Storm Ciara: Llanelli Half Marathon postponed due to weather fears

Met Office The wind weather warningMet Office
The weather warning for wind is in place over the weekend

A half marathon has been postponed for a month due to "extremely challenging" weather forecasts, organisers said.

The Llanelli Half Marathon was due to take place on Sunday, but has been put back until 8 March.

A Met Office yellow weather warning for wind has been issued for all of Wales from 18:00 GMT on Saturday until midnight on Sunday.

The forecaster said there is a "slight chance" that power cuts may occur and that travel delays are expected.

BBC Wales meteorologist Derek Brockway said the weather was due to Storm Ciara.

He said the conditions would be worse on Sunday: "Wind gusts in Llanelli could be over 60mph (97km/h) on the coast."

"They made the right decision," he added.

David Martin-Jewell, managing director of organisers Front Runner Events, said the call "has not been taken lightly".

"Whilst it may appear that we have made the call early, the yellow weather warning issued for Carmarthenshire over this coming weekend has reinforced our decision," he said.

"With up to gale force nine winds expected, we need to prioritise the safety of all our runners, volunteers, contractors, crew and spectators.

"The decision to announce the postponement early has been made to allow anyone travelling to amend and update bookings for the new date," Mr Martin-Jewell went on.

"We know how difficult it is to plan to travel to these events, so this will hopefully help those rearrange and update their logistics."

According to the event website, it is the first time the half marathon has had to be postponed.

All participants who have entered the race will automatically be transferred to the new event date, it added, and those unable to commit to the new date will be able to transfer or defer their place.