31 Mar Time for The Amazing Northampton Run to ‘light a fire’ under the town again
Three-hundred-and-fifty years ago fire spread through the centre of Northampton, devastating our town and burning some of our most famous buildings to the ground.
The Great Fire of Northampton 1675 destroyed 700 of the 850 buildings in the town, including the original All Saints’ Church.
Much of the impressive architecture you see in the town centre now rose out of the ashes of that fire. It is an event and anniversary worth marking.
That’s why we’ve chosen to give the third edition of our Amazing Northampton Run – set to take place on Sunday, September 14 – a ‘Great Fire’ theme. This is an event which has always had the history and heritage of Northampton at its heart so marking this major event is a natural step.
Talking of steps, our route may have been tweaked slightly from previous years – with a new starting area at the 12th century Market Square and the removal of the narrow canal path area – but it still comes in its iconic shoe shape, a nod to the town’s prestigious boot and shoe heritage.
As they take on the half-marathon, participants will take in a host of famous buildings, businesses and monuments, including:
- Phipps Brewery Bar, where they have been brewing beer for more than 200 years
- The Church restaurant, a stunning building in the midst of the modern town that dates back to 1138 and which has previously seen life as a hospital and part of the railway station
- Carlsberg’s dominant factory, where ‘probably the best lager in the world’ has been produced for more than 50 years
- Sixfields’ Walter Tull Memorial, a tribute to the first black British army officer who also played football for Northampton Town
- The Racecourse, which incredibly performed the role its name suggests right up until 1904 – alongside hosting public hangings in the not-so-distant past!
- Beckets Park, named after Thomas a Becket who apparently drank from a well there in 1164
We are hoping to make this year’s race bigger and better than ever, with the aim of attracting 2,000 runners and many more supporters.
The race has the power to not only showcase the history of the town, but to energise it for a day by attracting thousands of people to its shops and businesses.
You might say we are hoping to light a fire under Northampton once again!*
* With less painful results this time!