Major Welsh road race expands beyond the start line with week of events

Nation.Cymru Staff

A week of events and activities is being planned around one of Wales’ biggest road races, offering yoga, live music, walking tours and sauna sessions.

Organisers have announced a series of official events and activities taking place across the city in the run-up to this year’s Cardiff Half Marathon.

A variety of pop-up affiliated events and activities will be on offer during the Cardiff Half Full Send, with the likes of St David’s Cardiff, Wagamama, High5, Wales Millennium Centre and Studio Tarw set to get involved.

The programme includes:

Monday 28 September

• A strength session will be held at Studio Tarw, designed to help participants get ready to tackle the 13.1-mile distance on the weekend.

Tuesday 29 September

• At the Wales Millennium Centre there will be a yoga session between 5.30pm and 7pm, followed by the reveal of the 2026 finisher’s medal.

Thursday 1 October

• At Wagamama’s Cardiff Library location, visitors can screen print a Cardiff Half-inspired tote bag between 4pm and 7pm. The first 50 people will be able to secure their screen printing spot with 20% off food on a first come first serve basis. After this, runners can then get a free regular juice and 20% off food.

Friday 2 October

• To begin the weekend there will be a shakeout run from High5. The “fun and social” 3.5K run (taking place at 12pm, 3pm and 6pm) is designed to loosen legs and prepare runners. There will also be free samples and merch. Pre-booking is advised.
• Menter Caerdydd will also be hosting a walking tour of the city with Spanish, English and Welsh speaking guides for visitors to learn about Wales’ history, language and culture.

Saturday 3 October

• A second series of High5 shakeout runs will take place after Cardiff Half Junior (at 1pm, 3pm and 5pm) and more walking tours from Menter Caerdydd will be on offer. Again, pre-booking is advised as spaces are limited.
• Listen to a selection of Welsh music on City Hall lawns from 10am thanks to Tafwyl. Alaw’r Taf, Curiad, Static Inc and Mac are all set to perform throughout the day.
• Welsh Athletics will be hosting a Lead the Change Education Workshop as part of its Own the Night campaign to empower people to speak up, offer help and decrease the likelihood of violence occurring against women or girls.

Sunday 4 October

• On race day, Tafwyl will be soundtracking the day on the event village stage with Penbleth, Cadog and Aleighcia Scott set to perform.
• Once the race is done, runners can enjoy a 55-minute sauna session for just £10 at Hikitalo’s recovery sauna session.

Across the weekend, Gower Brewery’s bar will be open for refreshments. Additionally, a runners’ wall featuring the names of participants will be displayed at St David’s Cardiff for the first time from 25 September to 5 October.

Matt Newman, Chief Executive at Run 4 Wales, said: “Full Send brings a fantastic energy to the Cardiff Half Marathon race week and is a great example of how we’re continuing to make the event about much more than what happens on the start line.

“Our Cardiff Half Full Send activity gives people another opportunity to get involved, challenge themselves and connect with the wider community. We’re very much looking forward to adding to the buzz across the city during what is always a special weekend of running in the Welsh capital.”

Alongside the official events there will be a range of deals and offers available at restaurants and retailers within St David’s, including:

• Kin and Ilk’s offer of a free drink when runners show their Cardiff Half finishers medal
• Banana Tree will be giving away a free meal to runners
• TGI Fridays will be offering a free mocktail or glass of prosecco with any main meal purchased
• Clogau will be offering a 13.1% discount to any Cardiff Half participant who presents their race medal between Sunday 4 October to Sunday 11 October 2026

Helen Morgan, Centre Director at St David’s Cardiff, added: “Cardiff Half Marathon is such an exciting time in the city, and we’re delighted to get involved with the Full Send celebrations.

“The Start List is a fantastic way to celebrate those taking part in the race, before enjoying some of the exclusive treats on offer from our brands like Kin + Ilk, Wagamama, Banana Tree, and TGI Fridays.”

For more information about the Cardiff Half Marathon Full Send experiences and to book your spot onto your event of choice visit their site here.

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