Montane Virtual Spine Race

THE VIRTUAL SPINE RACE

In January 2026 we will once again be offering the chance to take part in a VIRTUAL SPINE RACE CHALLENGE.

Your virtual challenge can take place anywhere in the world and you have the whole of January to get to the finish.
Starting from your front door, when you go for a walk, use your wheelchair, jog, run, push the baby buggy or take your dog for some exercise you can log the distance covered on a virtual map and track your progress along the iconic Pennine Way.

Alternatively, we can collect your miles automatically if you connect Strava, Garmin Connect, Suunto, Fitbit or Polar devices.

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

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

The base entry fee of just £9.95 covers the event and a downloadable finisher certificate unique to the virtual challenges.

You’ll be able to track your and other participants progress as the dots move along a virtual map 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. You also have the opportunity to add photographs, updates, share your progress with others and personalise your marker
on the map.

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.

In addition, Montane is offering all participants a generous 20% discount on Montane kit!

SUPPORTING THE PENNINE WAY

Thank you to everyone who generously donated to our chosen charity, the Pennine Way National Trails Partnership, when they entered the 2025 event. You raised a remarkable £1,235 which enabled the Partnership to repair a section of the Pennine Way south east of Thornton in Craven where the flagstones had become submerged and cracked. 
  
The 2026 Virtual 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 the work of the Partnership.