Route confirmed for 2011 Lloyds TSB Cardiff Half Marathon

30th June 2011

The Lloyds TSB Cardiff Half Marathon has announced a new route for the event which takes place on Sunday October 16th 2011. 

One of the fastest growing half marathons in the UK, 10,000 runners are already lined up eagerly awaiting to pound the streets of Cardiff, many in aid of charity. 

The remaining 5,000 places are expected to sell out in the next few weeks, faster than ever before, and well ahead of the September deadline. That means runners who wait until the last minute to register should sign up now to guarantee a place and avoid disappointment.

This year’s race will start and finish once again in Cardiff Bay, with the iconic buildings of the National Assembly for Wales and the Wales Millennium Centre providing the backdrop. The route will take runners up through Cardiff Bay towards the heart of the city and the impressive Civic Centre. Runners then head north before turning and heading back towards Cardiff Castle, over the River Taff via Canton and Leckwith Road, past Cardiff City and the athletics stadium, to the Bay again.

There is then a long straight along the A4232 Link Road where the run then cuts through the International Sports Village before taking in Penarth Marina. Runners then go across the barrage, towards the new BBC studios in the Bay before crossing over the new bridge and passing the Norwegian Church to the big finish on East Bute Street.

Allan McLaren, Event Manager, said:

“This fantastic new route will put Cardiff firmly on the map as one of the biggest and best city races to run in. Charities will also benefit as more runners can run to raise money for their favourite good causes. The number of charities supported has increased significantly this year. We are already estimating that over 500 individual charities and good causes will benefit from runners in Wales’s largest participatory event.

“We have listened to runners’ feedback over the years and have adjusted the course to give our runners the best possible experience, including wider roads, more straights and more traffic-free sections, while keeping it predominantly flat. We now believe we have a world-class course.”

The new route was also given the thumbs up by the First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones, 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 Government, Barnardo’s Cymru, Cardiff Council and Welsh Athletics all working together to develop and grow the event into Wales’s biggest road race. I’m sure it will prove to be an exciting and very enjoyable weekend.”

Huw Morgan, Regional Director for Lloyds TSB in Wales, said “Lloyds TSB is looking forward to its second year as main supporter of the Lloyds TSB Cardiff Half Marathon. The record-breaking 2010 event highlighted that people of all ages and abilities want to train for and take part in an event that's both fun and also helps them maintain a more active lifestyle. We are proud to support Wales's largest mass participation event and wish all those taking part the very best of luck with their preparations.”

The course has been designed in conjunction with Cardiff Council, Vale of Glamorgan Council, Welsh Government and Welsh Athletics.

The route is also suitable for wheelchair users taking part in the wheelchair race starting just before the main race.

The Lloyds TSB Cardiff Half Marathon is one of the fastest growing races in the running calendar. 2010’s Cardiff Half Marathon was a record-breaker, with 15,000 runners signed up, cheered on by over 20,000 spectators and TV programmes on S4C, Channel 4 and British Eurosport.

Over 10,000 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! Everyone that takes part gets a goody bag, medal and commemorative t-shirt.  

More information here. Remember that 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.

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