A man has died after his car crashed into a tree.
The 30-year-old was travelling along the A93 Braemar to Ballater road when he went off the road near Inver Lodge at Crathie.
Emergency services were called to the scene at about 1am yesterday, and the man was cut from the wreckage of his vehicle but could not be saved.
It is not clear what direction the red Seat Ibiza was travelling in, but police are appealing for witnesses.
The road was closed for about nine hours while collision investigators examined the scene, meaning participants of the Run Balmoral Apollo Duathlon were diverted and the race itself delayed.
A police spokesman said: “I can confirm there has been one male fatality and only one vehicle was involved, which was a red Seat Ibiza. The road was closed for nine hours to allow a collision investigation to be carried out.
“We can confirm the 30-year-old male driver, the sole occupant of the vehicle, died at the scene.
“Any person who witnessed the collision, or saw the motor car in the Deeside area prior to the collision, is asked to contact us.”
The man is from the north-east, but his name will not be released until his next-of-kin have been informed.
The car was badly damaged in the smash, with firefighters helping to clear the scene and gather bits of debris as it was loaded onto a recovery vehicle late yesterday morning.
A fire spokeswoman said: “The two crews in attendance had to use hydraulic cutting gear to extricate the person from the car. They were called to the scene at 1am and then again at 8am.”
The later call-out was to assist in making the scene safe, and helping to clear the road before it reopened.