Cardiff 10k: the flattest 10k in Wales, and how to enter it
A guide to the Cardiff 10k - around 9 m of climbing from the Civic Centre, making it the flattest 10k course in Wales, plus when it runs and what it costs.
- Next event
- Not yet announcedUsually early SeptemberLast run 6 September 2026
- Location
- CardiffCivic Centre, Cathays Park
- Distance
- 10 km9 m of climbing
- Entries
- Sold out
The Cardiff 10k closes out the Run4Wales 10k series in early September, and it is the one to pick if you want a fast time. You will see it branded the CDF 10K — Kidney Wales sponsor it, Run4Wales run it, and both names are on the start-line banner. The next running is Sunday 6 September 2026 at 10:00 from the Civic Centre — and it has already sold out.
The flat one
There is around 9 metres of climbing on the whole course. For comparison, the Porthcawl race in the same series has roughly 67 m, most of it in one drag through a town centre. That difference is the whole character of the race: nothing here takes time out of you, so what you run is what your legs were worth on the day.
If you are chasing a 10k PB in south Wales, this is the obvious target.
Easy to get to
Starting at the Civic Centre in Cathays Park puts you a few minutes' walk from the city centre and both main stations. That is genuinely unusual — most races around here assume a car and a car park that fills by half seven.
Entering the next one
The 2026 race is gone. It went at £34 for general entry and £32 with club affiliation.
The 10K series bundle launching in September 2026 is the sensible route in, with savings of up to £24 across the series races. Failing that, the lesson from this year is simply to enter early: the flattest, most accessible 10k in the series is also the one that sells out.
I have not written this one up from the start line yet. When I do, the report will appear at the foot of this page.
The course
Flat and quick, and a genuine PB course. It opens with the highlights of the city centre - the civic quarter, Cardiff Castle and the national stadium - before settling into a long straight out and back that lets you lock onto a pace and hold it.
- Around 9 m of climbing - for comparison, the Porthcawl race in the same series has about 67 m.
- Opens through the civic quarter, past Cardiff Castle and the national stadium.
- A long straight out and back once it clears the centre - easy to pace, nothing to break your rhythm.
- One water station, at halfway.
- Shape
- Out and back
- Ascent
- 9 m
Common questions
Is the Cardiff 10k a good PB course?
It is the best of the four Run4Wales 10ks for a fast time. There is around 9 m of climbing across the whole course, against about 67 m at Porthcawl, so nothing on it takes time out of you the way a hill does.
Can I still enter the Cardiff 10k for 2026?
No - the 2026 race has sold out. Entry was £34 for general entry and £32 for affiliated runners. A Run4Wales 10K series bundle launches in September 2026, which is the sensible route into the next one.
Where does the Cardiff 10k start?
The Civic Centre in Cathays Park, which puts the start within a few minutes' walk of Cardiff city centre and both main stations - one of the easiest races in Wales to reach without a car.
OrganiserRun4WalesPart of the Run4Wales 10k seriesOfficial website
Details last checked against the organiser on . Dates, prices and entry windows change - confirm before you book travel.
Sources
- Cardiff 10k - official site - Run4Wales
Race reports
What the day was actually like. A race page is the standing detail; a report is one running of it, on one day, with the weather and the mistakes left in.
I have not run this one yet - or have not written it up. The journal has the races I have.