School team takes on Cardiff Half Marathon for life-changing research

Staff and students from the School of English, Communication and Philosophy are preparing to lace up their trainers this October to run the Cardiff Half Marathon in support of Cardiff University’s world-leading research.

A team of 11 runners, comprised of staff and students from across the School will take part in the 2025 race, raising funds for the University’s neuroscience, mental health, and cancer research programmes.

Together, they aim to accelerate life-changing discoveries that will improve prevention, diagnosis, and treatment for people living with a wide range of conditions.

The initiative builds on an earlier School fundraising effort in March 2022, which saw a team raise over £5,000.

Rob Meredith, Student Engagement and Experience Manager, explained:

“After recruiting a team of runners from within my home department to undertake the Cardiff Half Marathon in March 2022, and as a team combined raising over £5,000 then, I have decided to try to replicate this once again and lead a team to run the Cardiff Half Marathon in October 2025.”

Research at Cardiff University is tackling some of the most pressing health challenges of our time.

• Neuroscience and mental health researchers are developing new treatments for conditions including ADHD, depression, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer’s disease.
• Cancer researchers are improving outcomes for people affected by breast, prostate, and bowel cancers, as well as rarer and harder-to-treat forms.

Rob added that this year’s challenge is also deeply personal.

“Having sadly lost friends to both cancer and suicide in recent times, it felt right that I should once again make an effort to support and promote both of these worthwhile causes.”

Alongside leading the ENCAP team, Rob has set himself an ambitious individual target: to complete six half marathons within a year, each under two hours.

“Should I not attain this, another additional race will be added to the effort until I have completed all to time. Wish us all luck!”

The team is now busy training and fundraising ahead of race day.