IT wasn’t just elite runners taking part in the Oxford Half Marathon with a mixed bag of people passing the finish line at the Kassam Stadium.

Some paid tribute to lost loved ones, while others just wanted to test themselves in the 13.1-mile race on Sunday.

There were also some interesting fancy dress costumes on display, including people dressed as a tree, zebra and clown.

Oxford Mail:

Caroline Sinclair, left, Lewis Parkin, centre, and Matt Ager were part of a 15-strong team running for Ronald McDonald House at Oxford Children’s Hospital

Banbury resident Matt Ager, 34, was one of 15 runners raising money for Ronald McDonald House, a national charity that provides accommodation for parents whose children are staying overnight at hospitals, including Oxford Children’s Hospital.

Our top stories

The dad-of-two stayed there with his wife Caroline last Christmas when their youngest son Lucas, who was seven weeks at the time, was in hospital for 10 days with bronchitis.

Mr Ager said: “When your child is ill in hospital the last thing you want to worry about is finding somewhere to stay.

“There were people from around the country when we were there because it’s a specialist hospital so it’s especially important to people who are in a strange city and don’t know where to go. It’s free so I wanted to give something back.”

Oxford Mail:

 Bicester’s Kenny Lowies, 48, of Headington Roadrunners, dressed as a zebra

Kenny Lowies, 48, ran in a zebra onesie to promote Headington Roadrunners as a fun running club.

He ran the course in one hour, 47 minutes and 43 seconds but said the costume was a deliberate ploy to slow himself down.

Mr Lowies said: “I’m doing the Abingdon Marathon next week so wanted to slow myself down so I didn’t tire myself out.

“I had little kids high-fiving me and I heard people saying ‘look, there’s a zebra’ probably a couple of hundred times.”

Oxford Mail:

Lisa Rayner and her 18-year-old son James Whitaker 

Lisa Rayner, running for Cancer Research UK in memory of a friend’s father, took part in a half marathon for the first time.

The 55-year-old, from Haddenham, near Thame, was given a bunch of flowers by her 18-year-old son James Whitaker as she crossed the finish line. She said: “It felt fantastic to have done a half marathon, which is a real achievement at 55.

“The flowers were a big boost as I came through the finish line.”

Oxford University researcher Francesca Meincke, 32, ran dressed as a clown and raised £400 for Clowns Without Borders, a charity that offers entertainment for children in crisis. She said: “It was a really nice race with some great people. I got a lot of support from people who said it was a nice costume.”

Oxford Mail:

Francesca Meincke, who works at Oxford University as a researcher on child abuse prevention in South Africa, raised £400 for the Clowns Without Borders charity

Six music acts performed at various points of the route in a Battle of the Bands.

Chipping Norton swing band The Monday Blues played outside the Kassam Stadium near the finish line.

Brett Stevens, who runs the band, said: “It was great to help people as they ran past and push them through to the finish line.”


  • Do you want alerts delivered straight to your phone via our WhatsApp service? Text NEWS or SPORT or NEWS AND SPORT, depending on which services you want, and your full name to 07767 417704. Save our number into your phone’s contacts as Oxford Mail WhatsApp and ensure you have WhatsApp installed.