Shires and Spires | Half Marathon

History and running in perfect settings.

Shires and Spires is a five-distance circular event on a mixture of trails and roads comprising a 10K, half marathon, new 3/4 marathon, marathon and ultra marathon with the atmosphere of a mini running festival on the day!

Each route takes in the beautiful Northamptonshire countryside and the marathon and ultra feature the country houses of Holdenby, Althorp, and Cottesbrooke offering routes full of historical interest.

The half marathon, 3/4 marathon and marathon are on ever-changing terrain and provide a welcome change from the usual road races.

To spice it up even further, the events are run in a clockwise direction on even years (ie. 2026) and anti-clockwise on odd years (ie. 2025). Both give a different perspective on the scenic routes. Decide which you think is harder!