Organisers of one of the region's most popular half marathons have stunned the running community with an announcement that the 2023 outing will be its last. At least in the short term anyway… The Village Bakery Wrexham Half Marathon will take place on 12 February, but organisers have explained that due to circumstances outwith their control, it will be for the last time.

Commenting on Facebook, Run Cheshire explained: "Due to the volume of changes in the area, we have decided that the February 2023 staging of the Village Bakery Wrexham Half Marathon will be the final edition. We want 12 February to be a celebration of the last 30 years or so with as many previous winners attending as possible.

"Until the development of the area slows down and we can find a new permanent Race HQ and possibly a new route we can no longer stage the event. We will look again in 18 months or so to see if a return is viable."

Known for its popularity in both Wales and the north of England and with loyal support from the Village Bakery organisers have been staging this fast and flat half marathon for many years. A real draw for runners is that the race is a perfect training run for longer distances later in the spring.   

Organisers say: “A lot of runners use it to assess or reassess their target marathon times for Manchester or London. It is a really quick course. One statistic of interest is that is has a higher proportion of runners breaking 1.20 than any other half marathon in the country.”

While it is the perfect stepping stone to the marathon distance for many, it is also a highly popular race in its own right, evidenced in its reputation for being super-friendly and welcoming to less experienced runners. Not to mention the finish line goodies, kindly provided by local sponsor Village Bakery.

Starting on Bridge Road North and finishing at 'The Club House' Oak Road on Wrexham Industrial Estate, this classic race is popular with some of the fastest runners in the region as well as those tackling the distance for the first time. It is a well-marshalled course with plenty of support and drink stations.

Speaking about the race, previous entrant Ann said: "Amazing first half marathon experience. A large enough field not to feel lonely but not so big as to not have sufficient water, medals and most importantly crumpets! They went down a treat the next day. Course was amazing and flat as a pancake."

If you'd like to join in the farewell edition of this fantastic event you can find out more and enter here.

Image: Run Cheshire