Associated British Ports (ABP), the UK’s largest port operator, has extended its headline sponsorship of the ABP Newport Marathon Festival for a further three years, confirming its support of the event until 2029.
The renewed agreement follows another highly successful year for the festival. The 2026 ABP Newport Marathon Festival was the biggest to date, with more than 10,000 people registering across the marathon, half marathon, 10K and junior races. The event attracted runners from across Wales and further afield, bringing significant footfall into the city and reinforcing Newport’s position on the national running calendar.
ABP has supported the event since its inception in 2018, and the extension secures ABP’s backing through a milestone year in 2028, when it will mark ten consecutive years of supporting the event. Over that period, the festival has grown year-on-year into a multi-distance event with broad appeal for experienced runners and those taking on their first challenge.
The ABP Newport Marathon Festival takes place close to the Port of Newport – the UK’s leading steel-handling port – and plays an established role in showcasing the city and brings social and economic benefit to the communities surrounding the port.
Ashley Curnow, Divisional Port Manager, Wales and Southwest at ABP, said: “ABP has supported the Newport Marathon Festival since it began, and we are pleased to extend that support through to 2029. The success of the 2026 event shows how far the festival has come and the impact it has for the city. Supporting an event that brings people into Newport and highlights it as a place to live, work and invest remains an important part of our commitment to the city and its community.”
Run 4 Wales, the event organiser, welcomed the announcement as the festival continues to expand.
Matt Newman, Chief Executive at Run 4 Wales, said:
“We’re so excited to have the continued support of ABP for the Newport Marathon Festival. ABP have been with us since the very beginning when we set up the marathon back in 2018 and it’s fantastic to have had them by our side as we’ve continued to grow and evolve the event into a real festival of running.”
ABP’s sponsorship of the Newport Marathon Festival forms part of its wider programme of support for mass participation wellbeing events and community initiatives close to its port locations across the UK. The next ABP running event taking place is the ABP Southampton Marathon Festival on Sunday 3rd May 2026.
The next ABP Newport Marathon Festival will take place in Newport on Sunday 18th April 2027.
