Cardiff Half Marathon 2026

Get your best kilt running shorts ready 🏃

In October, Cardiff won’t just be the capital of Wales, but the meeting place for all lovers of tarmac! 🤪 We’ll be waiting for you at the Cardiff Half Marathon, the country’s biggest charity event, raising more than 3 million pounds sterling every year 💷.

The Cardiff Half Marathon is no laughing matter ❌. It’s a top-tier race, certified as an Elite Road Race by World Athletics 🏅. You’ll run into elite athletes, para-athletes, amateurs... Everyone is welcome! 🤩 The city even had the honor of hosting the World Championships in 2016 🏆 If you’re chasing a PB, you’re in the right place, because the course is pancake-flat with just 81 m of elevation gain 🥞. Let’s talk about your future playground! It’s part of the prestigious SuperHalfs family, a prestigious circuit that brings together 6 European half marathons: Lisbon, Prague, Berlin, Copenhagen or Valencia. Your start will be given in the majestic shadow of Cardiff Castle 🏰. Leaving the castle, you’ll tip your hat to the Principality Stadium, the temple of rugby where the Welsh sing so loudly they could make the walls shake 🏉. Then you’ll head to the Penarth Marina, the perfect spot to see if you’ve got sea legs before crossing the barrage into Cardiff Bay💧. As you cross the bay, you’ll pass the Norwegian church 🇳🇴 (a nod to writer Roald Dahl, born here, to whom we owe Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) and the Wales Millennium Centre, that coppery building locals affectionately nickname "l'Tatou"🤎. Next, head north for a romantic loop around Roath Park Lake 💧. Your grand finale will play out at the Civic Centre, an architectural ensemble so white and elegant you’d think the buildings get scrubbed with a toothbrush every morning 😲.

As for the atmosphere, the event is now a full weekend festival, with races for juniors 👶. It’s the perfect opportunity for you to discover a dynamic city, its huge parks, and its seaside restaurants where you can wolf down a Welsh Rarebit (a kind of cheese toast melted with beer—the local legal doping 🙃) after the effort.

So, ready to crank up the Cardiff cardio? ❤️‍🔥