If you’ve ever seen a Run 4 Wales event, there’s no doubt you’ll have noticed the smiling faces and electric atmosphere around the courses. It’s a fantastic experience to be a part of, but what many don’t realise, is that you don’t need to run to participate.
The Run 4 Wales event calendar is now live for 2024, which means there are so many volunteering opportunities to get involved with.
Excitement is already building among the R4W race volunteer team, aka the Extra Milers, and there is still space for people to join in and be part of the buzz.
Tor Hands, Run 4 Wales Volunteer Coordinator, said: “Our team of Extra Milers are invaluable and help make our events what they are. As well as helping to create buzz and excitement for the runners on the day, we find our volunteers get so much from the experience too, which is why they come back to take part time and again. Some of our Extra Milers have been part of the R4W family for over ten years! Not only do they love the feeling of giving something back to their community, but it’s a chance to make new friends, have a new experience and help improve mental wellbeing.”
The 2024 event calendar
2024 kicks off with the ABP Newport Wales Marathon, Half and 10K. The event on Sunday 28th April has a brand-new route as well as an exciting addition of a half marathon option. Over 250 volunteers will be invited to provide support at the start-finish line, the route water points as well as in the bag drop tent or as course marshals.
On Sunday 19th May the Brecon Carreg Cardiff Bay 10K returns to Roald Dahl Plass offering runners a stunning route around iconic Cardiff landmarks including the Barrage, the Norwegian Church and the Senedd. Here, 150 volunteers are needed to support event day, in the usual event volunteer roles at the runners bag drop, the midway water station, helping at the start-finish line and as course marshals along the route.
Later in the year Extra Milers can look forward to a seaside adventure at the Ogi Porthcawl 10K on Sunday 7th July and the second edition of the R4W CDF 10K in Cardiff on Sunday 1st September.
The event season then comes to a close with the Principality Cardiff Half Marathon weekend. Attracting around 27,000 runners there are two opportunities to volunteer at the Half. On Saturday 5th October the Cardiff Half Junior races take place, starting and finishing at City Hall, followed by the main event on Sunday 6th October. Up to 800 enthusiastic Extra Milers will be needed to support runners across the weekend.
As always, race volunteers receive a t-shirt and bag as part of their volunteering kit, along with snacks and a lunch pack. Tempo Time Credits are also issued every time you volunteer with R4W (find out more about this national volunteer reward scheme here) and a 10% discount in the Run 4 Wales online merchandise store. As part of the Extra Milers community, volunteers also get access to fun competitions and giveaways, including free R4W race entries, shopping gift vouchers, race merchandise bundles and delicious Welsh food hampers!
Groups are welcome to volunteer too. Over 25 groups took part in 2023, including the Cardiff Police Young Volunteers, She Runs: Cardiff, Newport Social Cycling, Caldicot Runners, Girlguiding Cymru, Bridgend District Explorer Scouts and Cardiff University Athletics Club, among many others.
All the events are listed on the R4W volunteer portal but if you’re not registered as a race volunteer yet, don’t worry. It only takes a few minutes to create a profile to allow you to see all the events and volunteer opportunities available. You can also email volunteers@run4wales.org for more information.
