Oundle 20 Miler

Race Description

Organised and hosted directly by Nice Work rather than just timed by them, this starts and finishes at Oundle Primary School on Cotterstock Lane, Northamptonshire, at 09:00, on a single large loop of tarmac country lanes rather than repeated smaller circuits. The route takes in the villages of Cotterstock, Fotheringhay, Nassington, Yarwell, Wansford, King's Cliffe, Apethorpe, Woodnewton and Glapthorn before returning to the school - Fotheringhay in particular is a notable point on the route, a small village associated with Richard III's birth and the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots.

The course is classed as undulating rather than flat, so despite the quiet, wide lanes it isn't a pure speed course - it's better suited to effort-based, steady-distance running than a fast point-to-point time. Held in early March, it's explicitly positioned by the organisers as a long training run for spring marathon runners rather than a standalone target race, which shapes the field towards those mid-marathon-block rather than chasing a 20-mile PB for its own sake.

Finishers get a bespoke medal, with trophies and prizes for the leading runners and free race photos. It suits marathon-training club runners wanting a supported, closed-enough long run through genuinely rural Northamptonshire villages rather than a lapped course.