It is always nice to look back a few days on from a big event like the Cardiff Half Marathon. Euphoria has died down, and a bit of perspective is starting to return.
For the five members of the Mooneerams team who chose to run this year, there’s been plenty to feel pleased about.
Kate Fergusson, Andrew Last, Rhys Pugh, Carl Waring and Ffion Palmer all completed the 13.1-mile course along with more than 30,000 other runners on what turned into a warm and memorable day in the city.
They followed a route that starts outside the walls of Cardiff Castle, passes the Principality Stadium, down to the Penarth Marina, across the Cardiff Bay Barrage, past the Norwegian Church, onto the Sennedd, a loop around Roath Park Lake and then finally the steep hill that is Fairoak Road before flattening out in time to provide a flat victory charge of energy to the finish line.
Our fabulous five all got round safely, collected their medals and posted finishing times to be proud of too.
However, the day was made possible by our super Charity of the Year, Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital Charity.
Running for Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital Charity
We ran the Half Marathon to raise money for Mooneerams’ Charity of the Year, Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital Charity.
Noah’s Ark supports children receiving treatment at the Children’s Hospital for Wales, as well as their families. It is a cause that everyone at Mooneerams has taken to heart and been proud to support for over a year now.
That made the Cardiff Half feel a little different.
Everyone who lines up for a half marathon has their own personal goal. Some want to achieve a particular time. Others simply want to get round. Some are running their first half marathon, while others are old hands at it!
But when you are running for a charity, there is something else to think about too.
And on the tougher parts of the course, it certainly helps to remember the primary reason why we are all running.
A balmy late summer’s day in Cardiff
The Cardiff Half has a deserved reputation as one of the best half marathons around, and its inclusion in the European Superhalfs confirms that.
The day started on the chilly side, but the weather soon changed, and by later in the morning Cardiff was enjoying warm sunshine.
The support all the way round the route was amazing, as always, with crowds lining the streets several rows deep and giving the runners incredible encouragement.
For a race with more than 30,000 participants, the whole event somehow still manages to feel warm, friendly and welcoming.
Five starters, five finishers
The Mooneerams team consisted of Kate, Andrew, Rhys, Carl and Ffion.
All five finished, although getting everybody back together afterwards proved rather more difficult than finishing the race itself.
With so many runners, supporters, road closures, and traffic around Cardiff, Ffion couldn’t get back to the Events Village for the team photograph.
So Kate, Andrew, Carl and Rhys are pictured together before the race outside the Noah’s Ark tent, while Ffion is pictured afterwards in her finisher’s T-shirt and with a well-earned medal.
Thank you for the support
A huge thank you is due to everyone at Noah’s Ark who looked after us so well before and after the race.
The team at the charity tent made us feel very welcome, and it was good to see so many other runners taking part for the same cause.
We are also very grateful to all the friends and family members who came along to support us.
And, of course, thank you to everyone who has already sponsored us.
Team members have been fundraising individually, as well as through the wider Mooneerams fundraising campaign, and we appreciate every donation.
The fundraising does not stop here.
The Cardiff Half may be over now, but our fundraising for Noah’s Ark certainly is not.
The next major challenge is already looming on the horizon.
In March 2027, a team from Mooneerams will travel to Morocco to take part in a 50km trek across the Sahara Desert in aid of Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital Charity.
The running shoes can have a short rest, but the fundraising carries on.
So too does the training, but this will be of a different kind and something most, if not all, of us will be unused to. Which makes it all the more exciting
If you supported us for the Cardiff Half, thank you.
If you have not donated yet but would like to, there is still plenty of time to support the team and help us raise as much as possible for Noah’s Ark.
You can donate to the Mooneerams fundraising campaign here:
https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/mooneeramssaharatrek
And to everyone who ran, sponsored, supported, encouraged or helped in any way on the day, thank you.
It was a great event, a memorable day and, most importantly, another step on our fundraising journey for a very worthwhile cause.
Posted in News
