The Cardiff Half Marathon () (previously known as the Cardiff Marathon) is an annual half marathon race held in the Welsh capital city of Cardiff, normally taking place on the first Sunday in October.
The event was established in 2003, initially alongside the Cardiff Marathon, however, due to the increasing popularity of the Half Marathon, the Marathon distance was dropped after 2006. The race was originally organised by the children’s charity Barnardo’s. Now organised by Run 4 Wales, the race has grown to accommodate up to 27,500 runners.
The 2026 event had no headline sponsor and was styled simply as the 2026 Cardiff Half Marathon. International sport and leisure brand Oysho were the headline sponsor for the 2025 event, and previous partners include Principality Building Society (2023-2024), Wizz Air (2022), Cardiff University (2016-2022) and Lloyds Bank (2007-2015).
The course has always been predominantly flat, making it ideal for first time runners and professionals alike (elite runners can gain free entry to the race).
The event has incorporated the prestigious World (2016) Commonwealth (2018) British (2014/2015) and Welsh (Annually) Half Marathon Championships and has held a World Athletics Elite Road Race Label since 2017. The route includes some of Cardiff's most iconic landmarks, including the Cardiff Castle, Cardiff Bay Barrage, Pierhead Building and Roath Park Lake.
The race is a part of SuperHalfs, a series of leading international half marathon races including Lisbon, Prague, Berlin, Valencia and Copenhagen. Races have been chosen based on their quality, popularity, location and commitments to sustainability. All hold World Athletics (IAAF) labels whilst Copenhagen, Cardiff and Valencia have all recently hosted the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships.
The event has grown considerably over the years and now attracts both UK and international runners – it is now known as one of the top events in the British running calendar. Having previously sold out regularly, the event now operates a ballot entry system and attracts around 30,000 entrants
Previous participants in Cardiff races include Paralympic champion Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson, GB's most decorated track Olympian Mo Farah, inspirational adventurer Sir Ranulph Fiennes and BBC Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills.
The 2012 Cardiff Half Marathon appeared in the March 2013 episode of Casualty "Brave New World" as the Holby Half Marathon which Big Mac was taking part in.
Event Organiser The event is organised by Run 4 Wales (R4W), a not-for-profit social enterprise and charitable trust set-up to promote, manage and deliver major sporting events including the 2016 World Half Marathon Championships (Cardiff), 2015 World Mountain Running Championships (North Wales) and 2018 Commonwealth Half Marathon Championships (Cardiff).
Established in 2012, Run 4 Wales is a UK mass participation event organiser. Its event portfolio includes/has included: Oysho Cardiff Half Marathon, Velothon Wales, ABP Newport Marathon Festival, Brecon Carreg Cardiff Bay 10K, Brecon Carreg Porthcawl 10K, Barry Island 10K, Dell Technologies Management Challenge and Brecon Carreg CDF 10K. Run 4 Wales is also the owner of Always Aim High Events.
The 2026 Race The 23rd edition of the Cardiff Half Marathon took place on Sunday 4th October 2026. A new course record of 1:05:40 was set in the women's race by Joyciline Jepkosgei, beating Edith Chelimo's 2017 record by 12 seconds. Gideon Kiprotich won' the men's race in 59:34 holding last year's winner Yismaw Dillu to second place, though Dillu's 2025 course record remained intact.
General entry to the 2026 race was via a ballot for the first time and the official results list 24,028 finishers.
The 2025 Race The 2025 Cardiff Half Marathon took place on Sunday 5 October 2025 and was sponsored by Oysho for the first time. The male winner of the race was Yismaw Dillu with a time of 59:23. The female winner was Miriam Chebet in a time of 1:06:36.
The 2024 Race The 2024 event was the biggest in the event's 21 year history, with 29,000 participants registered across Saturday's junior races (1500 participants) and Sunday's half marathon (27,500 participants).
The event attracted a strong elite field with both Patrick Mosin and Miriam Chebet completing a Kenyan clean-sweep in the Men and Women’s races. The 24-year-old Mosin surged away from 2023 champion Vincent Mutai to take his title before his compatriot Chebet smashed her personal best to claim first place. It was a family affair in the elite wheelchair race as husband and wife Callum and Jade Hall battled it out across the streets of Cardiff. It was Callum, of County Durham, who eventually came out on top in 55:05, but Jade claimed the Women’s title in 57:57.
The theme for the event was ‘A Race For Everyone’ and was an opportunity to celebrate the diversity of the city. The 100 Club campaign offered free spaces in the race to the community with groups including Oasis Cardiff, Newport Live, Cardiff Muslim Runners, the Mwslima Running Club and Slimming World. A Principality Rainbow Roundabout, a collaboration between Principality Building Society and Pride Cymru, also added a boost to runners in between miles 10 and 12.
The 2023 Race
The 2023 race saw the event celebrate its 20th anniversary and was the first year that the Principality Building Society was the headline sponsor.
Vincent Mutai and Mestawut Fikir clinched Principality Cardiff Half Marathon glory. Mutai overcame course record holder and countryman Shadrack Kimining in humid conditions to take the title in 01:00:35 after a sprint finish down King Edward VII Avenue. The 28-year-old was part of a lead group alongside Kimining, Bernard Biwott and last year’s champion Geoffrey Koech who powered through the city to register a time of 28 minutes and 29 seconds after the first 10K.
