Eoin Keith won last year's Spine Race. Photo: Bob Smith/grough

Eoin Keith will be hitting England’s oldest national trail at the weekend in a defence of his Montane Spine Race title.

The Irish runner is among 144 men and 26 women aiming to complete the full length of the Pennine Way in brutal winter conditions.

Competitors in the race take only brief rest and sleep stops at checkpoints along the 268-mile route between Edale in Derbyshire and Kirk Yetholm in the Scottish Borders.

Keith is expected to face strong competition from experienced endurance runners Kim Collison and Damian Hall. Elaine Bisson, who finished second in last year’s race, will attempt to improve on her 2022 performance, while Team GB 24-hour runner Ellie Eccles and former LEJOG record holder Sharon Gayter are on the starters’ list.

Past winner Eugeni Roselló Solé is also expected to make the start, along with joint 2022 second-placed men Doug Zinis and James Leavesley.

The main, full-distance Montane Spine Race starts at 8am on Sunday, and runners have seven days to complete the course.

Elaine Bisson, left, on the first day of the 2022 Spine Race. Photo: Bob Smith/grough

There are several other events along the Pennine Way, starting with the 46-mile Winter Spine Sprint, the 108-mile Winter Spine Challenger and MRT Challenge for mountain rescue team members along the route on Saturday, and the 160-mile Winter Challenger North, in which runners tackle the northern section of the national trail, starting at Hardraw in the Yorkshire Dales at 6pm on Sunday.

About 500 competitors from 22 countries are taking part in this year’s winter races.

Phil Hayday-Brown, Montane Spine Race director and co-owner, said: “The Montane Spine Race family continues to grow from strength to strength.

Kim Collison, left, leads Damian Hall on the first day of the 2022 Spine Race. Photo: Bob Smith/grough

“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.”

The inaugural Spine Race took place in 2012 with only 11 entrants, of which three ultimately crossed the finish line in Kirk Yetholm.

All Spine Race events are self-sufficient, meaning that all runners carry their own food, clothing, medical supplies, and sleep system. The route is not marked; runners must navigate the course. No planned outside support is allowed and pacers are not permitted.

Forecast heavy rain falling on already sodden ground will make the going tough on the Peak District and South Pennines hills, with high winds making for arduous conditions, with the possibility of rain turning to snow on Sunday.

Details and links to tracking sites are on the Montane Spine Race website.