About Winter Spine Challenger South
Winter Spine Challenger South is the 174km ultra trail at Montane Winter Spine 2027 (Edale, Derbyshire, United Kingdom). The race starts on January 9, 2027 at 08:00 AM. It starts in Edale, Derbyshire and finishes in Hawes, North Yorkshire. The time limit is 60 h.
Race strategy
Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.
- 443m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
- Long race. Control your HR and effort. Early mistakes cost the most.
- Control your HR on the first climb, save your quads on the descents until 68.7km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 167km.
- Start · 0.0km–0.9km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
- Settle in · 0.9km–6.6km · 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.
- Work · 6.6km–93.6km · Descent of 443m averaging 8%, descent of 288m averaging 7%. Plus 1 more climb. 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 · 93.6km–167km · Climb of 522m, high point 692m. Plus 2 more descents. 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 · 167km–172km · Descent of 332m averaging 7%. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Long descent: keep it even and let go only near the end.
Course
The course climbs 5451m+. With 31m/km of climbing, this is a rolling, mostly runnable course. By gradient, 31% of the distance is uphill, 31% downhill and 38% flat. The longest climb runs 9.3km at an average 5.6% grade (522m of vertical). The longest descent runs 5.6km at an average 8.0% grade (443m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 32.5% over 0.4km. The steepest descent drops at 25.3% over 0.4km. Surface: 40% smooth, 35% trail, and 20% road.
Summits
The highest summit on the course is Pen-y-ghent (694m), 145km from the start. Other named summits along the route: Kinder Low (633m) and Bleaklow Head (633m).
Poles
Poles bring little benefit here: only about 6.3km of pole-friendly terrain.
Quad damage
Quad damage risk is moderate (index 49 of 100), with 47% of the load in the first half: 2 descents deserve a plan and a couple of downhill sessions before race day.
- Control your HR on the first climb, save your quads on the descents until 68.7km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 167km.
- #1 · 19.7–25.3 km · 443 m D−, -7.9% · 146.3 km ahead → control
- #2 · 64.5–68.7 km · 288 m D−, -6.9% · 102.8 km ahead → control
- 93.6–98.1 km · 265 m D−, -5.9% · 73.5 km ahead → your pace
- 144.4–149.7 km · 462 m D−, -8.7% · 21.8 km ahead → your pace
- 167.0–171.6 km · 332 m D−, -7.3% · 0.0 km ahead → even, let go at the end
This page has a pacing and nutrition planner, a gradient matrix, an interactive elevation profile and historical weather for Winter Spine Challenger South.
