Newport Marathon Festival 2025: Everything you need to know
In between the cities of Cardiff and Bristol, along the M4, there’s Newport – a heavily regenerated Welsh city that has only had its own marathon since 2018. Then again, this race has already been named by us, alongside Berlin, Valencia and Manchester, as one of the fastest courses to run 26.2 miles. That’s thanks to a start and finish at the riverside as well as the Gwent Levels, which, as the name suggests, is an area of nearby coastal countryside that is particularly flat. In fact, there’s only a 73ft elevation gain over the entire marathon course.
The event, which takes place on Sunday 13 April 2025, has now expanded to include a 50m ‘Toddler Dash’, a one-mile Family Fun Run, a fast ‘Future Challengers’ mile for under-18 club athletes, a 10K, a half marathon and a full marathon. Last year’s marathon had just over 2,000 finishers, so it’s a manageable size to stretch out and go for that PB, which the organisers say is a common outcome here. Here’s all the key info about the big day.
What time does the Newport Marathon Festival start?
Both the marathon and the half marathon will start at 9am, with the 10K kicking off a little later at 9.45am. The short races are later in the day, with the mile for under-18 club runners starting at midday, the toddlers getting their moment in the spotlight at 12.15pm and the Family Fun Run mile setting off at 12.45pm . The start and finish lines are in the same place on the riverfront for all races, so spectators should see a steady flow of action there all day, with the fastest half marathon finishers beginning to come in a little over 20 minutes after the 10K runners have started.
Will there be a bag drop at the event?
Bags can be stored in the car park for the nearby Friars Walk Shopping Centre, in a facility that opens at 7.30am and closes at 3.30pm.
What are the marathon, half marathon and 10K courses?
Beginning by the river Usk and the University of South Wales (and not forgetting Lidl!), both marathon and half marathon runners will follow the same route for roughly the first six miles. First off is a city centre loop that will pass the High Street, Newport Castle and the indoor market. Unlike Olympic marathon runners, who get their moment of glory on the track at the finish, both these races include a lap of the track at Newport Stadium after just three miles. After that, it’s out toward the lovely, quieter wetlands area around Goldcliff, with marathon runners following a larger loop and making two circuits of one long section, which grants two opportunities to pass an ‘entertainment zone’. In the final stages, runners will enjoy views of Newport’s towering Transporter Bridge, before a fast finish back at the start in the city centre.
The 10K race passes all the same landmarks but stays in the city without the journey out into the neighbouring countryside. All the routes were designed by Welsh runner Steve Brace, who ran for Great Britain in the Olympic marathons of 1992 and 1996.
How many aid stations are there on the route?
The races are well served for water, High5 energy drinks and Boost isotonic sports drinks, with 10 aid stations along the marathon route, five along the half marathon route and two on along the 10K route, plus water at the finish line. The locations of the aid stations are as follows:
Marathon
Lap back through the start/finish (water)
Newport International Sports Village (water)
Broad Street Common (energy gel)
North Row Turn (water)
Goldcliff (energy drink)
Broad Street Common (water)
North Row Turn (water)
Goldcliff (energy drink)
Broad Street Common (water and energy gel)
Newport International Sports Village (water)
Finish line (water)
Half Marathon
Lap back through the start/finish (water)
Newport International Sports Village (water)
Broad Street Common (water and energy gel)
Goldcliff (energy drink)
Newport International Sports Village (water)
Finish line (water)
10K
Lap back through the start/finish (water)
Newport International Sports Village (water)
Finish line (water)
How do I get to the start line?
An official park a ride service is currently operating from the Office of National Statistics (NP10 8XG), just off Junction 28 of the M4. Buses run between 6am and 5pm and it costs £12 per vehicle. Official advice is for marathon and half runners to arrive at this car park by at least 7.30am on race day.
Newport train station is also a 15-minute walk from the start line, but check train times first as they will be limited on a Sunday morning.
Travelling by standard buses or cars into the city centre may be complicated by race road closures. A map with times of road closures is available here. However, every central car park apart from Emlyn Street, Riverfront and Friars Walk will be open.
How do I get my race number?
Race bibs will be sent out by post within a week of the event.
Can I wear headphones?
The official race stance is that you should ‘avoid using headphones while running’, but there is no indication that it would result in disqualification.
Is there a race cut-off time?
The marathon cut-off time is six hours, while for the half marathon it’s four-and-a-half hours and for the 10K it’s two hours. After that time, the roads reopen and a bus at the back will collect runners who are unable to meet these times.
Are there any toilets on the course?
Toilets are situated along the course near all of the water stations listed above.
Where are the best places for spectators to watch the Newport Marathon?
The city centre is the easiest place to be and ought to be the liveliest for spectators. The stretch along Usk Way near the start and finish line will also see plenty of action, as the runners pass the first loop twice. The Newport International Sports Village will have good vantage points at the running track, too.
The Run 4 Wales app allows you to live track runners on the day.
What if I can’t compete anymore?
If you can no longer take part, you have until the deadline of 4pm on Monday 10 March to go to your online booking page and ‘gift’ your place to another runner. You can only get a refund for your entry if you bought additional booking protection insurance when you signed up.
If you decide that you want to change from your original entry to a shorter distance, you can do so until 4pm on Thursday 20 February and receive a refund for the difference in the entry fee.
Can I run for charity?
Yes. The lead charity is Mind in Gwent, which is offering marathon and half marathon entries for £10 if you pledge to raise £500 for the marathon or £350 for the half marathon. Four other official charities – 2wish, Kids Cancer Charity, Cancer Research Wales and LATCH Welsh Children’s Cancer Charity – also have places available in exchange for fundraising pledges. Of course, if you already have a place and want to raise money for a different organisation that you feel strongly about, that’s also fine.
Can I still enter?
At the time of writing, the marathon and half marathon races only have charity places available. However, there are still non-charity spots available in the 10K and the shorter afternoon races. There are also ‘Business Challenge’ places available in the longer races, for corporate teams that can pay a higher entry fee.
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