Newport Marathon praised as 'outstanding' and 'terrific' in the Assembly

The second annual ABP Newport Wales Marathon saw thousands of runners take on the coarse from Newport to Magor and back and was hailed as a roaring success - with planning for next year's event already under way.

And, speaking in the Assembly this week, Newport East AM John Griffiths applauded the event as "an outstanding success".

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"There were some 6,000 runners in the marathon, the 10k and the family fun run, a carnival atmosphere in Newport, the women's marathon was won by a Newport woman, which was very pleasing for all the locals, and it really did encourage local people to think about running and getting more active," he said.

"It works with other regular events like the two park runs in Newport, which see several hundred people every Saturday morning getting more fit and active and enjoying a very healthy start to the weekend."

Addressing first minister Mark Drakeford, he added: "I'd be very pleased I you could recognise that success, first minister, and also its importance in terms of the profile of Wales and Newport, the spend it brings into Wales and Newport, with hotels fully booked, restaurants, cafes and shops very busy, and also, perhaps, to look at how Welsh Government can continue to work with Newport City Council and key partners to build on the success of the first two Newport marathons for future years."

Scenes from this year's APB Newport Wales Marathon

Mr Drakeford echoed Mr Griffiths' praise for the event, calling it "a terrific success, both in the number of people that it attracted to that mass participation event, but also in the way that it was televised to other parts of the United Kingdom and beyond".

He added the Welsh Government would continue to support the event next year.

"We want to help develop the event's ambition to become the national marathon for Wales and of course, John Griffiths is right that, beyond the event itself, such events adds to the profile of the area," he said.

The winners of the marathon were Chris Bird, who finished the race in 2hr 31min 34sec, and Carla Swithenbank, who crossed the line in 2hr 45min 48sec.

And Matt Clowes was first to cross the line in the 10k race, finishing in just 29min 43sec, while Charlotte Taylor-Green won the women's race, finishing in 34min 44sec.

Next year's event will be held on Sunday, April 19.