Marathon
Sun 13 Apr 2025 Newport, Gwent, UK

ABP Newport Wales Marathon

One of the flattest marathon courses in the UK with over 70% of all finishers claiming a PB! The route features the city's Transporter Bridge, coastal wildlife and picturesque medieval villages.

  • Sun 13 Apr 2025
University of South Wales, Newport

Marathon

09:00

Age 18 & over

£39-£52

  • 26.2 miles road running

Event overview

Enjoy an unbeatable Welsh sporting welcome!

This awesome event has been expanded into an exciting festival of running with the addition of a brand new half marathon and a wide range of races on offer.

Transporter Bridge

The popular marathon is a firm favourite in the Welsh running calendar, boasting one of the flattest marathon courses in Europe. Over 70% of all finishers have claimed a PB on a route that offers iconic landmarks, like the city’s Transporter Bridge and the stunning scenery of the Gwent Levels – with its coastal wildlife and picturesque medieval villages.

For those keen to improve their time over 26.2 miles, the course has been named in a list of ‘10 of the fastest marathons in the world’ by Runners World.

The fast and fun supporting half marathon and 10K races give runners of all abilities the opportunity to experience the marathon atmosphere, without committing to the 26.2-mile distance.

Highlights

  • Exciting festival of running
  • Flat courses with PB potential
  • Historic and multi-cultural destination
  • Artisan breweries and rich musical heritage
  • Variety of distances plus junior events
  • From the organisers of the prestigious Cardiff Half Marathon

This event is part of ABP Newport Marathon Festival.

  • All fitness levels
  • Event village
  • Families
  • Fancy dress
  • Spectators
  • Teams
  • Traders at event
  • Wheelchair users

Team Challenge

Are you a group of 5 or more people looking to enter the Newport Wales Marathon, Half or 10K?

The team challenge is open to corporate, community or international teams who can compete to win prizes whilst taking advantage of discounted entry and other additional event experience benefits.

It’s the perfect team-building exercise, charity fundraising or CSR activity suitable for groups big or small.

  • Corporate; gather your office together and compete to be the fastest firm!
  • HR managers; invest in workforce wellbeing for a happier and healthier team.
  • Community groups; get involved with your school, faith group, social or sports team.
  • Overseas; hassle-free group registration and compete with other international runners.
     

Groups of 5 or more can enter, and compete to be the fastest team in the race. Every member of the team completes the entire race distance, with the fastest 5 times from each team registering. The fastest average team time wins!

Included - Team Challenge

  • Your race space and Team Challenge entry
  • Bypass the online registration booking fee charged on individual entries
  • Access to Partner Dashboard to manage your team
  • Trophy awarded to the fastest team
  • Finisher’s t-shirt and medal for every runner
team

Event village

The Event Village will be host to a whole range of family-friendly entertainment including all our sponsors – as well as exhibitors, food and drink, live music and street entertainers.

Sponsors

A number of event partners and sponsors will be in attendance on race day – offering interactive entertainment, giveaways and more.

Exhibitors

Find official merchandise, activities and games for the kids and more.

Catering

Perfect for runners and spectators, fill up on refreshments, tasty street food or toast your success after the race!

  • Bag storage
  • Cafe
  • Music
  • Rural
  • Toilets
  • Urban

Event HQ

University of South Wales
Usk Way
Newport
Gwent
NP20 2BP
UK

Newport is definitely a city on the rise, steeped in history with a multi-cultural vibe – complete with artisan breweries and a rich musical heritage. Races start and finish on the vibrant riverfront in the heart of the regenerated city-centre, where runners can expect electric atmosphere and a high-level of event organisation alongside a warm Welsh welcome.

Spectators

On race day, the streets of Newport will be awash with thousands of runners taking part. Here are the hotspots for friends and family to support runners:

Newport City Centre

The Event Village area on Usk Way is the best place to catch a glimpse of loved ones at the beginning and end of their races. The start and finish lines are situated by the University of South Wales and Friars Walk Shopping Centre.

Blaina Wharf

The pub and beer garden will be open as usual, offering a great vantage point. You can spot marathon runners at mile 1 and 25, and see 10K runners pass between kilometre 1-2 and kilometre 8-9.

Magor Town Square

The town of Magor will be a highlight for marathon runners, with roaring crowds and encouragement from Lead Charity NSPCC! The Golden Lion pub and other local businesses are really getting behind the event, so that will be a great place to spectate and get involved in the race day atmosphere. Despite road closures, Magor remains accessible via the M4.

Transporter Bridge

It is one of fewer than 10 transporter bridges that remain in use worldwide and offers a unique experience for spectators.

The Rose Inn – Redwick

The popular pub in Redwick will remain open for the day, and offer spectators who live locally a base for getting involved with the event and supporting passing runners. Due to road closures, the area will only be accessible by foot.

  • Cut off time
  • Distance markers
  • First aid
  • Flat
  • Food stations
  • Marshals
  • No headphones
  • Out and back
  • Toilets
  • Water stations
  • Wave start

News

A refreshed course has been announced for this year – taking in similar highlights as in previous years but with adjustments to improve atmosphere and event experience, whilst providing additional opportunities for spectators and the local community to engage with Wales’ largest marathon. 

Overview

It boasts one of the flattest marathon courses around – ideal for first timers or those looking for a fast time. This has translated into a lot of good performances, with 70% of finishers in the race’s history claiming a PB. 

