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The Cardiff Marathon was added back into the running calendar in 2002, and in response to public demand was extended to also include a Half Marathon in 2003. This was achieved by completely redesigning the course, taking out a very boring slog up and down a dual carriageway, and thus offering a one lap Half and two lap Full Marathon.

In comparison to Bristol, the event, despite being run through and around the sights of the Welsh capital, is a relatively low key event with a total of 2,500 entrants for both events. But what this does allow is for the organisers to take into account feedback from runners, make it a more personable affair, and deliver a well organised and run event. Despite its size, it used ChampionChip timing and was fortunate to have the support of the City Council, so roads were closed and coned, and it was well supported by the Police. As a result, 90% of the course was traffic free, with only a few junctions to cross, where traffic was expertly managed to ensure runners had priority and were not impeded. Drinks, in 50ml bottles, were positioned every two miles and all bar one of the mile markers were accurately positioned.

The course is virtually flat and takes you past Cardiff Castle, the Millennium Stadium, along the new Cardiff Bay Barrage, the waterfront and back to the City Hall via Salthouse Fields (which will be familiar to those who have run the Cardiff 10K or finished the Welsh Castles Relay.)

Having trained throughout the hot summer months, I felt extremely well prepared to tackle a hot race, but on the day the weather was perfect for running. Dry, sunny, no wind and 60 degrees.

Standing on the start line with 10 minutes to go, I was one of 10 runners who, used to larger events, decided to get in place before the rest of the runners emerged out of the woodwork. With such a comparatively small field, there was no congestion either at the start or at any point on the course. With 30 seconds to go there was still loads of space in front of me towards the start line, so only then did we shuffle up. After the Half runners had finished, there were enough Full runners to make you still feel you were not running on your own, and to give to people to pick off one by one towards the finish (I picked off 100 others between half way and the end.)

I took things steady to start, running at around 7:50 pace, taking in the atmosphere and looking at the sights. After half way I was still feeling good, so kept the pace going and upon nearing the 17 mile point was still fine, so I upped things. My pace increased, to where I was running some miles at 7:30 pace up to 24 miles. It was only just after 25 miles that I looked at my cumulative time to get a shock! Although I knew that 8 minute miles equated to a 3:30 Marathon time, I had felt so good that I was just happily ticking off the miles at under 8 minute mile pace and not looking at the overall time. It then dawned that the 3:17 time I saw was not minutes and seconds, but hours and minutes. I was running my fastest Marathon since 1995.

Rounding the final corner at 26 miles, the last long 385 yard straight to the finish line seemed to take an age, but it finally arrived, to be rewarded with the second fastest time I have ever run, only being superseded by the 1990 London Marathon, when I was much younger and a stone and a half lighter!

Many thanks to Mike Bull, who came to support me, providing an excellent bag carrying and photographic service, and popping up around the course with a good supply of boiled sweets to keep the energy level up!

Starting at 8am requires either an early start or making a weekend of it (as I did) but it only takes 50 minutes to get there on the M4, so travel is not a problem. The advantages of the early start is that things are run in the cool of the morning, the roads are quiet and you can get home to Bristol by early afternoon.

GWR were only represented by myself in the Marathon and Martin Church in the Half, no doubt due to the clash with the Oldbury 10, but the events deserve more support and to be Target Races.

Results:

Full: Winner: 2:24:31
Nigel Barker: 3:24:47 (Chip Time)
107th – 23rd MV40

Half: Winner: 1:09:27
Martin Church: 1:46:01 (Chip Time)
326th – 5th MV60

Nigel Barker
30th September 2003