The ABP Newport Wales Marathon has been rescheduled to 18 April 2021.

Run 4 Wales, the company behind Wales’ leading mass-participation sporting events has today announced that the ABP Newport Wales Marathon and the Cardiff University Cardiff Half Marathon will be postponed to new dates in 2021.

Chief Executive, Matt Newman, explains the decision.

We have been closely monitoring the situation surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak and the guidance issued by the Government and it is now clear that it will not be possible to stage events of this scale in the autumn.  

We would expect the Welsh Government to make further announcements in the coming months on a gradual return to a full sporting calendar and although lockdown restrictions have recently been eased in Wales, we understand there is no possibility of 27,500 participants and 100,000 spectators gathering safely in Cardiff on 4^th October and thousands more three weeks later in Newport on 25^th October 2020.  

We are also conscious of the inter-dependency on various service providers for events of this size, including the availability of medical support services, volunteers, emergency services, transport and accommodation.

Having spent a significant amount of time talking with our sponsors, charity partners, Local Government and other key stakeholders, we have no choice but to postpone this year’s Cardiff Half Marathon and reschedule the event on 28^th March 2021. The Newport Wales Marathon will also be postponed to April 18^th 2021.

We have decided to communicate this now, to provide clarity to all.

Runners registered for both events have been contacted by email confirming the postponements and the options available to them. Details on the Newport options are also available at the links below.

I am incredibly proud of how the team at Run 4 Wales has responded to the challenges presented by the Coronavirus. We are working with a group of leading events organisations in Wales to establish guidelines for the safe return of events. As part of our work with the MSO (Mass Participation Sports Organisations), we are also aligned to the leading events organisations across the UK and our SuperHalfs partners and World Athletics Gold Label provide us with unique insight into the approach being taken in many other countries. This will allow us to collaborate and share best practice in event delivery as we begin a new chapter in mass participation events.   

We are therefore optimistic that the new demand created by the growing number of “lockdown runners” and the ongoing appetite from the running community will allow Run 4 Wales to bounce back in 2021 with a full season of running events.

In the coming weeks we will also share plans on the launch of some innovative new initiatives including virtual races and a membership scheme, offering exclusive rewards and motivational challenges whilst we are all missing the buzz of major events. 

There are a number of options available to runners who are registered for either 2020 races. These are detailed in the email sent to you, along with answers to a number of Frequently Asked Questions.