A runner on The Spine this year. Photo: Solveig Rist

Outdoor brand Montane has announced its sponsorship of a brutal mountain marathon reckoned to be one of the toughest in Europe.

The Spine follows the whole route of the Pennine Way in mid-winter, presenting competitors with snow, sub-zero temperatures, gale-force winds, torrential rain and prolonged periods of darkness, along with a total of 11,195m (36,729ft) of ascent.

Over the 431km (268-mile) ultramarathon course between Edale in Derbyshire and Kirk Yetholm in the Scottish Borders, runners have to contend with some of the most difficult terrain in the Peak District, South Pennines, Yorkshire Dales, North Pennines, Northumberland national park and the Cheviots.

Mark Caldwell, The Spine competitor, said: “The Spine Race is easy apart from: it’s dark most of the time; your feet then body will fall apart; the compulsory baggage doesn’t get any lighter; sleep is a luxury; you experience extremes of weather and cold; and finally of course it’s 268 miles long.

“Many will try to break The Spine but most will become race statistics.”

Competitors spend much of the time running on their own. Photo: Solveig Rist

Another competitor Brian Mullan said: “Other ultras I have done before have been much more about the running; this felt like proper wilderness stuff.

“The solitude and the vastness of the landscape, literally as the field thinned out civilisation seemed to be left behind on the later stages.”

For runners who want to experience The Spine but in a shorter format, there is The Montane Spine Challenger.

The Challenger, although shorter than the full Spine Race, is a physically and psychologically demanding race that demands concentration and respect. The 60-hour, 175km (109-mile) race from Edale to Hawes encompasses a challenging and extremely technical section of the Pennine Way.

Its rugged and very technical nature is mentally taxing, with competitors having to concentrate constantly on foot placement. This, coupled with limited winter daylight hours and the necessity to run in the dark, indicates why there was only a single official Challenger finisher in 2012.

The Spine will start on 11 January next year and is run over seven days non-stop, though there are beds at four of the five checkpoints.

It was first run in 2011 and first man home last year was Eugeni Roselló Sole in a time of 5days 4hrs 52mins, with first woman Annabel Gates finishing in 7days 4hrs 59mins.

More details are on The Montane Spine website.