Get to the start line of Britain's hardest winter ultra ready for everything the Pennine Way throws at you.

The Challenger North is 160 miles of bog, peat hag, flagstone and darkness in the depths of winter. Fitness alone will not get you to the finish. This 18-week plan is built around the things that actually decide your race: carrying a loaded pack for days, hauling your feet out of the bogs, saving your quads on the long descents, fuelling across big gaps between checkpoints, moving confidently through the night, and managing your sleep, your feet and your kit when you are tired and cold. It is the event-specific plan the Spine demands, not a generic ultra block with a Pennine Way label on it.

Written by Tim Pigott, winner and previous course record holder for the Challenger South, coach to multiple podium finishers at all Spine race distances as well as those completing in the middle and back of the pack.

Who it is for. Runners stepping up to Challenger North who have finished a 100-mile ultra or have genuine multi-day experience, hold a robust base of around 60 to 80 km a week, are competent with navigation, and are comfortable being out for a night. If that is you, this plan will take you from a solid base to fully race-ready.

What you get.

18 weeks of structured training through Foundation, Build, a race-specific block and a full taper, with deload weeks built in so you arrive fresh, not flattened.
Every session targeted by percentage of threshold heart rate and RPE, so the effort is right whether you train by feel or by data.
A progressive pack-carriage plan that builds from nothing to race weight, so your body learns to carry the load.
Spine-specific conditioning woven throughout: bog and terrain work, eccentric descent training, gut-training to 60 to 80 g of carbohydrate an hour, plus foot-care and full kit-test sessions.
An optional night run and a dedicated night-navigation outing to dial in your headtorch, night fuelling and the sleep monsters, with recovery built around them.
The centrepiece: a full overnight dress rehearsal with your race kit, navigating in the dark and rehearsing a short sleep, so nothing on race weekend is a surprise.
Coaching guidance every week, sensible cross-training and "treadhill" options if you are short of hills, and a race-execution brief waiting for you on the start line.
Pairs with. Add the matching HP3 Spine Strength bolt-on (Home or Gym) to build the load-carriage, bog-extraction and descent strength the plan calls for. The running plan leaves the strength days open and points you straight to it.

Going further. This plan will get a well-prepared runner to the finish. If you want it tailored to your life, your terrain and your limiters, the next step is a personalised HP3 plan or one-to-one coaching, and your built-in strength testing will show you exactly when that is worth it.

Please note. This is a training plan, not a substitute for mountain competence. You are responsible for your own navigation, kit and winter skills, and should train within your limits. Please read the full disclaimer before you begin.