Runners, athletes, spectators and crowds of supporters will adorn the streets of Swansea this Sunday as the biggest race of the year stages its 5th event for the city. With only days to go until the JCP Swansea Half Marathon takes place; on Sunday 24th June, the city will once again be welcoming visitors from all over the globe. As the event continues to grow from strength-to-strength the race has beaten previous participant numbers, attracting the largest field of runners to date. And it’s easy to see why – its fast, its flat, boasts a stunning route and runners rave about it! Being recognised as the UK’s Best Half Marathon (for 2 consecutive years), and attracting journalists to write about the race in the best publications around, might also have a little something to do with it!
The JCP Swansea Half Marathon is favoured for being a flat, fast and scenic 13.1 mile course, which is equally suitable for first-time runners as it is for club runners, elites and wheelchair athletes. It attracts a strong elite field from Wales and beyond, drawing in athletes from as far as South Africa and Australia.
Swathes of runners taking part will be raising money for charity, and getting into the spirit by sporting their best fancy dress, or running with their club team. There will also be an attempt by a group of runners to break a new World Record for the most type 1 diabetics to run a half marathon. One of the 88 diabetics to take on this challenge is; Anthony Fisher who is 80 years old, has been diabetic for 41 years and has taken part in 70 half marathons over the years and running London Marathon in 1991. The race itself offers a fantastic platform for charity fundraising and many will still be raising funds up until race day for their own causes and the headline charities; Alzheimer’s Society, Cancer Research UK and Maggie’s Cancer Centre.
The race has also attracted some famous faces in previous years with the likes of sports personalities; Shane Williams, Ryan Jones, Ian Gough and TV presenter CJ De Mooi, gracing the route. This year we can look forward to welcoming Torchwood and Broadchurch actress Eve Myles, ITV news presenter Andrea Byrne, and our very own Captain Beanie who will be seen wearing race number 57!
Families will also be joining in at this year’s SHM Family Dash. Enabling young runners and families to experience the thrilling atmosphere of a big sporting event in the city. Participants will get that finish line feeling when they reach the official finish at Swansea Museum taking in 1K of the half marathon route, before cheering on the athletes of the main event. Starting at Swansea Castle at 9.30am, the dash will take place once the half marathon runners have passed the line. All entries for the dash will close on the 20th June and bibs can be collected on race day from 7.30am at the Information Point in the Race Village (sited at Museum Green).
Runners and spectators alike will be entertained during the race by Bands Across the Bay; showcasing some of the best acts in South Wales. A festival atmosphere and fantastic crowd support are expected, as we welcome Welsh singing star Ros Evans to deliver a heart-stirring performance at the start, and runners will be surprised and delighted with performance spots at locations along the route. With everything from rock, rhythm & blues to choirs and drumming groups, each and every one of them will be hoping to motivate the runners, giving them the boost they need to run the distance around the beautiful Swansea Bay.
Participating athletes will be keen to know that there will be a team of Xempo Race Pacers at the event. Their team offers fantastic support during the race, to help runners get their pacing spot on to achieve their target time on race day. The pacers will run the race in the following estimated times: 1.30, 1.40, 1.45, 1.50, 2.00 hours, 2.10, 2.15, 2.20 and 2.30 hours. Runners simply need to look out for their pacer within their designated pen and try to stay with them throughout the race to ensure accurate timing.
The Race Village will be located in Museum Green which is open to athletes and spectators from 7.30am on race day, and will host; the headline charities, information point, massage tent, cool down area, and a selection of food stands and stalls. All bags will be collected near the start area and loaded onto an articulated lorry provided by Owens Group to be collected on from the LC car park following the race. Runners are being advised to avoid bringing a bag, but if they must, ALL bags must be clearly labelled and will be subject to inspection. The race will start at 9.00am outside the Brangwyn Hall. The route takes runners on fully closed roads past Swansea castle and along a magnificent six-mile stretch of Swansea Bay towards The Mumbles, with its iconic pier and lighthouse. The wheelchair race will start at 8.50am prior to the main field of runners and the SHM Family Dash will commence at 9.30am.
Key race day timings:
- 07:30: Race village open
- 07:30: Baggage lorry open near the Brangwyn Hall
- 08:00: Road closures commence
- 08:30: Runners enter start funnels at Guildhall Road South
- 08:50: Baggage drop off closes
- 08:50: Wheelchair athlete race begins
- 09:00: Elite and mass race starts
- 09:30: SHM Family Dash starts at Swansea Castle
- 10:05: Winner of JCP Swansea Half Marathon expected
- 11:00: Winners presentation
- 15:00: Event closes
The race day guide features all the need to know information about the event, including safety notes, how to get into the city, road closures, and route map. Anyone wishing to know more can download their copy via the website: http://www.swanseahalfmarathon.co.uk
The JCP Swansea Half Marathon is a fully closed road event, and as a result there will be road closures for the duration of the event so residents and visitors are advised to plan their trip well in advance. For further details on road closures across the city please check the website www.swanseahalfmarathon.co.uk
Title record holders of the JCP Swansea Half Marathon include: European Champion & Swansea Harrier; Dewi Griffiths with a record time of 64:48, and Run Fast Hannah Walker who coasted her way to victory in 2016 in a time of 74:32. Organisers expect to see a strong field of elites at this years race, with competitors coming from Ireland, Wales, England, Scotland and New Zealand. The rivalry and competition is expected to fierce, with the hope from each competitor to gain recognition and the much sought after qualifying times.
The team behind the JCP Swansea Half Marathon continues to work with their founding sponsor JCP Solicitors and long-term partners that include; Matthews & Co, HMT Sancta Maria, Race Nation (the integrated event registration platform), and Home From Home (the self-catering accommodation agency). The event delivery and hydration partner remains to be the Welsh favourite Brecon Carreg, who will help runners maintain their hydration levels at stations along the route.
For further event details or to follow your loved one on the live results to see how they are doing out on the course you can via Race Tracking online here: www.swanseahalfmarathon.co.uk To stay ahead of all the news as it happens like the Facebook page: www.facebook.com/SwanseaHalf or follow @Swansea_HM #RunSwansea #FromTheCityToTheSea on Twitter.
