Images by Huw Fairclough | Run4Wales
Oysho has been announced as the new headline sponsor of the Cardiff Half Marathon, which returns to the Welsh capital on Sunday 5 October.
The international sport and leisure brand takes over the sponsorship from Principality Building Society, expanding its list of sports event sponsorships as it continues to focus on running initiatives in Europe.
The race, which is Wales’ largest mass participation event, is now one of Europe’s largest and best-known half marathons, attracting a field of more than 27,500 runners.
Since becoming part of the SuperHalfs Series alongside races in Lisbon, Prague, Berlin, Copenhagen and Valencia, demand to take part has been increasing with runners from all over the world coming to Cardiff as part of their SuperHalfs journey.
Matt Newman, Chief Executive at event organisers Run 4 Wales, said:
“Oysho has a huge international footprint and is becoming increasingly popular in the UK with the opening of its London stores and twice weekly run clubs.
“With its commitment to health, fitness and running, Oysho is a perfect fit for the Cardiff Half which is dedicated to inspiring people to get active and seeing more people than ever join in from overseas.
“We’re really excited to have crossed the starting line of this new partnership and to see what this new chapter for the Oysho Cardiff Half Marathon brings to both the race and the city.”
Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Barcelona, Oysho is part of the Inditex Group, home to the likes of Zara, Pull & Bear, Stradivarius, Massimo Dutti and Bershka. It has a global footprint across 220 markets including stores in France, Spain, Italy, Dubai and China, including a strong online platform. It also has a UK presence with stores in Westfield London and Westfield Stratford City.
This is the first time Oysho has sponsored an event in the UK and participants at this year’s Oysho Cardiff Half Marathon will get the chance to experience the brand’s high-quality technical kit, as the brand will be providing a specially designed race day t-shirt for every runner.
General entries for the race sold out within 12 hours of going on sale, but there is still opportunity to enter this year’s Oysho Cardiff Half Marathon via one of the official charities, tour operators or through a Business Challenge package.
