Everything you need to know about the 2026 Cardiff Half Marathon

Nation.Cymru staff

The Cardiff Half Marathon returns to the Welsh capital this week, with more than 30,000 runners registered to take part in events across the weekend.

The 23^rd edition of the race will take place in the city on Sunday 4 October, along with a range of official Cardiff Half ‘Full Send’ pop-up activities taking place for the first time.

Cardiff community groups, charities, musicians and performers have also been invited to take part through the event’s Ein Dinas initiative, with activities planned around the course on race day.

When is the 2026 Cardiff Half Marathon?

The Cardiff Half Marathon starts on Castle Street at 10am on Sunday 4 October, with the elite wheelchair race starting at 09:57am.

Can I still enter?

All races have sold out after the event went to ballot for the first time and no on-the-day entries will be available.

How many people will be taking part?

The race has sold out for the ninth time, and after a record time of 12 hours in 2025, went to ballot for the 2026 event to make entry fairer for all.

More than 30,000 spaces have been sold for the events across the weekend including the Junior races on the Saturday and the half marathon on the Sunday.

What is the route of the Cardiff Half Marathon?

The route will take runners past the capital’s landmarks. It starts outside Cardiff Castle and takes runners past the Principality and Cardiff City Stadiums. Runners will take in Penarth Marina, before crossing the barrage and heading to Cardiff Bay past the Norwegian Church and Wales Millennium Centre. A loop of Roath Park lake is completed before the grandstand finish in Cardiff’s beautiful civic centre.

A map of this year’s course can be found here.

Will there be pacers?

Waterton Motor Group pacers will be ‘driving your PB’ and running in all of the starting pens with sail flags that correspond with the following times: 1:30, 1:40, 1:50,  2:00, 2:10, 2:20, 2:30, 2:45 and 3:00.

Are there toilets?

There are toilets, urinals and Peequal female urinals at the start of the race, in the Event Village, within the first mile of the race and around the course at all drink stations.

Will water and energy products be provided?

Brecon Carreg will be on hand around the route to supply water, while HIGH5 will supply energy gels. A Powerade energy drink will also be available at mile 9. Brecon Carreg ploggers will be at the back of the race, collecting litter as they go.

Will there be an elite race?

The event holds a World Athletics Elite Road Race label and will feature a strong elite field with runners coming from nations including Kenya, Ethiopia, USA, Australia and the Netherlands.

Joyciline Jepkosgei (64:13) will headline the women’s field while Gideon Kiprotich (58:49) is the fastest athlete on paper in the men’s field.

Will there be a wheelchair race?

An elite wheelchair race will take place on Sunday 4 October at 09:57am.

Will there be a children’s race?

The Cardiff Half Junior will take place on Saturday 3 October, with a full day of family-friendly activities including a Toddler Dash at 10:30am and a Future Challengers race at 11am. A family-focussed Fun Run then starts at 11:45am. Expect fancy dress, fun and festivities. NSPCC will also be hosting a story time session at 11.25am taking place at its stand in the event village on the Saturday.

How much money does the Cardiff Half Marathon raise for charity?

Over £4 million is raised each year via partnerships with over 120 charities.

What is the SuperHalfs?

The Cardiff Half is part of the SuperHalfs – an international half marathon series including races in Lisbon, Prague, Berlin, Valencia, Copenhagen and Cardiff. It challenges runners to complete the six-race circuit in order to earn a ‘SuperMedal’.

What is the best way to travel to the race?

Competitors are encouraged to plan their journey in advance and be aware that some road closures will be in place on the morning of the race.

With so many participants and spectators travelling to the city over the race weekend, organisers recommend travelling in advance of race day and making a weekend of it.

This year, as part of a new partnership with Run 4 Wales, Transport for Wales have announced more earlier services on race day.

More information on event day travel can be found here.

Is there parking?

There is a park and walk facility at Cardiff City Football Stadium on Leckwith Road, but all spaces for this have to be pre-booked. To encourage sustainable travel, discounted spaces have been offered to coaches and minibuses.

There will also be a free bike park in Gorsedd Gardens in front of National Museum Wales for those choosing to cycle to the event.

Will there be road closures in place?

There will be a number of road closures in place on race day to facilitate the safe passage of participants, so allow extra time when traveling and plan your route in advance.

A map of road closures can be found here.

Will there be atmosphere around the course?

Entertainment will be staged at points around the course, with community groups, cheer squads, live bands and other performers taking part as part of the new Ein Dinas initiative, meaning ‘Our City’.

More information on this year’s course entertainment can be found here.

Where’s the best place for spectators to support?

The Cardiff Half spectator zones provide spectators with the opportunity to see their loved ones. Head down Castle Street, away from the city centre and towards the River Taff for the chance to catch your loved ones after they have crossed the start line.

Head to Corbett Road for views of the closing stages of the race on either side of the road, big screens, music and prize giveaways.

Tiered standing terraces will also give spectators a view of their loved ones over the finish line on King Edward VII Avenue.

Organisers recommend heading to the course early to get the best spot.

Can you track runners around the race?

The Run 4 Wales App on iOS and Android can be used to inspect the route pre-race and live track participants on the day with full Google maps functionality.

Find out more or download the app here.

How else can you watch the event?

A live stream of the event will be available to watch on the Run 4 Wales YouTube channel as well as on the big screens around the event village. A highlights programme will also be available to watch on S4C, S4C Clic and BBC iPlayer on Monday 5 October.

What else is taking place?

This year celebrations are starting early for the 2026 Cardiff Half Marathon with a variety of pop-up activities taking place across the city as part of ‘Cardiff Half Full Send’.

A range of affiliated events and activities will be on offer from  St David’s Shopping Centre, Wagamama, High5, Wales Millennium Centre and Studio Tarw.

On Saturday in the event village NSPCC will be hosting a story time session at its stand and Studio Tarw will be hosting a warm-up session on the event village stage.

Throughout the weekend there will also be product sampling with High5, Gower Brewery will be helping people celebrate with a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and the Alzheimer’s Society Calm Zone will be on offer providing a space for people to escape the hustle and bustle of the event village should they need to.

Runners are also being reminded to have their photo taken at the Cardiff Airport timing clock after their race to commemorate their achievements.

Find out more about Cardiff Half Full Send here.

Who organises the event?

The event is organised by Run 4 Wales (R4W), a not-for-profit charitable trust set up to manage and deliver major sporting events in Wales.

In 2025 Always Aim High Events joined the R4W family in an exciting move that sees Wales’ two largest mass participants events companies join forces for an all-Wales approach.

What will runners receive when they finish the race?

All finishers will receive a commemorative medal and a t-shirt (unless they decided to opt out of receiving a tee and instead donate to the R4W Climate Action Fund).

Race Day Guide

A full lowdown of all the important event information can be found here.

The Event Helpdesk will be open from 12pm on Friday 2 October, 8am on Saturday 3 October and from 7am on Sunday 4 October.

Information about what to do if your race pack has not arrived can be found here.

Find out more about the event on the Cardiff Half Marathon site here. 

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