In what promises to be the first of its kind in Britain, the five hundred or so runners taking part in the inaugural Halifax Urban Trail this Easter Monday (6 April) will find themselves actually running through some of the town’s most historic buildings.
The route the runners will follow includes the aisles and nave of the mediaeval Halifax Minster, the balconies of the stunning 18th century Piece Hall (surely one of Yorkshire’s most impressive buildings), the Town Hall (designed by Charles Barry, architect of the Houses of Parliament), the town’s recently renovated Victorian Borough Market, and the Crossley Art Gallery at Dean Clough Mills (a vast complex which once housed the world’s largest carpet manufacturer). Also included is an underground passage, not normally open to the public, at the picturesque Shibden Hall, the home of the powerful 19th century businesswoman, diarist and “first modern lesbian” Anne Lister, which featured in the recent TV drama Gentleman Jack.
In all, the runners will have run just over 10km before they make it back to the finish line in what was once part of Anne Lister’s estate, and is now the beautiful Shibden Park.
The origins of the urban trail
The idea of this sort of ‘urban trail’ might be new to Britain but is well-known in France, where many towns now stage similar events. In particular, the Halifax event acknowledges the inspiration that came from the small provincial Breton town of Fougères.
At this point, I should declare an interest. I found myself in Fougères the autumn before last with some friends – some running friends – and it was those friends who got me signed up for the annual trail urbain which takes place in the town every September.
I lined up at the start with probably 1000 other runners, in a town that was heaving with people all out to cheer us on. Fougères has a chateau dating back a millennium so, of course, the runners were taken into the chateau grounds and up precipitous stairs to run all the way round the ramparts. The race went into the town’s theatre, through the parish church where someone was playing the organ, through the corridors of the local secondary school, and finally through a disused railway tunnel. It was a memorable event.
From France to ‘Fax
And it was an idea which seemed tailor-made for replicating in Halifax, a town which managed to avoid the worst of the shopping centre redevelopments of the 1960s and 1970s, and which has more than its fair share of iconic buildings.
You might imagine that not everyone responsible for these buildings would be prepared to open their doors on a Bank Holiday Monday to 500 runners but, without exception, when the idea was put to them, they all agreed. Participants who don’t already know Halifax are in for a treat, but even those runners who think they know the town well may find themselves being surprised.
The Halifax Urban Trail is being organised by a newly-established charity: another declaration of interest here as I’m one of the trustees, and we’ve decided that the proceeds from the race will be passed to our local hospice, Overgate, which is in the middle of an ambitious new building project. And with generous sponsorship already received from within the local business community, we have every expectation that several thousand pounds will be raised.
All photos by Ellis Robinson / The Piece Hall Trust
An idea that could run and run
The idea might seem ridiculously quirky, but it seems to have already caught on. With three months to go until Easter, already half the 500 places for runners have been taken. We know of at least one national journalist who will be there on the starting line, too.
So it could be that the French idea of trails urbains is about to take off with runners in Britain. There must be many other towns that could be suitable places for organising this kind of event. But if it does take root here, just remember this: it was Halifax that was there first!
More information about the event (including entry details) is available on our website. With just half the runners’ places still available, it’s a perfect time to book.
