THE VIRTUAL SPINE RACE

In January 2025, as well as the traditional race which sees athletes race non-stop along the Pennine Way, 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.

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 NorthYorkshire village of Hawes
• THE CHALLENGER NORTH 160 miles. Hardraw in scenic Yorkshire countryside to Kirk Yetholm
• THE SPINE RACE 268 miles. The entire Pennine Way from Edale in Derbyshire to Kirk Yetholm in the remote Scottish borders
  
  

Starting from your front door, when you go for a walk, jog, run, push the baby buggy 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.

Just like the actual race, we'll show your position on a virtual map along with other participants. You can track your progress on the legendry Pennine Way, through the official checkpoints and a live weather overlay gives you a sense of what conditions are actually like on the trail.

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

The base entry fee of £9.95 covers the event and a downloadable finisher certificate unique to the virtual challenges. By paying an additional £11 there is the option to add a finisher medal and neck buff to your entry or a CO2-offset tree and receive apersonal ownership certificate including a photo and location of your sapling from Trees not Tees.

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 2024 event. You raised an impressive £745 which enabled the Partnership to complete a project in Baldersdale (half way along the Pennine Way) where two new gates were installed on the trail.

The 2025 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 Pennine Way National Trail Partnership.