The Chartered Institute of Fundraising (CIOF) Cymru has expressed concern over a 25% increase to the cost of charity places for next year’s Cardiff Half Marathon.
Organisers Run 4 Wales recently decided to increase the cost of charity places by £25 to £125 for the 2026 running event in the Welsh capital, according to CIOF Cymru, while more than doubling entry prices for members of the public.
The membership body warned that the decision would reduce the amount local charities will be able to raise through the event and could exclude some smaller organisations from taking part.
Run 4 Wales, a social enterprise which is part of the London Marathon Group, said it needed to “balance the fundraising it does through making a profit with fair pricing”.
Supporters could be asked to raise more
Owen Thomas, chair of CIOF Cymru, said: “Many members have already been in touch to express their concerns.
“This substantial price increase will mean some participating charities will have no choice but to pass these additional costs on to their supporters, asking them to pledge to raise more funds in a challenging fundraising environment.
“While we recognise the importance of sustainable event management and the value that mass participation events like this can bring to the charity sector, this 25% price increase also risks excluding many smaller charities in Wales from taking part altogether.”
Thomas suggested that Run 4 Wales should consider a tiered pricing structure or subsidised places for smaller charities operating in Wales instead of the current plans.
“CIOF Cymru stands ready to support dialogue and collaboration to ensure that any event pertaining to benefit the charitable community – and using this as a selling point – does so by being inclusive to all charities based in Wales,” he added.
Events cost risen ‘exponentially’
A spokesperson for Run 4 Wales said the cost of delivering mass participation events had increased “exponentially” in recent years and that it had introduced “fair and comparable” increases in general entry and charity places in response.
“That being said, the cost of its charity spaces remains competitively priced compared to other events in the market of a similar size and scale – and Run 4 Wales have always offered a set number of spaces to smaller charities at a lower rate,” they added.
“Charity fundraising and inclusivity in our events is extremely important to Run 4 Wales and we're continuing our dialogue with the Chartered Institute of Fundraising around the process and rationale of our pricing structure.
“We’re proud of the nurtured relationships we have in the charity market and the support we offer along the fundraising journey – having worked collaboratively to enable the average Cardiff Half Marathon fundraising opportunity to exceed an anticipated £450 in 2025.”
Run 4 Wales has allocated over £1m in funding to community projects since being founded in 2015, the spokesperson added.
The 2025 edition of the event is due to take place on 5 October, which more than 29,000 people signed up to take part last year.
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