Santa Fun Run challenges fundraisers to Lapland marathon as Northampton race goes online

Can your family help get Santa and his elves get to Lapland?
Last year's successful event saw hundreds of runners in fancy dress get together at The Racecourse for a charity run. Pictures by Kirsty Edmonds.Last year's successful event saw hundreds of runners in fancy dress get together at The Racecourse for a charity run. Pictures by Kirsty Edmonds.
Last year's successful event saw hundreds of runners in fancy dress get together at The Racecourse for a charity run. Pictures by Kirsty Edmonds.

The annual Santa Fun Run has gone virtual this year - and organisers need your help to raise money for Northamptonshire hospitals by dressing up as Santa and taking on the Lapland challenge.

Four Northampton Rotary Clubs are behind tasking the runners to work together and clock up 2850km - over eight days - all for amazing local causes.

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Next month the virtual Santa Fun Run is inviting fundraisers to walk and jog the collective distance to Lapland village, Rovenaniemi, just in time for Christmas.

The family-friendly event saw parents and their children take on either the 5km or 2.5km fun run for town centre charities. Pictures by Kirsty Edmonds.The family-friendly event saw parents and their children take on either the 5km or 2.5km fun run for town centre charities. Pictures by Kirsty Edmonds.
The family-friendly event saw parents and their children take on either the 5km or 2.5km fun run for town centre charities. Pictures by Kirsty Edmonds.

Last year saw the first ever 5km event take place at The Racecourse with 400 participants all dressed up as Father Christmas, as part of a festive workout which raised £9,000 for Cynthia Spencer Hospice, Alzheimer’s Society, The Hope Centre and The Lowdown.

This year, the run is taking part between December 6 and December 13, which gives eight days for everyone involved to reach the collective 2850km distance from Northampton to Lapland.

The journey starts virtually at Harwich port, in Essex, before heading across to the Hook of Holland then onto Amsterdam, Hamburg and Copenhagen, before leaving Stockholm and border into Lapland.

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The Rotary Club can track fundraisers and their progress through a tracking app called Strava, which will accumulate all the miles put in by Northampton Santa's to raise money for Cynthia Spencer Hospice, The Hope Centre, The Lowdown, Northampton Saints Foundation and Northamptonshire Health Charity, which has been vitally supporting NHS hospitals and services in the county through the pandemic.

“This is a great way to be involved with supporting local charities and getting some all important exercise and fresh air in too," Alison McCulloch, head of fundraising at Northamptonshire Health Charity said.

"We want to give a big thanks to the Rotary Club for setting this up. By helping Santa and his elves get to Lapland in time for Christmas, whilst raising money for local charities on the way, it will go a long way to help spread the Christmas cheer this year.

"Northamptonshire Health Charity will really appreciate any funds you raise for us to enable us to make a difference this Christmas to the NHS Teams we support. Lapland here we come."

Santa outfits can be bought from The Rotary Club, or there is the option for runners to create their own. To sign up this year, click here.