Last year’s victor was cut loose by his fellow Kenyans as they raced through Cathays and around Roath Park to setup a sprint finish in the heart of the capital. Mutai rounded the corner into the final straight and left Kimining (01:00:47) in his wake to secure a maiden Cardiff victory. Biwott rallied in the final stages to push the former champ close, but he had to settle for third as he finished three seconds back.
A single second split the top three in the women’s event as Ethiopia’s Mestawut Fikir came out on top after a sprint finish to clinch the gold medal.
It was her second victory in two months as she added the Cardiff Half to her win at the Antrim Coast Half Marathon, but she had to fight until the last metre to overcome compatriot Aminet Ahmed and last year’s runner-up Viola Chepngeno.
Beatrice Cheserek, who beat Chepngeno to the title last time out led from the front in defence of her title but faded to allow the trio through to battle it out down the home straight.
In the wheelchair race, Josh Hartley of Coventry Godiva Harriers led from the off and never looked back as he won the race a full 10 minutes ahead of nearest challenger Tiaan Bosch (1:03:27). Hartley’s club mate Gary Cooper was a further 35 seconds back as he took bronze. Martyna Snopek won the female race.
A number of exciting campaigns took place alongside the special 20th anniversary race in conjunction with Principality Building Society, including the #HealthyHabits initiative, the addition of a new Principality Rainbow Roundabout in partnership with Pride Cymru and a £24,207 house deposit giveaway competition.
The 2022 Races
The race could not go ahead in 2020 or 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The first ever Virtual Cardiff Half Marathon was hosted in October 2020 and again in October 2021, with thousands of people taking on the 13.1 mile distance from locations around the world. In 2022, the rescheduled '2020' event took place on Sunday 27 March (the 18th edition) and was the last race sponsored by Cardiff University.
Natasha Cockram produced the run of her career over 13.1 miles to clinch the title on home soil. The reigning British Marathon champion slashed two minutes off her previous personal best to become the first Welsh woman to win the event since Helen Yule 18 years ago in 1:10:47. Refugee team runner Kadar Omar took the men's title in 62:46.
The October 2022 race was sponsored by Wizz Air and saw the event raise its 20 millionth pound in charity fundraising. It was a double win for Kenya with race favourite Geoffrey Koech storming ahead to win the men’s elite race, finishing just one second outside of the hour mark (1:00:01). Kenya's Beatrice Cheserek won on her event debut in 1:06:48 ahead of compatriot Viola Chepngeno and Zewditu Aderaw of Ethiopia.
The 2019 Race
In 2019, Kenya's Leonard Langat broke the course record, winning in 59:30. Langat came up with a brilliant sprint finish to pip fellow Kenyan, and 2016 champion, Shadrack Kimming by a mere two seconds. In the women's race, Kenya's Lucy Cheruiyot and Ethiopia’s Azmera Abreha ran side-by-side down the finishing straight, with another Kenyan, Paskalia Kipkoech, not far behind. In the end, the extra strength of Cheruiyot carried her to victory, although both she and Abreha were given the same times, 68:20. Kipkoech was a further five seconds behind in 68:25.
The race sold out in record time and celebrated its first ever female majority and the rise of women's running with the #WhyWeRun campaign.
The 2018 Race
In 2018, the Cardiff Half Marathon incorporated the first Commonwealth Half Marathon Championships, with athletes from all over the Commonwealth coming to run in Wales. The race saw athletes from Kenya, Uganda, Wales, England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Botswana, Sierra Leone, Mauritius and many more countries compete.Commonwealth Half Marathon Championships Preview
It was Australia's Jack Rayner who ran the race of his life to take Commonwealth glory with a new personal best of 61:01. Uganda's Juliet Chekwel was victorious in the women's race, finishing in 69:45.Australia and Uganda dominate Commonwealth Half Marathon Championships
Rayner's efforts in the men's event was not enough to win Australia a team victory as they settled for second best, finishing just behind Uganda. Uganda also managed no.1 in the team event in the women's race, with Australia once again coming second. Team England managed 3rd in both races. The event also gave Dewi Griffiths the chance to pull on his Welsh vest once more after enduring a tough year through injury, and he came home in 62:56.
The 2018 race kept the IAAF Silver Label Road statusIAAF (2018-10-05. Commonwealth contenders descend on Cardiff. IAAF. Retrieved on 2019-04-03. and sold out in just over 6 months, making it the most popular race in the event's history.
The 2017 Race
As the race grew in popularity, both novice and seasoned runners were wanting to get involved in the action. 2017 was the first year where the race completely sold out, selling 25,000 entries before the race. This was the first time it had happened in the race's fourteen-year history.2017 Cardiff University/Cardiff Half Marathon Sold Out
The 2017 edition was awarded IAAF Silver Label Road statusHalford, Paul (2017-10-01. Chelimo breaks UK all-comers' record at Cardiff Half Marathon. IAAF. Retrieved on 2019-04-03. for the first time.
2017 was another year for course records, with Kenya's John Lotiang running 60:42 in the men's field, and Edith Chelimo crossing the line in just 65:50. These records still stand.
The 2016 Race In March 2016, the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships took place in Cardiff on the same course than the Cardiff Half Marathon. Following a successful sponsorship of the 2016 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships, Cardiff University was confirmed as the race's title sponsor, changing its name to Cardiff University/Cardiff Half Marathon.New Title Sponsor Announced For 2016 As Entries Go On Sale