Supporting health and wellbeing

Cardiff University has been announced as the new title sponsor for the Cardiff Half Marathon.

The new partnership between Wales’ leading university and the country’s biggest mass participation event builds on Cardiff University’s successful sponsorship of this month’s IAAF World Half Marathon Championships.

Cardiff University will sponsor the event, now officially titled the Cardiff University/Cardiff Half Marathon, in 2016 and 2017 and replace Lloyds Bank, who had been title sponsor of the event for the last five years.

Cardiff University will be offering limited free spaces for runners who pledge to raise money for cancer research or dementia and mental health research at the University. 100% of funds raised by #TeamCardiff runners will go to these research areas.

Matt Newman, chief executive of Cardiff Half Marathon organisers Run 4 Wales, commented:

“This is another exciting landmark in the growth of the Cardiff Half Marathon and we look forward to working with Cardiff University over the next two years.

“Run 4 Wales and Cardiff University staff have been working closely together on this month’s IAAF World Half Marathon Championships and we are confident this on-going relationship will help us deliver the best-ever Cardiff Half Marathon in 2016.

“Cardiff University is one of Wales’ most recognisable institutions and is known around for the world for its ground-breaking research into health and this new partnership will provide an exciting range of opportunities for both parties.

“At Run 4 Wales we have a strong commitment to helping improve the health and well-being of the nation, as well as engaging and giving back to the local community and Cardiff University are the ideal sponsor to help us grow in these areas.”

Cardiff University’s involvement in the event will go way beyond simply providing sponsorship. Public health is a major part of the University’s work and the Cardiff Half Marathon ties in with this agenda.

The University not only undertakes world-leading health research, but also trains the people who will become the healthcare professionals of the future.

The Cardiff Half Marathon is a perfect platform for bringing together people from the health sector and from our local communities to promote the benefits of a healthy, active lifestyle

Professor Colin Riordan, Vice-Chancellor of Cardiff University, said: “We’re delighted to be sponsoring the Cardiff Half Marathon, an event that is now established as one of the most popular mass races in the UK.

“The event exemplifies the benefits of adopting a healthy lifestyle, which chimes perfectly with Cardiff University’s major role in healthcare in Wales and the rest of the UK.

“We are the leading provider of medical and healthcare training in Wales, and our academics are tackling some of the most pressing health-related challenges facing society today.

“Our involvement with the race will enable us to work even more closely with our communities to bring about positive changes to people’s health.

“It will build upon the work we have been doing as part of our successful involvement with the World Half Marathon Championships.”

To celebrate the collaboration a new Cardiff University/Cardiff Half Marathon logo has been created, incorporating the red ribbon used in the branding for Cardiff 2016 as a symbol of the legacy of the event.

More than 16,000 runners finish the Cardiff Half Marathon in 2015, making it the second biggest half marathon in the UK behind the Great North Run.

This year’s event takes place on Sunday 2 October. Entries for this year’s event are now on sale at www.cardiffhalfmarathon.co.uk and anyone who signs up before the end of April can take advantage of discounted entry.