Athletes from all over the world have given the ABP Newport Marathon a vote of confidence by flooding in their entries.

More than 600 had signed-up for the new race on Sunday, 29 April, 2018, within the first 10 minutes of entries opening at 12 noon on Thursday, 5 October. By 3.00pm the number had grown to 2000 and by the close of play race organisers, Run4Wales, were predicting more than 2,500 entries.

“It has been a remarkable start and it shows there is obviously a huge appetite for a world-class marathon race here in Wales. We are delighted at the enthusiasm shown by runners of all shapes, sizes, ages and standards,” said Run4Wales CEO Matt Newman.

“Our ‘Early Bird’ offer is always attractive for whatever event we are promoting, but the reaction to the ABP Newport Marathon really has caught us by surprise. We knew there was a space in the calendar for a major marathon, but weren’t sure how many would sign-on.

“Now we can move forward confident in the knowledge that Newport is an attractive venue with its flat, fast, picturesque and largely rural course.”

First to sign-on was Caerleon running club member Richard Perry, who lives in Pontypool. The 33-year-old was joined by runners from all over the UK, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Greece.

The youngest entry was 18, with the oldest to date a 77-year-old male. So far, 62% of the entries have come from male athletes with Michael Abell, with a predicted time of 2 hrs, 50 mins, the fastest in the field.

Entries opened on Thursday, 5 October, with an early bird entry offer available for the first runners to sign up. The race is now on to secure one of the final 500 early bird entries. You can sign up at www.newportwalesmarathon.co.uk.