Dear Runners,
We have been closely monitoring the situation surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak and the guidance issued by the Government, whilst making arrangements to ensure a safe race day experience should the ban on major public events be lifted ahead of Sunday 2 August.
It is now clear that although restrictions on movement and social distancing measures may be relaxed ahead of the event – it will not be possible to stage the event this summer.
Doing so as planned will risk the spread of the virus and place unnecessary additional strain on emergency services and the providers of medical support required to safely stage an event of this kind.
We know that many of you will have been training hard, or looking forward to attending a mass participation event after a period of lockdown, but your health and that of our spectators, volunteers, event staff and the wider public is our main priority at this time.
Registered runners now have a number of options with their 10K and Family Fun Run entries:
A free deferral to the re-scheduled event on Sunday 1 August 2021. Your entry will be transferred automatically so you do not need to re-register. We will keep you updated with details on the re-scheduled event as the date draws closer.
A free transfer to the 2021 Healthspan Porthcawl 10K, taking place on Sunday 4 July 2021, for those unable to attend the re-scheduled Barry event on 1 August 2021. The transfer function will open on 1 July and you’ll be emailed instructions.
The opportunity to transfer your space to another runner and receive a full refund. The usual £5.80 transfer fee will be waived. Please note that for insurance and medical purposes, all transfers must be conducted through the official online transfer service.
We understand and share your disappointment with this outcome but thank you for your understanding in these difficult and unprecedented circumstances. Answers to a number of Frequently Asked Questions can be seen below.
The Healthspan Porthcawl 10K scheduled to take place on Sunday 5 July 2020 has also been postponed. If you were registered for this event too you will receive a similar communication confirming this and the options available to you.
Our thoughts remain with those directly affected by COVID-19 and the family and friends of those who have sadly passed away.
With Best Wishes,
The Run 4 Wales Team
FAQs
How do I secure my entry in the re-scheduled event?
You do not need to do anything; your entry will be automatically transferred. We will keep you updated as the delayed event draws closer with all the important event day instructions and information.
How do I transfer my entry to the 2021 Healthspan Porthcawl 10K?
The transfer function will open on Wednesday 1 July. Runners will be emailed with instructions on how to transfer ahead of the transfer function becoming available.
How do I transfer my entry to another runner and receive a refund?
Transfers are conducted through our online entry system, ACTIVE. Here you may generate a transfer link that you can share with another runner. The new runner will register for the race, paying full price for their entry. Once the registration is complete you will receive a refund. Detailed instructions can be found here.
Can I have a refund on my race entry instead?
Sadly, we are not in a position to offer refunds, but we are offering a number of reasonable alternatives. The impact of Coronavirus is not covered by our event cancellation insurance, meaning Run 4 Wales is unable to offer participants refunds.
Our terms and conditions clearly state that refunds will not be available if an event is cancelled or modified because of a circumstance beyond the reasonable control of the organisers, and it is with regret that we will have to uphold this condition despite efforts to protect our runners by having an event cancellation insurance policy.
We appreciate that this may be frustrating, but this policy is outlined clearly and available to review within the terms and conditions as part of the registration process. Policies like this our common across the mass participation events industry to protect organisers who incur irrecoverable event delivery costs on top of the day to day running and staff costs whether an event goes ahead or not and ensures that in the long term that events like this will be able to continue to operate in future.
We are confident that the options we have made available will suit the vast majority of entrants and thank everyone for their understanding in these difficult circumstances.
N.B. Run 4 Wales is a not-for-profit social enterprise, and its surpluses support a number of grassroot athletics and community projects through the R4W Charitable Foundation. Both the Welsh Schools Athletics Association (which creates District, National and International Competition opportunities for school age athletes) and Run Wales (Welsh Athletics’ social running programme which has supported the establishment of over 100 social running groups and 48 parkrun events across Wales) have been beneficiaries of funding.
Will there be a virtual option to complete the race?
Unlike with the Brecon Carreg Cardiff Bay Run and ABP Newport Wales 10K, we are unable to offer as it is not possible for us to fulfil medal and t-shirt deliveries at this time with delays in the supply chain due to lockdown restrictions.
Will other Run 4 Wales events taking place later this year still go ahead?
The Cardiff University Cardiff Half Marathon is still set to go ahead as planned on Sunday 4 October 2020, and every effort is being made to ensure the safety of participants whilst we continue to monitor the situation. The ABP Newport Wales Marathon & 10K has been rescheduled for 25 October 2020 and the Brecon Carreg Cardiff Bay Run has been rescheduled for the 15 November 2020.
What happens to any additional purchases I made with my race entry?
If you have booked a car parking space, iTab medal insert or any race merchandise these will be transferred to the re-scheduled event you choose to defer to.