*Cardiff’s 26-mile charity marathon has been called off for the first time in five years. *
The more popular half distance marathon will still go ahead this October in the hope that more competitors will be encouraged to enter.
It is thought the run’s lack of appeal stems from its distance, which is believed to have lowered race numbers in recent years.
Cardiff student Simon Hills, who is preparing to run the London marathon this year, was disappointed that Wales’ capital would not hold the full marathon.
He said: “It’s a long way to be running which requires a lot of dedication and effort.
“By the time of the London marathon, I’ll have been training two or three times a week for five months. To find the race had been cancelled would be so gutting.”
But Jean Summerhayes, event organiser, claimed that “the decision wasn’t taken lightly.”
She said: “Just holding the half marathon will now allow us to concentrate on the event to make it the biggest and best the city has seen.”
Runners of all ages will now participate in the half-marathon, organised in conjunction with children’s charity Barnado’s Cymru, to raise money for a range of Welsh charities.
