Marathon cancelled and parks closed as Storm Boelo hits East Midlands

A half-marathon has been postponed and parks closed across the East Midlands as Storm Boelo brings floods, travel disruption, and power cuts to parts of the UK.

The Worksop Half Marathon, which takes runners through Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire, was called off after the park closed due to forecasted high winds on Sunday.

A yellow weather warning for wind remains in place until 21:00 GMT on Sunday for parts of north Nottinghamshire and north Derbyshire.

The Met Office said widespread gusts of 60mph to 70mph were forecast within the warning area in other parts of the UK, while gusts of over 50mph were likely in the East Midlands.

The organisers of the marathon posted on social media that “due to circumstances out of our control”, they had no choice but to postpone this year’s race.

“Due to predicted winds in excess of 50mph, Clumber Park have had to make the decision to close the park to ensure the safety of the public,” they said.

“As a result of this, plans are already in place to move the race to a provisional date of 24 January 2027.”