Battle of the Brampton Valley Way
Run the delights of the Brampton Valley Way in our unique Leicestershire vs. Northamptonshire battle! Tunnel Vision fans already know the delights of running on the traffic-free Brampton Valley Way. How many of you, have ever run the whole length (14 miles or 22.5km) and back? It’s a super flat route with a constantly changing feel as the route cuts through the heart of rural Northamptonshire. At 28 miles or 45km, the distance is a little over a marathon thus officially making it an ultra run. The terrain and distance however, make it a good stepping stone for people considering looking at longer distances in the future.
You have the choice from which end you wish to start. There will be 100 places available from each end. This decision will nail your colours to the mast as representing either Market Harborough/Leicestershire or Northampton/shire. Then battle will commence!
There will be a timing mat at both ends so you’ll also get a halfway split time. The main contest however is the battle between Leicestershire and Northamptonshire. Using a carefully constructed mathematical model, we will compare times of runners throughout the fields of both sides to find out who performed the best.
Entries
Entries are now open priced at £35. Minimum age for entry is 18 years old on race day only. Unfortunately the race is not suitable for canicross racing as the track is narrow in places and runners will be frequently passing each other in opposite directions. Runners will be asked to keep left at all times. The race cut-off time is 7 hours. If you think that it might take you more than this, then please get in touch before entering. Entries, and transfer of entries, will close at 7pm on the Wednesday before the event.
Start time/location
No race bibs will be posted out before the event. Registration will open for bib collection from 8am on race day. You can collect your race bib (with timing chip attached) from Harborough Leisure Centre (for Harborough runners), or from the desk alongside the startline (for Northampton runners). The start time is 09:00.
Links to the start/finish locations are below:
- Northampton start/finish
- Market Harborough start/finish
Depending on your chosen start end, the parking below is available. The start will be signed from each car park.
- Boughton Car Park, Brampton Lane, Northampton, NN6 8AA
- Market Harborough Leisure Centre, Northampton Road, Market Harborough, LE16 9HL
The route
The elevation gain is a relatively modest 280m. Irrespective of which end you start from, you will still cover the same 2 x 14 mile stretches but in different orders.
On-course support
As with all Race Harborough events, there will be professional first aid on hand at the start and finish with the ability to access runners on the course. Race Harborough volunteers will be at each road crossing. Most of these are minor roads. The crossing at the A508 is much busier. There will be feed stations every 4.5 miles (two mid-course and and one at each end, 4 in total).
There will be toilets available at both ends of the Brampton Valley Way, at Market Harborough and also at Northampton. One set will be at your chosen start/finish location, and the other at the turnaround point (14 miles).
Kit
The surface is suitable for road or trail shoes as it is hard packed track with only the occasional puddle (and a baby ford!). Our races are cupless, so you will be required to bring your own cup or hydration vest.