The Montane Winter Spine Races 2023 begin this Saturday 14thJanuary and will see a record number of runners take on some of our most fiercely contested races to date.
Around 500 competitors from 22 countries are taking part and this year’s winter races sold out in under 3-minutes when entries were opened last year.
Those runners will begin to arrive from tomorrow morning ready to take on the 46-mile Winter Spine Sprint, the 108-mile Winter Spine Challenger or MRT Challenge, the 160-mile Winter Challenger North, or the monster 268-mile Winter Spine Race which takes in the whole of the Pennine Way National Trail.
Among the field this year are last Winter’s winning man Eoin Keith (IRL), and last Winter’s 2nd placed woman, Elaine Bisson (GBR). They’ll be joined by the likes of Damian Hall (GBR) and Kim Collison (GBR) who were neck-and-neck at the front of the race last year before each withdrew. You’ll also find past winner Eugeni Rosello Sole (ESP), last year’s join 2nd placed duo of Doug Zinis (GBR) and James Leavesley (GBR), Team GB 24hr runner Ellie Eccles, former LEJOG record holder Sharon Gayter and more.
“The Montane Spine Race family continues to grow from strength to strength. We’ve seen record entries for this year’s winter race which sold out in 2 minutes 58 seconds. There is a strong international field taking part in what will be a fiercely contested race for the title. We’ve got exciting plans this year as we launch the SPINE film tour and our new expedition races in the Arctic and Greenland. I wish all of our runners the best of luck as they take on Britain’s Most Brutal”. Phil Hayday-Brown, Montane Spine Race Director and Co Owner.
LINK TO LIVE TRACKING & LIVE LEADERBOARD:
Available to view at www.thespinerace.com
Follow live updates on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter as well as Daily Update Videos on YouTube.
SPINE FILM
To commemorate 10 years of the race, our new film tells the story of the first decade of Britain’s toughest ultra-running event. SPINE tells the story of the race from its inception to the present day through interviews with its founders, long-standing crew members, and through the experiences of athletes who have braved the challenge such as Course Record holder Jasmin Paris, multiple winner Eoin Keith, plus Damian Hall, Eugenie Rosello Sole, Pavel Paloncy and more.
After a sell-out premiere at Kendal Mountain Festival, there are plans to take the film on tour in 2023. The first confirmed venue for a screening and live Q&A is at Showroom Cinema in Sheffield on the 10th February: Spine + Q&A – Creative Lounge – Showroom Workstation – Sheffield .
Viewers can also watch the film online: Watch Spine Online | Vimeo On Demand on Vimeo
MONTANE ARCTIC SPINE RACES 2024
This year will see the launch of The Montane Arctic Spine – a non-stop, 293 mile foot race along the Kungsleden Trail in Arctic Sweden. Starting at Abisko, participants will have a time limit of 8 days to reach the finish line at Hemavan. This expedition race will require self-sufficiency and proficiency in cold weather management as athletes experience temperatures as low as -35°C and winds as high as 40 mph. The race starts on 6th February 2024. Learn more: https://races.thespinerace.com/race/arctic/arctic-spine/
VIRTUAL SPINE RACE & FUNDRAISING
The Montane Spine Virtual Challenges are back in action again this year. They were created as a substitute for the race in lock down. Since then, 3000 participants have completed their virtual challenge helping to raise over £15,000 towards the restoration of Greg’s Hut and the Pennine Way Trail partnership for path repairs on Cross Fell, the highest point on the trail. People can still sign up to the virtual challenges at Enter the Virtual Spine — Spine Race (thespinerace.com)