Skip to main content

Northampton parkrun

After the strange run last week, I wanted to try another event that wasn't in woodland. I enjoyed the course last week, so maybe I was just having an off-week (everyone has them occasionally!)

I knew that Bedford met the bill, and was very close, but I had also been "saving" that one for the New Year's double, which I planned to do before Great Denham, and so I settled on Northampton for this week's event.

The area

Northampton parkrun takes place at the Racecourse, in the heart of Northampton. The area, originally known as Northampton Heath, was the host of frequent horse races between 1632 and 1681 when a large number of accidents drew proceedings to a close. Horse racing resumed in 1727 however, until more fatal accidents resulted in horse racing ceasing again in 1904.

The Racecourse is a popular and high-traffic area of Northampton, and is considered the heart of amateur sport in the area, with football, rugby union, cricket, tennis, bowls and other fitness activities routinely being held on the grounds.

The course

The course is one large lap of the perimeter, followed by a slightly smaller lap which traces three-quarters of the larger lap, with the finish on grass near the start.

Changing rooms, toilets, and a cafe are located near to the car park close to the start.

The run

From the outset, this week's run was in stark contrast to last week's! The majority of runners were in some form of Christmas-based fancy-dress, ranging from simple santa hats to the much more elaborate!

A group of volunteers in Christmas-themed fancy dress

The run briefing was also accompanied by a sign-language interpreter - the first time I'd witnessed something like that at a parkrun! After collectively learning how to say "Merry Christmas" using sign-language, we were on our way.

This was by far the most well-attended parkrun I had taken part in so far, with over 450 participants, and I found myself chatting to a regional ambassador on the way around, who told me about plans for the future Northampton Racecourse junior parkrun, due to start in April next year.

Ian running to the finish funnel with another runner

Thank you to all of the volunteers, who made this run so fun!

Links: Run report | Results | Strava

Labels:
Location: The Racecourse, Kettering Rd, Northampton NN1 4LG, UK

Popular posts from this blog

Coldham's Common parkrun

As my recovery from injury is still underway, I decided that I would attend a flat course this week to avoid any potential for reaggrevation. Unfortunately this means I will need to pause my completion of the Essex events, as the remaining courses are all somewhat lumpy. Having visited all of the other Cambridge parkruns, including Storeys Field parkrun, Fulbourn Hospital parkrun, and Cambridge parkrun knowing that they are all relatively flat, I decided that this week I would complete the Cambridge set. The area Coldham's Common has a long history, serving as both a hospital during the 17th century smallpox outbreak, and a quarry during the 19th century, as well as a rifle range also during the 19th century. The course The route follows two laps of the perimeter of the common through an hour-glass shape, connecting two fields through a five-bar-gate. The course is all on grass, and is all flat. Limited parking is available nearby, while toilets are available in
Read more

Aldenham parkrun

Icey conditions in days leading up to parkrun day meant many events were cancelled this week. While I would have ideally been able to visit another event in Essex, I decided that I valued having options more in the event of cancellation this week, and so I instead headed to the cluster of events surrounding the Watford area. The area Aldenham Country Park is located near Watford, and centres on Aldenham reservoir, with grassland and woodland surrounding the reservoir itself. The reservoir was excavated by French prisoners of war during 1795 as part of the wider management of the Grand Union Canal's water levels, and now serves as a reserve water supply. In addition to the reservoir, the country park also supports the breeding of a number of rare species of farm animals, including cattle, goats, pigs, and sheep. The course The course follows two laps of the reservoir, with the second lap skipping the inner peninsular. The course is flat, and is run mainly on trail pat
Read more

Markshall Estate parkrun

Having spent a number of weeks focussed on events in the north of the East of England, I decided that this week I would pay some attention to the south of the region and visit Markshall Estate parkrun while still in the best time of the year to visit an arboretum. The area The Markshall Estate (interchangably the "Marks Hall" Estate) is the remains of a former country estate located in Coggeshall, between Colchester and Braintree. The hall itself was demolished in 1950, leaving its grounds to be converted into an arboretum, featuring trees from around the world. Coggeshall has been a settled area since at least the Saxon area, and was later served by Stane Street; a Roman road stretching from modern day Colchester to near St Albans. The course The route follows just under two laps of the arboretum, starting at the top of a hill, and finishing at the bottom, meaning this is a net down-hill course. The course is run on a mixture of tarmac, concrete, gravel, trail an
Read more