Cardiff Half Marathon recognised by Athletics for a Better World
The Cardiff Half Marathon has achieved Athletics for a Better World Recognised Standard for its sustainability and social agendas.
The award means the event has shown a clear commitment to the principles of sustainable event delivery.
The Athletics for a Better World (ABW) Standard was developed by World Athletics to embed principles of sustainability into the delivery of all the events it owns, controls, licenses or influences, such as the Cardiff Half Marathon which it awarded Elite Road Race Label.
The ABW Standard is a system that evaluates, measures and scores an event’s achievement in sustainable delivery and consists of action areas including procurement, waste management, energy, food and water management, travel and accommodation planning.
Diversity, accessibility and inclusion of staff and volunteers is also addressed. So is ensuring the health, safety and wellbeing of all participants and stakeholders.
Another key aspect is how runners are engaged in sustainability initiatives and how efforts and ambitions are communicated.
In recent years the Cardiff Half Marathon has worked hard on its sustainability and social agendas to reduce the impact it has on the environment and ensure the event is as inclusive as possible.
Gareth Ludkin, Head of Sustainability at Run 4 Wales, said: “We’re really delighted to have achieved Athletics for a Better World Recognised status.
“Run 4 Wales is committed to a net zero emissions reduction target by 2030 with the aim of being a climate positive events company by 2040. We’ve been working hard on actions across our events, especially the Cardiff Half Marathon which is our largest in our portfolio, and we’ve now also identified some key areas to work towards in the future.
“Some of the initiatives we’ve been working on include removing damaging materials from our supply chain, implementing a circular economy approach and responsible procurement toolkit to minimise resource use – such as the removal of goody bags, recycled zinc medals, cupped water stations and reduction in use of PVC and plastics. We’ve also moved away from diesel generated energy in favour of lower carbon mains power and hydrotreated vegetable oil as our primary source of energy and encourage sustainable travel to and from our events, including working with partners to increase public transport options on race day.
“A big area where we encourage participants to get involved in is offering runners the choice to turn down a finishers t-shirt to remove unnecessary t-shirt waste. The value of the t-shirt is then donated to our Climate Action Fund – a pot of money which is used to support local climate action groups and environmental initiatives across Wales and beyond.
“We’re now planning to build on what we’ve already achieved through our Green Action Plan and continue working with World Athletics on its Athletics for a Better World Standard to ensure the Cardiff Half Marathon, and our other events, make a lasting positive impact.”
As well as its focus on environmental sustainability, the Cardiff Half Marathon focuses on delivering a positive social agenda. The event provides a platform to champion mental health, women’s running, community regeneration, diversity, volunteering and charity fundraising with surpluses invested into grassroots sport and community projects through the Run 4 Wales Charitable Foundation. So far the Foundation has allocated £1 million to such schemes and initiatives including funding to the Welsh Schools Athletics Association to support competition opportunities for school-age athletes, Run Wales, the social running programme, the Daily Mile – a scheme which looks to encourage schools to get their pupils outside to run, jog or walk a mile in the fresh air each day and Starting Blocs – a program aimed at introducing children into athletics. It also supports many diverse social running groups too.
Each year the Cardiff Half invites members of the community to be part of its 100 Club, a scheme whereby 100 free spaces are donated into the race to first-time runners and those from demographics that traditionally face more barriers to participation, as a means to improve their health and wellbeing.
The last two years has also seen the event work with Principality Building Society and Pride Cymru on the Rainbow Roundabout – a course entertainment zone designed to celebrate the diversity of participants and provide a safe and inclusive area for LGBTQ+ spectators. 2024 saw the event’s first quiet zone introduced for those that needed a moment of calm during the event.
The Run 4 Wales team are continuing to build on these initiatives and look for ways to improve further and welcomes businesses to get in touch to help work with them on their sustainability goals.
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