When we started planning for the 7th edition of the JCP Swansea Half Marathon, we did not foresee the world we currently find ourselves in. Sunday, 14th June 2020 should have been a day of celebration for thousands of runners running through the streets of Swansea on what would have been the original date for our event.
The JCP Swansea Half Marathon has become a summertime running celebration and the chance for like-minded people, who have put in hours and hours of training in to cross the finish line in the summer Swansea sunshine. It should also be a day for celebrating the fund-raising achievements of many of you and the tremendous charities that form part of the event; such as Maggie’s Swansea, Cancer Research UK, Diabetes UK Cymru and many, many, more.
We and all event partners were completely disheartened to have had to postpone the event for the first time in our 7 year history. However, the seriousness, spread and impact of the C-19 pandemic has required drastic actions globally, which we are all coming to terms with.
We are liaising with a significant number of bodies regarding the revised date and closely monitoring advice from the Welsh Government, Public Health Wales, City & County of Swansea and other relevant organisations to monitor the ongoing situation.
On a more positive note, we have seen a massive upturn in running and other similar outdoor exercises around Swansea, which is something we remain focused on and hope that our virtual events have enabled runners to keep setting and achieving their goals. We are contacted on a daily basis and told how Swansea Half is a target that people would have never considered less than 4 months ago. We hope to see all these ‘newer’ runners lining up and crossing our start and finish lines very soon.
It would be amazing to fill our social media with your photos and videos from previous years and share your experiences with us. Let us all share and spread the joy of the JCP Swansea Half Marathon and look forward to the return of our events in the future.
Yours in sport,
David Martin-Jewell
Race Director
