Newport Marathon: course, entries and how to get in
A guide to the ABP Newport Marathon Festival - the flat April marathon along the Usk, when it runs, what entry costs and how to get in before it sells out.
- Next event
- 18 April 202709:00 start
- Location
- NewportUsk Way, by the University of South Wales
- Distance
- Marathon121 m of climbingAlso Half marathon, 10K
- Entries
- Open£57 - £59Closes 21 March 2027
The ABP Newport Marathon Festival is the spring marathon for south Wales: flat, fast, and close enough to Cardiff to drive to on the morning. The next one is Sunday 18 April 2027, with the marathon and the half marathon going off together at 09:00 from Usk Way.
A festival, not a single race
Three distances share the morning — marathon, half marathon and 10K — which matters when you are deciding what to enter and when. The early bird price had already gone in the marathon at the time of checking, while the half and the 10K still had theirs, so the distances do not sell at the same rate.
The 10K is also the April race in the Run4Wales 10k series, so if you are working through the series this is where the year starts, before Barry in May and Porthcawl at the turn of the summer.
Getting in
Entry is direct through Let's Do This, with a booking fee added on top of the headline price. General entry is £59, or £57 with club affiliation. There is also a £10 place if you commit to raising £500 for Mind in Gwent, which is a real commitment rather than a discount — worth taking on with your eyes open.
Entries close at midnight on 21 March 2027, or earlier if it sells out. That second condition is the one that catches people out.
Where it starts
The event village and start line sit on Usk Way, by the University of South Wales campus, which puts the whole thing within walking distance of Newport city centre and the station.
I have not raced the marathon here myself, so there is no course write-up on this page yet. When I do, the report will appear at the foot of it.
The course
Renowned for being quick: extremely flat, with limited turns. A lap of the athletics track around three miles in adds a bit of fun, and the middle section through the Wetlands is genuinely pretty. For most of the way there are runners coming the other way, which does a lot for the atmosphere on a long day.
- About 121 m of climbing across the full marathon - flat by any standard.
- Limited turns, so very little of the course breaks your rhythm.
- A lap of the athletics track at around three miles.
- The middle section runs through the Wetlands, the prettiest part of the course.
- Runners on both sides for most of the way, which keeps the atmosphere up.
- Ascent
- 121 m
Common questions
When is the Newport Marathon 2027?
Sunday 18 April 2027, starting at 09:00 from Usk Way in Newport, with the event village and start line by the University of South Wales campus. The marathon and the half marathon start together.
How much does the Newport Marathon cost to enter?
£59 for general entry and £57 if you are affiliated to a club, with a booking fee added on top by Let's Do This. There is also a £10 charity place if you commit to raising £500 for Mind in Gwent. The launch offer and the early bird price have both sold out for 2027.
When do entries close for the Newport Marathon?
Midnight on 21 March 2027, or whenever the race sells out - whichever comes first. Leaving it to the closing date is a gamble on a race that has filled early before.
What other distances does the Newport Marathon Festival have?
A half marathon and a 10K run on the same morning. The 10K is the April race in the Run4Wales 10k series, which continues with Barry in May, Porthcawl in June or July and Cardiff in September.
OrganiserRun4WalesOfficial website
Details last checked against the organiser on . Dates, prices and entry windows change - confirm before you book travel.
Sources
- ABP Newport Marathon Festival - 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.