Amongst all the madness and uncertainty it’s nice that some of our major events are now being rescheduled. Wales’ premier marathon event will now finally take place on its new date, this Sunday 24th October. Training isn’t easy at the moment, after months of lockdown, but it seems most are well prepared for the weekend.

The national marathon of Wales boasts a fast, scenic route – arguably one of the UK’s flattest marathons. Starting and finishing on Newport’s vibrant riverfront, the route offers iconic landmarks, coastal wildlife, picturesque medieval villages and a high-profile opportunity for locals and visitors alike to experience the recently regenerated city-centre.

There will of course be road closures and many of those are already signposted, including alerts on the M4.

The popular race is a firm favourite in the Welsh running calendar, boasting one of the flattest marathon courses in the UK. Amazingly, over 70% of all finishers have claimed a personal best on a route that offers iconic landmarks, like the city’s Transporter Bridge and the stunning scenery of the Gwent Levels – with its coastal wildlife and picturesque medieval villages.

The much-anticipated race has finally satisfied the demand for a premier marathon distance mass-participation event in Wales, made possible by the support of Associated British Ports, Newport City Council and the Welsh Government. Nearly 6,000 runners signed up to take on Marathon, 10K and Family Mile in 2019.

The flat, fast supporting 10K race, which attracts some of the UK’s top athletes, gives runners of all abilities the opportunity to get involved in one of Wales’ biggest weekends of mass participation, without committing to the challenging 26.2-mile distance.

The ABP Newport Wales Marathon & 10K will once again be televised around the world.

Event organisers Run 4 Wales (R4W) confirmed that an English and Welsh highlights programme will be produced, helping to showcase the event and wider region across the UK and internationally.

A one-hour Welsh language programme will be broadcast on S4C on the 29th October at 8pm. It will also be available to view via the BBC iPlayer. A 30-minute English programme will also be produced and will be available from December via a number of channels and streaming services including British Eurosport, Free Sports, The Bike Channel, Horizon Sports and Endurance Sports TV.

The programme will feature the elite men, women and wheelchair races, inspiring human-interest stories and an in depth look at the city of Newport and surrounding countryside.

The multi-platform coverage will feature on over 37 channels to millions of potential viewers across the world in countries such as France, Ireland, Italy, Turkey, Cyprus, Portugal, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Brazil, Spain, Switzerland and the USA.

R4W Chief Executive Matt Newman said……. 

“We’re delighted that the ABP Newport Wales Marathon & 10K will once again be televised in 2021.

The opportunity to beam the event directly into homes around the world will help to showcase Newport’s ability to host major events and fuel future growth of the race.

As a proud bilingual organisation we’re also so pleased that viewers will be able to re-live the action in Welsh or English.”

For more details on the event, route maps, and pretty much all the information you’ll need just go here ABP.

Running throughout October last year, they had virtual races open to anyone, and provided a unique opportunity to test yourself over the marathon or 10K distance and earn a 2020 finishers medal and t-shirt. It was such a great idea, and helped keep that race focus. To look back on the virtual events just go HERE

Of course any event like this is a real opportunity for charities to get involved, raise some much needed funds, and get the word out to the gathered crowd.

Knowing your run has helped others, gives a huge boost to the satisfaction you’ll feel on finishing the race. You’ll also be more highly motivated during your training and the race itself.

Several of the Official Charities offered free or discounted rate spaces. They offered official sponsorship forms, details on how you can fundraise with JustGiving and provide specialist help and support.

The lead charity this year is the NSPCC. Maybe next year you can join #TeamNSPCC for the APB Newport Marathon and 10k, or indeed one of the other charities encouraging you to take part on their behalf. To see the full list of supported organisations, go here – CHARITY.

Volunteering is also a hug part of a day like this, and they are looking for your help.

Volunteers make sure that race day is a huge success and you will be part of a large team of amazing volunteers called â€?The Extra-Milers’.

You don’t need any special skills, just be reliable, flexible and have lots of enthusiasm! There are a whole range of different roles available on race day and will be something to suit everyone such as;

• Helping to keep the runners hydrated by manning a water station
• Are you an organiser? Why not help to man our baggage area
• Are you a people person? Help support and direct runners and visitors around the start/finish areas
• Congratulating runners by handing out medals and goody bags
• Good with a camera? You could be a volunteer Photographer

They’ll provide you with a volunteer uniform, breaks, refreshments and on the day support through a supervisor as well as all the support and training you need to undertake your role.

If you have any questions please contact: Carys Jones – volunteers@run4wales.org of call 02921 660790 or you can REGISTER here for next year’s event.