Records were broken at the 2026 Cardiff Half Marathon with a new women’s course record set and the highest number of international runners ever to take part.
The 23rd edition of the event saw more than 30,000 people register across the weekend.
It saw a mix of elite athletes, charity fundraisers and those out to complete the 13.1-mile distance cross the finish line on King Edward VII Avenue.
Runners were taken on a sightseeing tour of the city with the course taking in the iconic landmarks within the Welsh capital including Cardiff Castle, the Principality Stadium, barrage, Norwegian Church and Wales Millennium Centre.
The event attracted a strong elite field with a new women’s course record set by Joyciline Jepkosgei in 1:05:40. The Kenyan, who was the first woman in history to run under 65 minutes, managed to take 12 seconds off Edith Chelimo’s course record, which had stood since 2017.
She said: “I’m so grateful and happy to win this race. The crowds were some of the most excited I have seen and they were across the whole course, which gave me another level of motivation. I will enjoy this win now and recover.”
In the men’s race it was Gideon Kiprotich who claimed the title in 59:34.
He said: “It feels great to win this race, there were some hard moments, but I am very happy to win. I felt good so I got quicker in the second half of the race and I am happy I could keep the pace to win. I enjoyed the crowds too, it was a good day.”
Sam Kolek knocked three minutes off his personal Cardiff Half Marathon best to win the wheelchair race in 53:05. And Mel Nicholls was the first female wheelchair athlete to cross the finish line in a time of 1:07:04.
On the Welsh side it was Natasha Wilson who took the women’s Welsh Half Marathon Championship crown, and half marathon debutant Lloyd Sheppard-Brown followed up his recent Cardiff 10K victory by winning the men’s Welsh Half Marathon title.
The event is Wales’ largest mass participant and multi-fundraising event, with over £4 million raised each year for charity. Many of the runners taking part this year were running for the event’s lead charity, NSPCC.
Alongside them were runners fundraising for the R4W Charitable Foundation as well as those who were part of this year’s 100 Club – an initiative set up by Run 4 Wales whereby it donates 100 free spaces into the event for people to use as a vehicle to improve their health and wellbeing.
While the 100 Club has been running since 2016, several new initiatives were also introduced this year. This included Cardiff Half Full Send – a week-long range of affiliated activities designed to get the city excited for race weekend, as well as Ein Dinas – meaning our city – which saw community groups, cheer squads, live bands and performers from around Cardiff lining key points around the course, helping to celebrate the people and cultures that make Cardiff so special.
It meant there were over 70 cheer stations around the route bringing even more atmosphere to the race alongside the warm Welsh welcome from the thousands of spectators who came out to support.
Amongst the Welsh was a mix of international athletes and spectators who had travelled across the globe to take part in the Cardiff Half Marathon. The race, which is part of the SuperHalfs Series alongside races in Lisbon, Prague, Berlin, Copenhagen and Valencia, saw more than 5,700 international participants from 99 countries register to take part – its highest ever. Around 10,500 runners were on their SuperHalfs journey with 700 people completing the series in Cardiff this year.
Steve Brace, Events Director at Run 4 Wales, said: “This year has seen thousands of runners take part in the Cardiff Half with our highest ever number of international athletes and even a new course record set in the women’s race. We’d like to thank all of our sponsors, charities and volunteers for their support and look forward to coming back to the city in 2027.”
The Cardiff Half Marathon will return on Sunday 3 October 2027. The ballot is now open for people to apply for a chance in securing a spot into next year’s race. The ballot will close on Sunday 18 October with results announced on Thursday 22 October.
To enter the ballot visit: www.cardiffhalfmarathon.co.uk/take-part/register/
