Rose of the Shires Ultra and The Rosebud Marathon

A grand 54-mile tour of MNorthamptonshire’s beautiful countryside. “A friendly, welcoming event with a personal pride shining through from the organisers” The Rose of the Shires Ultra is one of our flagship events, providing crazy runners with a sensibly priced race in the heart of Northamptonshire. This circular route will take you through an area renowned as the second garden of England – OK Kent, you beat us to first place! Along the way, you will enjoy 54-miles of incredible scenery, country trails, roads and towpaths. Featuring around three-quarters trails with the rest being road, Rose of the Shires starts and finishes at Brixworth Country Park, where there is plenty of room for parking. Found just 20 minutes drive from the M1, this is the perfect starting point for a race which is really easy in terms of planning and logistics because of its one loop format. The route passes through the beautiful Northamptonshire countryside, including two stunning country parks, Salcey Forest, the Grand Union Canal and 21 pretty villages and towns. It winds its way along parts of the Nene Way, the Midshires Way and the Northampton Round. The Rose of the Shires has six checkpoints, found at six to eight mile intervals along the course and manned by members of local running clubs who are keen to give something back to this sport we love and to help you on your way in this epic race. The event is fully tracked and interactive, so friends and family will be able to follow your progress from the comfort of their armchairs – and make sure you’re sticking to the correct route! NEW in 2024 – we were concerned that not enough people were enjoying the tour around our amazing county town of instead of the single option of 54 miles we have created the opportunity to enjoy the last 26.2 miles of the ultra marathon through beautiful Northamptonshire country trails, roads and towpath. The route is approximately 60% trail and 40% on road.