Cardiff Half Marathon — course characterPhoto · Cardiff
Race Library
Cardiff, Wales·Europe·October

Cardiff Half Marathon

City, flat, waterfront.

Snapped to real footpaths · Garmin · Strava · AllTrails · Komoot · Coros · Wahoo · Apple Watch · outdooractive
Official distance
21.1 km
Elevation gain
+70m
Mindful tempo
5:00 /km
Character
City, flat, waterfront

One of the UK's largest halves — castle to bay via the Taff.

Because moving beside water borrows its willingness; the current does part of the pacing for you.

Welsh crowds carry you — spend the last 5 km on their breath.

Course

Map & elevation profile

Open in OpenStreetMap
Course line · live Xymove map
Xymove · rendering the line
Xymove Map
21.0975 km loop
Live · pinch, drag, zoom51.482, -3.179
Elevation profile
+70m05111621
+70 m gainPeak 70 m · 21.0975 km
Elevation profile: total gain 70 metres, peak 70 m above start, low 0 m.

A gentle profile — the course rewards patience rather than power.

Cardiff51.482, -3.179
Race Day

Practical & atmospheric notes

Kind shoulder-season conditions — mild mornings, arm-sleeves off by kilometre eight for most runners.

A warm regional start — clubs in matching kit, coffee vans, a local mayor with a microphone. Human-scale and unhurried.

Steady, generous local support along the main boulevards and finish straight; genuine strangers-turned-friends handing out orange slices in the suburbs.

Water sections between km 8 and km 14 thin the crowd — breathe long, let the current pace you.

Sealed city tarmac — closed to traffic on race day

The official road is fully sealed and step-free on race day. Handcyclists routinely start with the elite wave; strollers welcome in the shakeout events.

WheelchairStroller
Recovery

Bay walk, hot tea.

Along the line

Course imagery

Wikimedia Commons · Cardiff
Wikimedia Commons · Cardiff
Wikimedia Commons · Cardiff
Wikimedia Commons · Cardiff
Wikimedia Commons · Cardiff
Wikimedia Commons · Cardiff
Wikimedia Commons · Cardiff
Wikimedia Commons · Cardiff
Soul-Tuned Variations

One race, three ways to run it.

Contemplative

12 km

5:40 /km

Taff loop.

Recovery echo

5 km

6:20 /km

Bute Park easy.

Stronger

21.1 km

4:30 /km

PB half.

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