Cardiff Half Marathon 2014: Look back at how the day unfolded live



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Good morning… and welcome to race day on our special Cardiff Half Marathon live blog. The forecast for the rest of the morning is pretty settled, with the weather likely to be cool and overcast for the majority of the race – perfect running conditions! We’ll be here throughout the day bringing you all the news, times, pictures and reaction as around 20,000 runners head round the streets of Cardiff for the country’s biggest running event.

INFO: If you’re looking for some last minute info about anything to do with the race, don’t worry – you’re in the right place. Whether it’s start times, race numbers, bag drop, toilet stops, feed stations, route maps, spectator info, safety guidelines, fancy dress rules, road closures, parking tips or where to eat after, you can find all the information you need in our super-helpful Cardiff Half Marathon 2014 QA.

SPECTATORS: If you’re planning to exercise your vocal chords rather than your legs today, and you’re looking for some advice on the best place to watch, click here to read our guide for spectators. Just don’t forget to yell!

Less than an hour to go until the race starts now. I bet those nerves are starting to kick in.

Here’s some interesting and quirky facts to distract you.

A record 21,124 runners are registered to track part in today’s marathon.

The oldest are Swansea’s Allan Smith, 81, and Dolgellau’s Shelia Symonds, also 81.

And the youngest runners are Porthmadog’s Brad Collins, 17, and Hemel Hempstead’s Phoebe Boyd, also 17.

We wish them, and everyone else participating today, very good luck.

It’s shaping up to be a beautiful day so far.

ROADS: There will be rolling road closures along the route between 8am until 1.30pm, however closure times are just for a guideline and are subject to change depending on when the road is safe to reopen. 

Castle Street and North Road will be closed from approximately 4 am for most of the day. Here’s the route map:

 

To get you in the mood have a look at our photos from yesterday’s family fun run.

More than 1,000 runners of all ages took part in a fun run around the capital’s Civic Centre as part of the half marathon weekend’s Festival of Running.



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There are lots of people running for some very worthy causes out there today.

Among them are a bunch of my Media Wales colleagues running in aid of the MS Trust.

Here is a link to the justgiving page if you’d like to donate to the charity: https://www.justgiving.com/CatPascoe

If you spot anyone running in a silly costume send us a picture @WalesOnline.

Here is the first of a number of inspirational photos I will be sharing with you throughout the morning.

You can see all of them all here.

 

15 minutes to go!

The Welsh National Anthem was just played to the runners!

It’s almost time to go. Ready everyone?

A great angle on the runners waiting at the start line right now…

One of our Media Wales runners has just told us it is starting to shower at the start line.

Apparently a few runners were prepared for the eventuality and are wearing bin bags. Great forward thinking guys!

And they’re off!

Lots of messages of support being sent out to runners this morning.

Have you got one you’d like to share? If someone you know is running the marathon why not send them a message of support and we’ll feature them on our big screen near the 8 mile mark.

To get your message on our big screen simply tweet us using the hashtag #runthediff.

Here’s a lovely photo of the runners passing Cardiff Castle.

Some more facts about today’s marathon.

600+ volunteers are helping out today and they will be supplying runners with 93,000 bottles of water along the course.

The last runners have now passed the start line.

It took nearly 20 minutes for all 21,000+ runners to get through and the crowd is starting to thin out now.

One of our reporters on the ground spotted bananas, a couple of mankinis, bird bird and a house among the runners.

It’s well underway now.

There are 50 runners in the field who have run under 72 minutes in the past and 41 runners have done it in under 70 minutes.

Last year’s winning time was 61 mins, 51 secs by Kenya’s Loitarakwai Lengurisi and was a record for the event. Will we see a new record today?

Here are some of the 600+ volunteers helping make today’s event run smoothly.

They deserve a very big thank you.

According to my official course map the fastest runners should be heading along Tyndall Street towards Roath now.

Very impressive. Organisers expect the fastest runners will make it over the finish line soon after 10am.

 

Our photographer has just started to send in some lovely photos of the runners heading through the start line.

2014 Lloyds Bank Cardiff Half Marathon

 

It’s great to see so many people braving the chill and the rain to support today’s runners.

This great shot was taken by University of South Wales photojournalism student Dusty Keeney.

Amazing views from up high!

Here’s the first video we have from the marathon.


 

Lots of runners making their way through the Bay right now.

More than 15,000 bananas will be given out to runners once they cross over the finish line.

That’s a lot of bananas!

Here’s some of the front runners.

Team Media Wales is down one runner due to injury. Oh no, we hope you are okay Sandra!

Looks like we will have a winner very shortly.

We’ve just put together this lovely gallery of the first photos from the race.



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And the winner is Kenyan Boniface Kongin! Congratulations.

Kongin finished with a time of 62 mins 2 secs.

Just 11 seconds short of the course record.

Last year’s winner Loitarakwai Lengurisi (also from Kenya) has come in second.

The UK’s top finisher is Ryan McLeod. He’s just crossed the finish line in 4th position.

And the first Welshie across the line was Cardiff AAC’s Ieuan Thomas. Congratulations.

Someone give Big Bird the directions back to Sesame Street.

 

Here’s Welshman Ieuan Thomas after he finished the race.

It was his first ever half marathon! Great work Ieuan.

Many of the runners are still coming through the Bay.

The last runners are expected across the finish line about 1pm, so there’s still plenty of excitement still to go.

Kenya’s Joan Chelimo won the women’s race with a time of 72.26.

More than £2.3 million is expected to be raised for charitable causes during today’s marathon.

Among those running for a cause are the Media Wales team running in aid of the MS Trust.

