up training on.
Full Montane Winter Spine Challenger North Route Breakdown
The northern 160 miles of the Pennine Way, non-stop from Hardraw to Kirk Yetholm, with 5,290m of ascent. It runs through the Yorkshire Dales, over Cross Fell, along Hadrian's Wall and across the Cheviots. An 18:00 start means it opens with a full winter night on the Dales.
Montane Winter Spine Challenger North Pace Calculator & Splits
Montane Winter Spine Challenger North Pace Calculator
Enter a target finish time to see your pace and projected splits.
Average pace / mile
1:30
Average pace / km
0:56
Montane Winter Spine Challenger North Pace Chart
Split markers calculated for standard checkpoints — no official pacers are confirmed for this event.
| Target | Pace /mi | Pace /km | 5K | 10K | Half Marathon | 30K | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3:00 | 1:08 | 0:42 | 3:30 | 6:59 | 14:45 | 20:58 | 3:00:00 |
| 3:15 | 1:13 | 0:45 | 3:47 | 7:34 | 15:59 | 22:43 | 3:15:00 |
| 3:30 | 1:19 | 0:49 | 4:05 | 8:09 | 17:12 | 24:28 | 3:30:00 |
| 3:45 | 1:24 | 0:52 | 4:22 | 8:44 | 18:26 | 26:13 | 3:45:00 |
| 4:00 | 1:30 | 0:56 | 4:40 | 9:19 | 19:40 | 27:58 | 4:00:00 |
| 4:15 | 1:36 | 0:59 | 4:57 | 9:54 | 20:54 | 29:43 | 4:15:00 |
| 4:30 | 1:41 | 1:03 | 5:15 | 10:29 | 22:07 | 31:27 | 4:30:00 |
| 4:45 | 1:47 | 1:06 | 5:32 | 11:04 | 23:21 | 33:12 | 4:45:00 |
| 5:00 | 1:53 | 1:10 | 5:50 | 11:39 | 24:35 | 34:57 | 5:00:00 |
| 5:30 | 2:04 | 1:17 | 6:24 | 12:49 | 27:02 | 38:27 | 5:30:00 |
| 6:00 | 2:15 | 1:24 | 6:59 | 13:59 | 29:30 | 41:57 | 6:00:00 |
| 6:30 | 2:26 | 1:31 | 7:34 | 15:09 | 31:57 | 45:26 | 6:30:00 |
| 7:00 | 2:38 | 1:38 | 8:09 | 16:19 | 34:25 | 48:56 | 7:00:00 |
Montane Winter Spine Challenger North Finish Time Estimator
Enter a recent 5K, 10K or Half Marathon time to estimate your Montane Winter Spine Challenger North finish time.
Your 5K time
Estimated Montane Winter Spine Challenger North finish
27:10:58
An estimate only, based on Pete Riegel's race-time prediction formula. Real marathon performance depends on endurance, training specificity, pacing and race-day conditions — not just your speed over a shorter distance.
Training for a different distance? Try the full pace calculator, race time predictor or pace chart.
Got your target time? Save it to your profile.
Tag Montane Winter Spine Challenger North, set your goal pace, and let Verus track your countdown, training and fundraising in one place.
Start Your Verus JourneyMontane Winter Spine Challenger North Race Day Checklist
Tap items to mark off your race-day readiness.
- Race number attached, and any timing chip fitted per your race pack instructions
- Weather-appropriate kit, plus something warm and disposable to discard before the start
- A plan for reaching Hardraw, North Yorkshire
- A meeting point agreed with family and friends for after the race
Training Strategy for Montane Winter Spine Challenger North
20-24 weeks is the realistic window for a first 160-mile ultra, assuming you already have a marathon's worth of base behind you. The block that matters is back-to-back long weekends — a long run on Saturday followed by a second, slower one on Sunday — which builds time on feet and teaches you to run on tired legs without the recovery cost of one enormous day. Practise your race-day nutrition on every one of them; at this distance the stomach fails before the legs do.
This is a largely flat course, so most of your long runs can mirror that — flat and steady, building time on feet rather than hill strength.
Drop volume hard across the final three to four weeks — further out and steeper than a marathon taper, because a 30-mile training day costs weeks of recovery, not days. Keep some easy running and a little terrain-specific work in, but the goal is to reach Hardraw, North Yorkshire with fresh feet and a rested gut rather than one more long run in the bank.
Lock in your target pace using the interactive splits calculator below — no official pacers are confirmed for this event, so a pace band on your watch is the more reliable option.
Test your race-day fuel and hydration plan on your long training runs, not for the first time on race day — check the Race Day Checklist below for what's actually on this course.
160-Mile Ultra Nutrition & Fueling Plan
A deliberate increase in carbohydrate over the two to three days before the race is the well-established approach at marathon distance.
Eat a carbohydrate-focused breakfast two to three hours before the start, and stick to something you've already tested in training rather than trying anything new.
Most runners take on carbohydrate every 30 to 45 minutes from about an hour in, alongside fluid at the on-course stations.
A mix of carbohydrate and protein in the hour or so after finishing supports recovery.
Montane Winter Spine Challenger North Charity Places 2027
No formal charity-place scheme published — runners commonly fundraise for a charity of their own choosing.
Lead with your personal story — explain why the charity matters to you. Personal connection generates 3x more support than a generic link broadcast.
Share key training milestones on Instagram (first 10-miler, peak week, race week) with your fundraising link in bio. Publicly thanking donors prompts secondary gifts!
Running Montane Winter Spine Challenger North for charity?
Link your JustGiving page to Verus and show up right here alongside other Montane Winter Spine Challenger North fundraisers — goal, progress and story, all in one place.
Add Your Fundraiser to VerusTravel & Logistics
No road closures — the Montane Winter Spine Challenger North is run off-road (Northern Pennine Way — Dales limestone, Cross Fell, Hadrian's Wall and the Cheviot ridge, in winter), so local traffic is unaffected.
Montane Winter Spine Challenger North Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know for race weekend.
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Race details independently compiled and fact-checked by Tommo against the official Montane Winter Spine Challenger North site , last verified August 2026. Always confirm official timings and policies directly prior to race day.