Winter Spine Challenger North

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 437m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Final 551m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
• Long race. Control your HR and effort. Early mistakes cost the most.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the descents until 83.4km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 234km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• Start · 0.0km–1.1km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.1km–13.2km · Descent of 437m averaging 7%. Plus 1 more climb. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. This descent is hard on the legs: short steps, stay in control, poles if you have them.
• Work · 13.2km–91.3km · Descent of 368m averaging 10%, climb of 614m. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. This descent is hard on the legs: short steps, stay in control, poles if you have them. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.
• Fade · 91.3km–234km · 112km of runnable trail, high point 890m. Plus 1 more climb. Your energy fades, and that's normal: hold a steady effort and stop counting the miles. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. Running pays off here: run wherever you can. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 234km–243km · Descent of 551m averaging 6%. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Very long descent: first half under control, then even, let go only near the end.

Course

The course climbs 5290m+. With 21m/km of climbing, the course is predominantly runnable. By gradient, 27% of the distance is uphill, 28% downhill and 45% flat. The longest climb runs 7.9km at an average 7.7% grade (614m of vertical). The longest descent runs 8.8km at an average 6.3% grade (551m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 25.9% over 0.3km. The steepest descent drops at 30.2% over 0.3km. Surface: 46% trail, 43% smooth, and 7% road. Flat-equivalent effort: 453.9 FlatKM.

Summits

The highest summit on the course is Cross Fell (893m), 97.2km from the start. Other named summits along the route: Little Dun Fell (842m). The course also passes close to Great Dun Fell (847m).

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 8.2km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is high (index 55 of 100), with 51% of the load in the first half: 2 critical descents, the last of them run on already damaged legs. Downhill-specific preparation and a controlled early pace pay off here.

• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the descents until 83.4km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 234km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• #1 · 7.1–13.2 km · 437 m D−, -7.2% · 229.9 km ahead → control
• #2 · 79.6–83.4 km · 368 m D−, -9.8% · 159.7 km ahead → control
• 234.3–243.1 km · 551 m D−, -6.3% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from -1°C to 7°C, with around -1°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 65%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 11% of days around this date.

Results

101 finishers completed the 2026 edition. Men's winner: Harry Firth (Great Britain) in 46:00:29. Women's winner: Elaine Bisson (Great Britain) in 55:57:59.