CARDIFF Half Marathon has been postponed for a third time, and is now expected to take place next year.

Run 4 Wales (R4W), the company that promotes Wales’ leading mass-participation sporting events, today announced that the Cardiff University Cardiff Half Marathon has been postponed to a new date in 2022.

The Cardiff Half Marathon was due to be run in the Welsh capital on October 3 and has now been re-scheduled for March 27, 2022.

This is the third time the event has had to be postponed due to the pandemic, the last race being in October, 2019, when the Kenyan Leonard Langat emerged victorious from a field of more than 25,000 runners to win in a course record 59 min, 30 sec.

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Matt Newman, R4W chief executive explained the thinking behind the postponement: “Run 4 Wales has been working closely with the Welsh Government and Cardiff City Council to understand the potential timeline for the safe return of events in Wales, including the Cardiff University / Cardiff Half Marathon (CHM).

“Whilst the vaccine rollout in the UK continues to provide cause for optimism, the situation in Wales remains uncertain.

“At present there are also no plans to relax the two-metre social distancing rules, which provides significant operational challenges.

“An event of this scale requires a significant planning phase and we have now entered the critical period. The Welsh Government’s 21-day review cycle means that R4W cannot predict the prevailing restrictions which will be in force this autumn, so a decision needs to be made now.

“Due to this uncertainty and in agreement with Cardiff City Council, circumstances dictate that we must now postpone the 2021 CHM to the spring of 2022."

As well as raising the profile of the Welsh capital, Mr Newman said that the event also "drives more than £5 million of economic value to the region and highlights the benefits of running to improve physical and mental health".

The October 3 date will be marked with a Virtual Cardiff Half - a free event giving everyone a chance to walk, jog or run the 13.1 mile distance ahead of the return of the live event in March 2022.

All runners who had a space in the event have been contacted with more details and entry options.