Here is a link to the justgiving page if you’d like to donate to the charity: https://www.justgiving.com/CatPascoe

Some really great costumes out on the track today.

Here’s a few of our favourites.

 

We’ve seen some lovely messages of support being sent in via our #RunTheDiff hashtag on Twitter.

Remember there’s still plenty of time to send your message in.

 

Two hours in!

It has been estimated today’s runners will take 844,960,000 steps during the course and cover 276,724 miles.

That is equal to running around the world 11 times!

Well this is just an amazing effort. Go Sylvia!

If you aren’t among the runners there is lots of entertainment to keep you amused.

20 live bands will be playing today, including 15 around the course.

This guy is trying something a little different.

Lots of people out and about cheering on the runners today.

Our official cheerleaders doing a wonderful job.

Well it wouldn’t be Wales if there wasn’t a sheep involved.

Here is Media Wales team member Ciaran Jones who made it over the finish line in 1:37:45.

Great work! Team Media Wales were running in aid of the MS Trust.

Here is a link to the justgiving page if you’d like to donate to the charity: https://www.justgiving.com/CatPascoe

We’ve put a gallery together of some of our favourite fancy dress costumes from the marathon.

Have a look!



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Here’s some nice photos of the top Welsh runners collecting their medals.

Men’s results

1st – Kongin Boniface (Kenya), 1:02:02            

2nd – Loitarakwai Lengurisi (Kenya), 1:03:06            

3rd – Ben Siwa (Uganda), 1:04:16            

4th – Ryan McLeod (Tipton Harriers), 1:04:57            

5th – Paul Martelleti (Victoria Park Tower Hamlets), 1:05:30            

6th – Yared Hagos (Wallsend/Ethiopia), 1:05:35            

7th – Ieuan Thomas (Cardiff AAC), 1:05:40            

8th – Phil Wicks (Belgrave Harriers), 1:06:14            

9th – Nick Torry (Serpentine), 1:06:19            

10th – Toby Spencer (Coventry Godiva), 1:06:21

Women’s results

1st – Joan Chelimo (Kenya), 1:12:26

2nd – Perendis Lekapana (Kenya), 1:12:26

3rd – Emma Stepto (Cornwall AC), 1:12:28

4th – Gladys Yator (Kenya), 1:12:38

5th – Rebecca Robinson (Kendal AAC), 1:12:38

6th – Jenny Jagger (Bristol West AAC), 1:14:10

7th – Emily Wicks (Aldershot Farnham District), 1:15:08

8th – Lucy Macalister (Bristol West AC), 1:15:37

9th – Emma Wookey (Lliswerry Runners), 1:15:57

10th – Ellie Davies (Brecon AC), 1:16:44

The last of the runners should be heading towards the finish line now. What an effort!

Here’s another video of runners streaming through the start line this morning.

It feels like ages ago.


 

Here’s Team Media Wales photographer Rob Browne with a message at the end of the run.

We get it Rob, it hurt! (Only teasing, congratulations!)

Team Media Wales ran in aid of the MS Trust.

Here is a link to the justgiving page if you’d like to donate to the charity: https://www.justgiving.com/CatPascoe

Not sure of your final time? You can check them all our here.

Oh dear. Well it takes all types I guess…

Our photographers were out on the streets snapping some of the most creative fancy dress outfits.

And wow, they didn’t disappoint. Have a look at some of the best ones below.



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Did you know the marathon will be replayed next weekend? So you can relive the experience again!

Our reporter Cathy Owen was on the sidelines of today’s marathon.

She spoke to participants and onlookers and put together this lovely colourful roundup of the day.

You can read it here.

As they made their way around the course today the runners got the chance to see just how beautiful Cardiff, and Penarth, are.

Starting outside Cardiff Castle, passing the Millennium Stadium, before travelling through Cardiff Bay, past the Millennium Centre and around Roath Park runners had a beautiful tour of the capital before finishing in front of architecturally excellent Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

We’ve put together 11 of the most beautiful photos of Cardiff taken during the marathon, check them out below.



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This is worth mentioning again. An event like today’s could not have gone ahead without the many, many volunteers.

Winners wrap up

Kenyan athlete Boniface Kongin won the Cardiff Half Marathon but was 11 seconds short of breaking the course record.

Kongin crossed the finish line outside the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in a time of 1:02:02, 11 seconds short of the record set in 2013 of 1:01:51.

Kenya’s Boniface Kongin crossing the finish line in first place

Joan Chelimo, from Kenya, was the first woman to cross the finish line with a time of 1:12:26.

Women’s winner Joan Chelimo (also from Kenya)

The first Welshman to finish was Ieuan Thomas in a time of 1:05:40, he came in seventh.

The first Welsh runner over the line Ieuan Thomas (he placed seventh)

 

Event roundup

More than 21,100 people laced up their trainers to pound the capital’s streets in what has been described as the most successful Cardiff Half Marathon to date.

Record numbers signed up for the 2014 Lloyds Bank Cardiff Half Marathon, which saw runners of all ages and abilities set off in their droves from outside Cardiff Castle and take in the sights of the Millennium and Cardiff City Stadiums, Cardiff Bay Barrage, the Senedd, Wales Millennium Centre, Roath Park and many more during the annual 13.1 mile race.



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And that’s all there is…

If you want to relive all the Cardiff Half Marathon action you can find all our coverage here.

The road’s are still really busy in the city so be careful as your make your way home.

We’ll leave you this afternoon with a selection of our favourite photos from the event.

This marathon running is easy

Kenya’s Boniface Kongin crossing the finish line in first place

Runners pass The Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff Bay

Some bananas decided to make a run for it

2014 Lloyds Bank Cardiff Half Marathon

 

 

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