Montane Virtual Spine Race

THE VIRTUAL SUMMER SPINE RACE CHALLENGES

In June 2026, as well as the traditional race which sees athletes race non-stop along the Pennine Way, there will be the opportunity to take part in VIRTUAL SUMMER SPINE RACE CHALLENGES.

Your virtual challenge can take place anywhere in the world and you have the whole of June get to the finish.

With five distances, there is a virtual challenge for nearly everyone… 

• THE DASH - 26.8 miles, Edale to Standedge in the wild moorlands of the Pennine Hills
• THE SPRINT 43 miles. Edale to Hebden Bridge in the picturesque Calder Valley
• THE CHALLENGER SOUTH 108 miles. Edale to the attractive North Yorkshire village of Hardraw
• THE CHALLENGER NORTH 160 miles. Hardraw to Kirk Yetholm in the remote Scottish Borders
• THE SPINE RACE 268 miles. The entire Pennine Way from Edale to Kirk Yetholm

Starting from your front door, when you go for a walk, use your wheel chair, jog, run, push the pram or take the dog for some exercise you can log your miles on a virtual map or we can collect your miles automatically if you connect a Strava, Garmin Connect or similar.

The base entry fee of just £9.95 covers the event and a downloadable finisher certificate unique to the virtual challenges. Just like the actual race, we'll show your position on a virtual map and you’ll be able to track your and other participants progress as the dots move along of the Pennine Way, through the official checkpoints. A live weather overlay will give you a sense of what conditions are actually like on the trail and you also have the opportunity to add photographs and updates.

In addition, there is a generous 20% discount on Montane kit!

By paying an additional £12 there is the option to add a finisher medal, ribbon and buff to your entry or a Trees not Tees tree. They plant native trees in their managed forests in Scotland to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and will send you a personal ownership certificate including both a photo and location of your tree.

Due to increased postage costs and additional charges for customs duty, we will no longer be able to send finisher medals and buffs to overseas participants.

SUPPORTING THE PENNINE WAY

Participants in the 2025 summer challenges donated an amazing £460 which helped fund the repair and replacement of flagstones on the Pennine Way south of Thornton in Craven. 
  
The 2026 Virtual Summer Spine Race will be once again be supporting the Pennine Way National Trail Partnership. When you enter you can make a donation of £5, £10 or £20 to support their work.