Make your mark this Cardiff Half
It’s just six months to go until runners will be at the start line of the 2025 Cardiff Half Marathon.
That means that for runners who have signed up to run for charity, it’s time to start fundraising.
The money raised by runners at the Cardiff Half Marathon helps fund essential research, critical services and builds awareness that makes a significant difference to a whole host of good causes.
That’s why it’s vital that those who have opted to take a charity space are able to meet their fundraising obligations.
For those whose circumstances have changed or can no longer take part due to injury or illness, it’s really important they contact their charity to let them know, as they’re able to return their space to their charity to allow it to be allocated to another fundraiser.
Annabelle Mason, Senior Partnerships Manager at Run 4 Wales, said: “Charity fundraising is a huge part of the Cardiff Half Marathon and charities rely heavily on donations as this often makes up the majority of their funding.
“That’s why it’s so important that runners let them know if anything changes. There’s no need to feel any shame as charities understand that sometimes life gets in the way. However, by getting in touch with them, it will ensure they have the opportunity to make use of this space by offering it to another potential fundraiser.
“Likewise, if you have taken a space without intending to fundraise (because general entries have sold out) or you can no longer fundraise for any reason – passing your space back really will make a difference.”
In these instances, runners need to contact their charity directly, using the contact details in the emails received from them, allowing plenty of time before race day.
Runners who haven’t registered to run for a charity can still do their bit to make their mark too by choosing to be an ‘own place’ runner, using it to raise money for their chosen cause.
Those who wish to do so can set up their own fundraising page via Enthuse to secure donations.
While it might seem daunting at first, fundraising doesn’t need to be difficult. Enthuse have shared five quick and easy tips to help people raise as much as possible.
- Picture perfect: It’s simple but the best place to start is with a picture of yourself to reassure friends and family they’re donating to the right person. Fundraisers with a profile picture raise 182% more on average.
- Tell your story: When someone lands on your profile page, they may well know you but they might not know much about your chosen charity or what it means to you. That’s why writing your personal story is an important next step. It doesn’t have to be long – you could start with a little bit about the cause and why you picked them, and if you’ve got a personal connection, add that in as well. Then people will understand why they’re so important to you. What’s more, the profiles that have a story raise 238% more on average.
- Self-donate: This one might not be as obvious but it’s certainly worthwhile. Donating to your own fundraising page is a great way to get up and running. It will help bump up the totaliser and it shows everyone how committed you are to your cause. Self-donating can also help set the tone in terms of the amount others give. Fundraisers who self-donate raise around 20% more.
- Share your progress: Whether it’s posting a run from Strava or sharing your latest news, adding progress updates to your fundraising page is a great way to keep people in the loop. Fundraisers who post an update raise 75% more on average.
- Show your gratitude: Did you know that you can reply to donors on your official Run 4 Wales fundraising page to say ‘thank you’? Every time a donation comes in you’ll be notified by email. All you’ll have to do is log in to your fundraising page, hit reply to the donor and you can tell them what their donation means to you. In fact, fundraisers who say ‘thank you’ have 43% more donors on average.
Money raised really does make a difference.
In the 2024 Cardiff Half, #TeamNSPCC collectively raised over £200,000, which could help to keep Childline open for 5 days. Childline is a life-changing NSPCC service. It gives children and young people a voice when they feel no one else is listening.
For every £30 raised the Alzheimer’s Society can support Companion Calls, a vital service to reduce isolation.
For Mind, each £250 that runners pledge to raise for the charity when signing up to run for them, could help its Infoline advisors pick up the phone to 25 people with nowhere else to turn.
And those hitting the minimum fundraising target for Cancer Research Wales could help pay for seven ThinkCancer! Workshops, providing important training to GP practices covering tens of thousands of people in Wales.
