People on half marathon route offered free entry
The race in Kettering, Northamptonshire, is expected to feature 2,500 runners and will see residents in the town affected by road closures.
Organisers Run Through and Kettering Town Council said anyone directly affected could run for no fee.
Craig Skinner, mayor of Kettering, said: "The road closures have been designed to offer minimal disruption." The event is due to take place on 9 March.
The route will start at Wicksteed Park before winding through the town centre, passing Boughton House, before returning via Hanwood Park.
"We hope people will come out and support the runners along the route," Mr Skinner, who is running the race himself, said.
The free entry offer is open to anyone directly affected, including those living in properties at Ise Lodge, Hanwood Park and Warkton, organisers said.
Rob Sullivan, head of operations at Run Through, said it was "a token of our appreciation of your understanding of the slight disruptions caused by this event".
Entry to the half marathon costs £32, which includes chip-timed results, post-race refreshments, free official event photographs and a medal.
A shorter 5km (3.1-mile) option, which takes in the town centre and ends back at Wicksteed Park, has also been organised for less experienced runners.
Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Half marathon will showcase area - mayor
Kettering Half Marathon

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Jones begins US Open qualifiers with win
US Open 2025 Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York Dates: 24 August-7 September Coverage: Live radio commentaries across 5 Live Sport and BBC Sounds, plus live text commentaries on the BBC Sport website & app Top seed Francesca Jones took the first step to reaching the US Open main draw by winning her opening qualifier, but Heather Watson was among four Britons to lose on Tuesday. British number four Jones beat Slovakia's Viktoria Hruncakova 6-3 6-4. She will face Ekaterine Gorgodze of Georgia on Wednesday as she looks to reach the US Open main draw for the first time in her career. The world number 86 has never received direct entry to a Grand Slam before and narrowly missed out this time, meaning she is the top seed in qualifying. The 24-year-old served six aces in a match lasted one hour 22 minutes and notched an 87% win rate on her first serves. Meanwhile, former British number one Watson was defeated 6-3 3-6 4-6 by Gorgodze as she failed to reach the main draw for a fourth successive year. British women's number seven Harriet Dart edged out Romanian Anca Todoni - who sits 112 places above her in the rankings - 7-5 6-7 (3-7) 7-6 (10-6). British men's number five Jan Choinski lost 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 to Argentina's Andrea Collarini, but Oliver Crawford beat Alex Bolt of Australia 5-7 6-4 6-4. George Loffhagen was beaten 4-6 5-7 by Jason Kubler, while 22-year-old Jack Pinnington Jones lost 6-3 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (14-12). Jodie Burrage began her qualifying campaign with a win on Monday, but British number five Dan Evans was eliminated and will miss out on the main draw of a Grand Slam for the first time since 2018. There are six Brits in action on Wednesday in the second round of qualifying: Jodie Burrage v Arantxa Rus Jay Clarke v Arthur Cazaux Billy Harris v Mikhail Kukushkin Harriet Dart v Ayana Akli Oliver Crawford v Garrett Johns Fran Jones v Ekaterine Gorgodze Players must win three matches in qualifying to advance to the main singles draws for the tournament, which begins on Sunday. Jack Draper, Cameron Norrie and Jacob Fearnley have direct entry into the men's singles, with Emma Raducanu, Katie Boulter and Sonay Kartal in the women's. Live scores, results and order of play Get tennis news sent straight to your phone
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Man, 84, achieves swim medal dream after 70 years
An 84-year-old man said it felt "amazing" to achieve his dream of becoming a world swimming champion after 70 years. Michael Read MBE, who lives in Ipswich, started swimming at the age of 14 and went on to swim the English Channel 33 times. At the end of July and throughout part of August, he competed in several events in the World Aquatics Masters Championships in Singapore. He won gold in the 3km open water swim and took home silver medals in other events in the pool. "It feels absolutely amazing, it was a 70-year dream," Mr Read said. "I've always said to myself, even if I have to keep going until I'm 100, I will be a World Masters Champion, so now I've ticked that off at 84. "I'll have to think of some more things now." Mr Read said during his open water race on 27 July, the water temperature had been "unbelievably hot" and "close to the maximum temperature permitted". He added that conditions varied, and he battled rough waters as well as currents. While other competitors had dropped out of the race, Mr Read still had to complete the race in 90 minutes. He came across the finish line in 87 minutes and 32 seconds. Mr Read also brought home a silver medal in the 400m individual medley (IM) in the pool, as well as several others in the relay events. Overall, he said it was a "great experience" and he was now looking ahead to the Swim England National Masters Championships in October in Sheffield. 'A love affair' Asked why he loved swimming, Mr Read said: "It's the other way around, it is a love affair. "I do just love it. Other people like coffee or cigarettes or doing other things, for me swimming is the ultimate. "It keeps you fit, it enables you to go to lovely places as I've been to, I make friends, I see the world, I've just got so much to be thankful for." Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Stories like this The 91-year-old farmer with a passion for Suffolk Punches Woman who lost both her children now helping others 'My husband is 83 and has run every London Marathon - but I can't stop him' Related internet links World Aquatics
