Runners in last year's Spine Race head north as night falls on the Pennine Way. Photo: Bob Smith Photography

Britain’s first national trail is the scene for a potential epic showdown as some of the world’s top runners go head to head in this year’s Montane Spine Race.

Six past winners of the event will set off from Edale on Sunday to tackle the full 268-mile length of the Pennine Way.

Last year’s men’s race winner Damian Hall will face a tough challenge from his long-time rival John Kelly, who snatched back the fastest known time for completing the Pennine Way from Hall in 2021.

Six runners in the 2024 race are past winners, including French athlete Claire Bannwarth who will be defending her title as fastest women in the 2023 event. Other past winners on the start list are Pavel Paloncý of the Czech Republic, Irishman Eoin Keith and Eugeni Roselló Solé of Spain, all of whom have won the Spine Race three times.

Bannwarth will face strong challenges from Hannah Rickman, Elaine Bisson, and the veteran long-distance specialist Nicky Spinks, who won the Montane Cheviot Goat late last year.

The runners will have in their sights the course record of 3 days 11hrs 12mins 23secs set by Jasmin Paris in 2019.

Damian Hall will defend his title. Photo: Bob Smith/grough

Also challenging Damian Hall will be Jack Scott, who came close to winning last year. Among front runners expect to see Dougie Zinis and James Nobles, who is joining the Spine for the first time but was the winner of the Dragons Back in 2022 and the Northern Traverse in 2023.

Of the 550 competitors, 170 are taking on the full Montane Winter Spine Race. There are also shorter races in the series. The Sprint will run along the Pennine Way for 46 miles from Edale to Hebden Bridge, starting on Saturday. The Challenger South extends beyond Hebden Bridge to finish at Hawes, with a distance of 108 miles. Both also start on Saturday, along with the MRT Challenge South, open to active mountain rescue team members and also ending at Hawes.

Two shorter races start on Monday: the MRT Challenge North, for mountain rescuers, stretches for 160 miles from Kirk Yetholm, heading south to Hardraw, and the Challenger North following the same route.

Claire Bannwarth leading the 2023 women's Spine Race. Photo: Bob Smith/grough

Phil Hayday-Brown, co-owner and Spine Race director, said: “The 2024 Montane Winter Spine Race is building up to be one heck of a race.

“With our biggest field ever, it’s brilliant to see so many faces back from the early days on the Spine Race. This race is addictive. It gets you hooked. This could be the year that Jasmin’s record is broken.”

The Met Office is currently forecasting Peak District summit temperatures hovering around zero for Sunday, with a windchill of –6C. Snow flurries are possible, with winds picking up and more snow as runners head north into the Yorkshire Dales.

Runners’ progress can be followed from the comfort of your computer screen via the Open Tracking website.