Where is it?
Daventry Country Park is (not surprisingly!) in Daventry, NN11 2JB is run and managed by West Northamptonshire Council. The What 3 Words location is here.
Parking costs £2 depending on how long you stay. There is a cafe and toilet block on the route.
The County Park has a large car park, cafe and children's play area. It's 20 minutes from M1 Junction 16. The closest train station is Long Buckby.
What’s a 6 hour event?
I’ve made a short video here to try to explain a little.
It is an event that enables all abilities of runner to run together (or hike/walk!). Ultimately you can run as many 5k laps as you wish in the time limit. You can run one lap in 20 minutes, pick up your medal, flapjack and beer and go home! Alternatively you can head out on your 15th lap at 14:55 and finish in 6:30 having covered over 50 miles! It’s completely up to you.
There is no pressure from us, but we’ll also see if you want one more lap! The format is great for people looking to run further than they’ve ever done before, do a long training run for future events or to enjoy a sociable event with your friends.
Course description
The majority of the course is on relatively new crushed stone and so unless the weather has been awful it should be good running for the majority of the route (around 80% of the route). The route is a lollipop with the loop around the newly pathed meadow.
This slight tweak to the route (and the excellent work of the park) makes Daventry Country Park an all-weather route. This should give you something different to look at on each lap. The course is runnable throughout with no hills of note to mention.
What does it cost?
We operate a tiered pricing approach. The earlier you enter, the cheaper the event but never ever will you pay a booking fee!
Before 01/10/2023 £32
After 01/10/2023 £37
Unaffiliated entrants pay £2 extra. Why not join your local running club or sign up the Big Bear Brigade and save 10% off entries for ever!
How far is the race?
You decide! The 3.9-mile lap at Daventry Country Park means your race can be just over 5k or, given the relatively flat nature of the course, potentially 50+ miles! You decide how many laps you are going to do on the day within the 6-hour time limit. If you're looking to cover a marathon distance you'll need to complete 7 laps (+ a small out and back) and a half marathon will be 3 laps (+ an out and back).
Has the event been run before?
Yes, and it picked up a Gold Award from Racecheck due to glowing reviews! You can view the previous results and images here
I’ve heard you do nice medals. What will it look like?
These medals are in the design process at the moment! Once they’ve arrived we’ll give you a sneak peek!
I’m not that fussed by a medal, drink and flapjack…
In that case our partnership with Trees Not Tees may be of interest! When you sign up to this event you can select to have no finish line swag and instead we’ll donate the cost of this to Trees Not Tees who will plant a tree in their Scottish woodland on your behalf! You can find more info about this initiative here.
Is there a gpx of the route?
The route gpx can be found here. The route may be subject to last minute changes and there will be plenty of markings up on race day so you do not need to have this - but I know some of you like to anyway!
I’m unsure what to expect at a 6 hour event?
We’ve made some videos to try and help newcomers understand Big Bear Events and 6 hour events a little more here. We’ve got lots of videos on our You Tube channel that might help you see what we’re all about!
I still have questions…
Then why not join our Big Bear Events Facebook group and ask our ever so experienced runners in there or email us directly here. We want you to enter with the confidence you’ll have a great (if not tiring!) day so are happy to answer any question we’ve not covered off here.
