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Newport marathon: Thousands of runners take part in new race

ABP Newport Marathon Thousands of runners took to the streets of Newport for the city's first full marathonABP Newport Marathon
Thousands of runners took to the streets of Newport for the city's first full marathon

Almost 6,000 runners pounded the pavements as Newport held its first full marathon on Sunday morning.

The 26.2 mile (42.2km) course through the city and surrounding villages is believed to be one of the flattest and fastest courses in the UK.

Several roads were closed from 07:00 BST until mid afternoon, with Usk Way closed until 18:00.

The Newport Now Business Improvement District said the event was expected to bring £1.1m to the city's economy.

A 10km race and a family fun run also took place.

The start of Sunday's race was delayed by 30 minutes due to issues affecting a park and ride service.

It followed an incident in the city centre which left four people injured.

ABP Newport Marathon James Carpenter, of the Neath Harriers, was the first man to cross the finish lineABP Newport Marathon
James Carpenter, of the Neath Harriers, was the first man to cross the finish line
ABP Newport Marathon Natasha Cockram, of the Mickey Morris Racing Team, was the first woman finisherABP Newport Marathon
Natasha Cockram, of the Mickey Morris Racing Team, was the first woman finisher

James Carpenter came in first for the men in a time of 02:33:32 with Natasha Cockram crossing the line in 02:44:58 as the first woman.

Places had been made available to schoolchildren from St Julian's Primary, Lliswerry Primary and Ysgol Gymraeg Casnewydd in a fun run event on the riverfront.

A group of 1st Battalion Welsh Guards also joined in the race, despite being based 5,000 miles away in Afghanistan.

Run 4 Wales Chief Executive Matt Newman admitted the marathon had "not been without teething problems" but had been an "overwhelming success".

"The runners on the day have voted with their feet and had some truly amazing experiences," he said.

"The initial feedback is that the courses were great and there were plenty of personal bests, so that is something we will look to build on.

"The event wasn't without its teething problems but that is because of the pure scale of the event in year one, but it's been phenomenal."

ABP Newport Wales Marathon Runners in NewportABP Newport Wales Marathon
The start of the marathon and 10K were delayed by 30 minutes due to issues with traffic

Newport council leader Debbie Wilcox said: "The support for the event has been incredible - from runners and their family and friends, Newport residents who lined the streets, to all the volunteers."

A half marathon planned in the city for earlier this year was cancelled twice due to snow and freezing conditions.