Cardiff Half Marathon

Families

The event offers a full weekend of activities, with a host of family-friendly activities at Saturday’s Cardiff Half Junior preceding Sunday’s half marathon.

Event village

Event Village on City Hall Lawns is the perfect place to meet fellow runners, say good luck to loved ones, leave baggage safely stowed in the baggage tents and make your way to the start line before the race. It’s also the perfect place to to relax at the end of the race and reunite with friends and supporters.

Relax, recuperate and celebrate your success with a well deserved post-race massage.

Once you’ve had your soothing massage and you’re feeling a little livelier, you can also enjoy the best of our live music stage and entertainment programme.

Win accessories and prizes, browse Official race merchandise or check out footwear and accessories from HOKA, and for any queries about the race, the Event Information Desk is there to help.

Get involved with a number of interactive come and try sports or visit one of our sponsors and charities who will be showcasing their products, services and causes.

Event HQ

Cardiff Castle
Castle Street
Cardiff
South Glamorgan
CF10 3RB
UK

Tuck into some tasty street food or kick back with a well deserved celebratory drink – with a wide choice of vendors to choose from. 

The race starts outside Cardiff Castle on Castle Street. The race will finish on King Edward VII Avenue. The event village is at City Hall Lawn outside Cardiff’s City Hall.

With a socially responsible business model at the core, this event delivers ambitiously green, sustainable and low impact events.

Sustainability policy

• Reduce plastic use including plastic-free goody bags
• Minimise waste
• Avoid unsustainable materials including medals made from recycled materials
• Achieve 90% recycling rate
• Carbon off-setting initiative
• Educational and behavioural change in the office and at the events themselves
• Encourage sustainable travel
• Reduce litter in the local environment

Included

• A posted race pack including a race weekend brochure, spectator guide, running number and timing chip.
• A high standard of event organisation, with a fully marshaled, closed road route.
• High-quality finishers medal to commemorate your achievement
• Optional technical finishers t-shirt or Climate Action Fund donation
• Access to helpful training advice and support via the event website and e-newsletters.
• Access to the event facilities, including toilets.
• Course entertainment and live music across the route.
• Water and nutritional products available at energy stations along the route.
• Use of the Run 4 Wales app to live track your performance.
• A finish time SMS at the end of the race (if you have submitted your mobile number).
• Access to Event Village with retailers, street food and live entertainment.
• Predicted finish time pacers in every start wave.

Every year thousands of runners take part in this event and fundraise for charity. While this is hugely beneficial to the charities it gives the runner advantages too, from supporting a cause that is close to your heart to securing a place in this highly sought-after event and much more.

Benefits of running for charity

Committing to raising money for charity gives you motivation to get outside and run, plus all of these extras which will elevate your event experience:

• Fundraising support

  Charities know that raising money is all part of the challenge, which is why they provide advice, branded materials and a personalised online fundraising page to help the donations roll in. Think videos for social media, branded imagery and testimonials from previous runners.

• Training support

  Whether this is your first run or your fifth, you'll need to train for it! You'll receive an in-depth training plan with guidance, plus many charities have access to expert coaches and elite runners too, who can provide exclusive tips for your race preparation. Experts include Runningwithus, Full Potential and Olympic champs.

• Branded running kit

  When you show up on the day, people need to be able to see clearly that you're supporting a charity. Most charities will give you a branded and personalised t-shirt or vest to run in on the big day, and often a training top too.

• Support on the day

  When you're partway through your run and your energy is flagging, what you need is a boost from cheering spectators to keep you moving. Many charities set up a cheer station along the route, keeping an eye out for you to send up a huge cheer as you run past!

• Post-race recovery

  Refreshments and an indulgent post-race sports massage are often provided by charities for their runners. This is the perfect way to recover alongside other people who have run for that cause.

• Exclusive social groups

  You won't be the only person running for that charity, so it's well worth meeting other runners through the charity's invite-only social media pages! You can organise to meet up for training runs, chat with the charity's expert coaches and share tips and stories with each other to keep the motivation levels running high.

What are charity places?

Charities buy places in this event, then give them to runners who agree to raise money for the charity – these are called charity places. Charity places are a great way to support a good cause and get a place in the event, especially if general entries are closed.

Running a half marathon and charity fundraising go hand-in-hand - which charity will you run for?

Entry fees