Sunday the 14th of October marked the 2012 TSB Lloyds half-marathon through Cardiff. This was the 10th anniversary of the event, organised by Run For Wales.
The new 13.1 mile course began at Cardiff Castle and was officially opened by Olympic hurdler Colin Jackson. It passed several Cardiff landmarks such as the Cardiff City Stadium, Roath Park, and the Cardiff Bay Barrage, and ended at Cardiff City Hall. The course was changed from previous years in order to minimise the amount of disruption to the city.
The marathon has always been run by amateur and elite athletes alike, growing in capacity remarkably over the last 10 years. In its first year, 2003, only 1,500 runners took part, however by last year, 2011, the number of participants had risen to 15,000. This year, the Cardiff half marathon saw 18,000 people take part. Approximately 13,000 crossed the finish.
Lucy Garrett, a participant stated, “It was incredible, amazing, and the crowds kept me going throughout as they were so supportive.”
Another participant, Meaghan Crancher, remarked, “I would definitely do it next year again, it was so much fun and everyone was so enthusiastic.”
The race is very beneficial to multiple charities. Barnardo’s is the official charity partner of the event, however participants in the marathon can run for any charity of their choice. Popular choices have been Age Cymru, Diabetes UK, Macmillan, and Action for Children. Breast Cancer Care had over 100 participants raising money in the race this year.
Last year it was estimated that the half marathon raised about £1,000,000 and was expected to exceed that this year. The race has benefitted over 800 charities in its history.
The day would not have been possible without the many volunteers who helped throughout the day.
The half marathon organiser Nigel Roberts, chairman of Run For Wales, said the success of the new route this year could see Cardiff hosting even bigger international races. ÔÇ£ItÔÇÖs been absolutely amazing, I think the weather has really helped everybody out,ÔÇØ he said.
ÔÇ£It took just eleven minutes to get everybody through the start line, which shows the capacity and the potential for this race.
ÔÇ£Now onward and upwards, letÔÇÖs look at getting the Commonwealth half marathon here, and also the World Championships.
ÔÇ£The potential is absolutely enormous and I think everybody has had a wonderful day.ÔÇØ
Sarah Hazelwood
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