Yahoo
11-08-2025
- Yahoo
3 Examples Where Oilers Should Hold Steady Despite Offseason Speculation
As a legitimate contender with the best player on the planet, the Edmonton Oilers have become one of the NHL's most talked-about teams. Following their consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Final, what the Oilers do next is front-page news, and there is no shortage of opinions going around. The obvious imminent play is to get Connor McDavid signed. Beyond that, speculation pivots in various directions. There is talk of contract extensions, trade ideas, and moves to gear up for plans ahead of the 2026 deadline. Not every idea is a good one and there are compelling reasons why the Oilers should stand pat in some cases, rather than make drastic changes. Here are a few examples: Keep The Less Expensive Stuart Skinner Outside of McDavid, the biggest story of the summer for the Oilers is their goaltending situation. Specifically, is the tandem of Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard good enough? Calls to replace Skinner are growing louder, but I'm not sold that's a good idea. At least not right now. Skinner's inconsistencies during the 2023-24 and 2024–25 seasons have become problematic to many. The issue is more sensitive now that said inconsistency has contributed to two failed Stanley Cup Final appearances. Some of that criticism is fair. However, it's important to take a measured look at his value and the goaltending market as a whole before making any impulsive moves. Skinner posted a respectable 26–18–4 record with a less-than-ideal .896 save percentage. However, his 2.81 goals-against average over 51 games in the regular season isn't awful, and there were times he looked like a legitimate starter, even an All-Star. He's yet to show he's worthy of being in the Vezina Trophy conversation, and he was recently left off Team Canada's orientation invite list, so his stock has arguably gone down. All the more reason to keep him. Skinner has shown resilience in the past, and he's been able to bounce back when others might have cratered. That's important as the Oilers bring a new goalie coach. Matt Savoie's Role Could Shift if Oilers Chase Immediate Help Could the Oilers Buy Low on Tristan Jarry? Beyond focusing on Skinner's results, it's also key to note that the goalie market is stagnant. If there were an elite, proven starter available, the Oilers would be kicking tires. Because there isn't, don't expect traction on an imminent deal. Landing an upgrade on Skinner would likely come at a steep price. The Oilers would need to give up valuable draft picks, prospects, or cap space—resources they cannot easily spare. The better play is to wait, see what Skinner does early in the season, and revisit the idea of a change midseason. Retain Evan Bouchard Despite Some Cracks At His Contract Another topic stirring debate is Evan Bouchard's recent four-year, $10.5 million average annual value contract. Former NHL defenseman James Wisniewski openly criticized the deal, suggesting that trading Bouchard to acquire two $5 million defensemen—one for power play duties and one for shutdown roles—would be smarter. While many analysts see Bouchard's deal as solid value, he's not the only voice that doesn't like what might wind up being an overpayment. On paper, spreading cap money across multiple players seems sensible, especially given that superstars McDavid and Draisaitl already command large salaries. However, the quality Bouchard brings to the Oilers' blue line is not easily replaced by quantity. This is, assuming Edmonton can even find a team willing to make this kind of two-for-one trade. Some will claim Bouchard is just a power-play specialist. That's a vast oversimplification of what he brings to the team. He's elite in that role, but he also drives offense, suppresses scoring chances against, and plays at a high level in the postseason. His issue is consistency, but GM Stan Bowman recently said, 'I think probably he takes too much criticism. He doesn't make more mistakes than others—his just get magnified for some reason.' Trading him for two lesser defensemen risks diluting the team's top-end talent on the back end. The Oilers' current roster construction relies on elite two-way defensemen, and Bouchard fits that mold. His $10.5 million salary is high. If he signs another big deal in four years, it will mean the Oilers paid full price for him over the long term. It's not ideal for any organization to do so. Still, trading him away to save cap space would be a short-sighted move. Mattias Ekholm: Proceed with Caution on Extension Talks Veteran defenseman Mattias Ekholm has been one of the best trade deadline acquisitions the Oilers have made in years. He fit in seamlessly when acquired from Nashville, and it would make sense to look at his expiring contract and consider re-upping him on a new deal. There is some risk in doing so. At times, he has been the Oilers' best defenseman; at others, injuries and speed have started to show themselves as potential problems. Unlike deals for Jake Walman, Vasily Podkolzin, or other players on expiring deals, there isn't much of a benefit in doing an Ekholm deal today. In fact, the Oilers might be better served to wait and see how he looks a few months into the 2025-26 season. Ekholm is 34, and a series of injuries late in the year and in the playoffs slowed him down. By the time any new contract would kick in, he will be 36, an age where few defensemen sustain top-level, two-way play over a full NHL season. Bowman might want to find out if Ekholm is going to continue slowing or can rebound. If Edmonton extends Ekholm, it should be with tempered expectations and likely at a reduced salary reflective of his advancing age. Patience is essential: the Oilers should wait to see how Ekholm performs and recovers this upcoming season before committing long-term. Bookmark The Hockey News Edmonton Oilers team site to never miss the latest news, game-day coverage, and more.