Road closures planned for annual Leeds 10k event

Drivers in Leeds are being warned that a number of road closures will be place at the weekend due to a major race being held in the city.

Thousands of runners are expected to gather at the Parkinson Steps at the University of Leeds at 09:00 BST on Sunday for the Leeds 10k.

Some closures will be in place as early as 04:00 BST, including on Cookridge Street, Calverley Street, Blenheim Terrace, Cavendish Road and Woodhouse Lane.

Tristan Batley-Kyle, from race organisers Run For All, apologised "for any inconvenience".

The 10k route will go through Headingley and then into Meanwood, before then going back past the First Direct Arena in the city centre and finishing outside Leeds Art Gallery on The Headrow.

Road closures on Sunday would begin around the start and finish lines on The Headrow, Cookridge Street, Calverley Street, Great George Street, Blenheim Terrace, Cavendish Road and Woodhouse Lane from about 04:00 BST, organisers said.

The start closures around Blenheim Terrace would then re-open for 12:00 BST, while the closures around the finish, including the Headrow, would re-open for 15:00 BST.

All other road closures on the route would start from 08:00 BST, according to the Leeds 10k organisers.

Those would include Woodhouse Lane, Clarendon Road, Moorland Road, Hyde Park Road, Rampart Road, Woodhouse Street, Headingley Lane, Otley Road, Shaw Lane, Grove Lane, Monk Bridge Road, Grove Road, Meanwood Road, Oatland Road, Oatland Lane, Lovell Park Road, Wade Lane, Merrion Street and Albion Street.

These roads would be opened again on a rolling basis, with the final closure being lifted for 11:45 BST.

A suspension of a number of Traffic Regulation Orders would also be in place between 18:00 BST on Saturday and 15:00 BST on Sunday, organisers added.

Mr Batley-Kyle said: “As with many major running events, some road closures are put in place to ensure the safety of the participants and spectators.”

“All closures will be lifted as soon as possible," he added.

The 10k event was started in 2007 by Jane Tomlinson, who raised £1.8m for charity while she was suffering from terminal cancer.

She decided to set up the event so the fundraising she had started for several charities could continue, including the Jane Tomlinson Appeal, Leeds Hospitals Charity, Mind Leeds, Macmillan Cancer Support, St George’s Crypt, Candlelighters, The Leeds Rhinos Foundation and the Athletic Minds Foundation.

Mrs Tomlinson died in September 2007, aged 43.

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