The Lloyds TSB Cardiff Half Marathon has been granted championship status until 2012 by Welsh Athletics, the governing body for athletics in Wales. This means that the annual half-marathon fundraising event, organised by Barnardo’s Cymru, will be a premium event in the Welsh running calendar as the nation prepares for the London Olympics. This year’s Lloyds TSB Cardiff Half Marathon takes place on Sunday October 17th 2010. It is the largest road race in Wales and attracted over 11,000 registrations last year, with many of the runners raising funds for good causes.
Event Organiser Rachel Madge said: “Welsh Athletics’ decision to select our event as the main championship event for runners in the four years to 2012 is a great honour for us. The Lloyds TSB Cardiff Half Marathon is well established in the running calendar and is the largest event of its kind in Wales. Gaining championship status will give it prestige and a unique standing amongst athletes. It shows how important an event the Lloyds TSB Cardiff Half Marathon is becoming, joining the list of top class events. We will see some of the top Welsh runners alongside those taking up the half marathon challenge for the first time. For Wales‘s leading athletes this event is the pinnacle in the Welsh racing calendar.”
Last Year’s Cardiff Half Marathon winner was Simon Lawson from the Cardiff Amateur Athletics Club who completed the race in one hour, five minutes and 50 seconds. The female Welsh Champion was Caryl Jones who completed the route in 1:16:52.
The great new route for 2010 takes runners past some of the iconic landmarks of the capital including Cardiff Bay, the Senedd, the Wales Millennium Centre, Bute Park and Penarth Marina.
The new route was given the thumbs up by Welsh Assembly Government’s Heritage Minister, Alun Ffred Jones AM, who said:
“The Lloyds TSB Cardiff Half Marathon is establishing itself as one of the highlights in the UK running year. It is an excellent example of strategic partnership working in Wales, with the Welsh Assembly Government, Barnardo’s Cymru, Cardiff Council and Welsh Athletics all working together to develop and grow the event into Wales’s biggest road race.
“The event is a focal point for healthy and active lifestyles and I look forward to welcoming runners and their families from across the UK. I’m sure it will prove to be an exciting and very enjoyable weekend.”
The course has been approved by Welsh Athletics and measured by international course measurer Hugh Jones, a London Marathon winner who now measures the course for that event. He is Secretary of The Association of International Marathons and Distance Races.
Over 11,000 runners have already signed up this year and race organisers are advising everyone to register early as places ran out weeks ahead of the event last year!
To be eligible to participate in the Welsh Championships, all athletes must be registered beforehand with Welsh Athletics and have undergone the eligibility process. Visit www.welshathletics.org for more information.
The first three Welsh men and women to cross the line who are registered with Welsh Athletics and eligible will qualify for Welsh Championship medals. Their running time and records will also be published on the Welsh Athletics website.
To find out more about taking part in the Cardiff Half Marathon log on to www.cardiffhalfmarathon.co.uk
For more information and to register for the 2010 event visit www.cardiffhalfmarathon.co.uk
You can join the team on Facebook to talk to other runners and get the latest updates or you can follow the event build up on Twitter.