Description

The route for the ABP Newport Wales Marathon was devised by double Olympic marathon runner Steve Brace. It offers iconic landmarks, including the city’s Transporter Bridge, historic city centre, modern riverfront and International Sports Village as well as the stunning natural scenery and coastal wildlife of the nearby Gwent Levels. 

The races will continue to start and finish on Newport’s vibrant riverfront, but runners will now kick-start their marathon journey with a new city centre loop, taking in the historic Commercial Street – including many listed buildings dating from the Victorian period.

The new city-centre loop, start and finish lines on Usk Way will be buzzing with spectators, providing a welcome boost to runners at the beginning and end of the race.

route

Upon leaving the city centre, the marathon course will also now include a loop of Newport’s International Sports Village, which is home to the Geraint Thomas National Velodrome, Newport Stadium and Dragon Park – and even feature a part-lap of the athletics track.

The marathon course will still enjoy the stunning natural scenery and pancake flat roads of the Gwent Levels, but will no longer stretch as far east as Monmouthshire, instead turning around in the medieval village of Redwick after a loop of the International Sports Village and Newport Wetlands and Goldcliff areas.

The latter stages of the marathon will feature an additional lap of the picturesque Wetlands area around Goldcliff. The change replaces the quieter and more rural sections of the original course, creating a busier and more vibrant section of the race that sees runners enjoy a carnival atmosphere as they pass a new course entertainment zone twice. 

Runners will still enjoy views of the city’s historic Transporter Bridge in the final stretch of their 26.2 mile journey, ahead of a sprint finish down Usk Way – but without the out-and-back section of the course on Stephenson Street which featured on the original route.

Map

map

Official course

The ABP Newport Wales Marathon has been measured by a AUKCM Grade 1/IAAF/AIMS Grade B Course Measurer and your finish time result will count towards any good for age or qualifying time criteria.

Cut off time

6hrs

Participants must complete the 26.2 mile course in under 6 hours.

Pacers

There will be 3:00 (6:52-minute miles), 3:15 (7:26-minute miles), 3:30 (8-minute miles), 3:45 (8:35-minute miles), 4:00 (9:09-minute miles), 4:15 (9:43-minute miles) and 4:30 hour (10:18-minute miles) pacers. 

  • Public transport links
  • Trees not tees

With a socially responsible business model at the core, this event delivers ambitiously green, sustainable and low impact events.

Overview

  • Reduce plastic use including plastic-free goody bags
  • Minimise waste
  • Avoid unsustainable materials including medals made from recycled materials
  • Achieve 90% recycling rate
  • Carbon off-setting initiative
  • Educational and behavioural change in the office and at the events themselves
  • Encourage sustainable travel
  • Reduce litter in the local environment

  • Chip timing
  • Event app
  • Massage
  • Medal
  • Technical t-shirt
  • Training plan

Included

  • A posted race pack
  • Race day guide
  • Running number
  • Timing chip
  • High standard of event organisation
  • Fully marshaled, closed road route
  • High-quality finishers medal to commemorate your achievement
  • Optional technical finishers t-shirt or Climate Action Fund donation
  • Access to helpful training advice and support via the event website and e-newsletters
  • Access to event facilities, including toilets
  • Course entertainment.
  • Water and nutritional products available at energy stations along the route
  • Use of the Run 4 Wales app to live track your performance
  • A finish time SMS at the end of the race (if you have submitted your mobile number)
  • Access to Event Village with retailers, street food and live entertainment
  • Predicted finish time pacers in every start wave

  • Age 18 & over
  • Entries open
  • Charity places
  • Enter online
  • Race pack by post

Entry fees

Early bird entry fee

£39.00

Early bird entry fee

£48.00

Entry fee (Unaffiliated)

£52.00

Entry fee (Affiliated)

£50.00

Absolutely loved this race. Managed to get myself a 10k PB, I will definitely be back next year for sure - one definitely not to be missed!! Lovely flat route, plenty of water stations, it’s nice to do a new course as you don’t know what to expect, and that’s all part of the fun. Natalie Williams

Flat and fast, definitely a PB course. Start pens are well organised. Good spread of runner abilities. The crowds at the finish line helps to drag you over the line. Gethin Williams

A nice event to start the running season and test your winter training. It was organised well and had a nice route around the city. There were plenty of spectators around the route which also included the marathon on the same day. The medal was unique and t-shirt does a good job for future training runs. Matthew Davies

Very flat course (some say too flat) but if you are after a PB early season this could be for you! Very friendly people involved in running the event and the stewards were very happy bunch. Stuart Kibble

I have done the first two now of this relatively new marathon, one racing it and now one pacing it. I have left both years feeling nothing but love for the event. It is run with the professionalism and attention to detail you expect from Welsh athletics.  Edward Cullen

My first marathon adventure. It was brill, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The course was great and flat, if you are a fast runner it would be perfect for a PB. The marshalls were amazing, they whooped and cheered us all. I am a back of the pack runner and I'm sure I had just as much support as the elite guys and the main pack of runners. The support through Magor is something I have never experienced before, I ran in not knowing what to expect, I managed to see my hubbie, I ran over to give him a quick kiss and there were roars from the supporters, it made me feel as though I was winning the race - thank you Magor - and that carried me for the rest of the race.  Joanne Lutwyche

Reviews thanks to RaceCheck

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