Road Closures Information for the Wales Sportive & Wales Marathon
The Long Course weekend is set to attract 12,000 athletes, almost 6 times more than Ironman Wales, an event they introduced to Wales back in 2011. The event is now franchised in Belgium, Netherlands, Yorkshire and Mallorca with talk of 2 more events coming on line for 2026.
Matthew Evans, Activity Wales Events, says, “For 9 years we ran the sportive ( www.thewalessportive.com ) on open roads, but the demand for the event, television coverage and locals moving in their day-to-day business means we have now moved to dedicated roads for traffic and dedicated roads for the cyclists.”
Economically, the event brings in over 160,000 bed nights to the local economy and well over £9 million in revenue for local businesses. However, it’s the core values of the event; with free advertising for local businesses, 95% local delivery partners, youth business programme, free college consultancy, run with a loved one channels, medals for all children, that really has been the secret to the enormous growth and repeat business levels for the event.
The volunteer programme has raised thousands of pounds for local charities, organisations, sports groups and schools, with many sports teams making it their annual weekend, earning a playing kit as a thank you for their help.
