The Wales Event – Cardiff 3rd October 2010
2010 will again see the MH Survival Series travel to 3 UK cities. National pride is at stake as we invite Survivors from Wales, Scotland and England to front up to the challenge. The Welsh Capital is the host location for the first event of this year’s Tri Nations Series. So get down to Cardiff on 3rd October 2010 and prepare to survive in style…
About the City
Croeso i Gaerdydd, y Porth i Cymru. Boasting a gigantic stadium, an enormous castle, an even bigger Bay and more leeks, daffodils, and dragons than you can shake a stick at, this is Cardiff. The home of Charlotte Church and the only non-English club to win the FA Cup (a fair while back granted, in 1927) and voted by Men’s Health as best UK city in 2004, this is a seriously fun place. We invite you to get into Survival mode on the streets of the Welsh capital for our first event of the season on 3rd October 2010 and what could be our wettest event of the year!
Event Location
The event village for the 2010 event will be located at the spectacular Roald Dahl Plas in the “Oval Basin” events arena, next to the gleaming new Wales Millennium Centre and the Welsh Assembly, right on the waterfront of Cardiff Bay. The action starts and finishes here, with a spectacular charge over the Hay Bale Wall starting the race right in front of the Wales Millennium Centre and a gruelling climb over the MH Wall of Fame on the menu for when you return, to the delight of the huge crowd that gathers. With a route taking in both the city centre and the water-side elements of the City, the Cardiff course will be sensationally urban and probably quite “watery” too. Last year we did vary the course in advance of the event due to environmental factors in Cardiff bay, but whatever the weather, do not expect to stay dry for this one! Pre-event or post, our base in the Oval Basin is also home to the many bars, shops and restaurants of the Mermaid Quay development next door to us and there is a real buzz around this smart new bit of the city.
Cardiff Course
The 2009 course blazed a trail between our base at Cardiff Bay and the immense Millennium Stadium. It was a cracking route so we thought well, why change it? So we haven’t. You might experience one or two different obstacles en route, but the course remains largely the same, connecting Cardiff Bay and the Barrage with the Millennium Stadium, via the Taff Embankment. Click here to see the route. From our base at the Oval Basin, you will be striking out in waved mass starts towards Cardiff Docks first, before swinging south and running along the awesome Cardiff Bay Barrage. Your first obstacles are bound to be wet ones, with the waters of the Bay on one side and the open expanse of the Bristol Channel on the other. Coming inland again, you will pass the hustle and bustle of the event village and Mermaid Quay and make your way towards Hamadryad Park and the banks of the Taff. Using our “unconventional” road crossing methods, you won’t actually be going over the main roads that cross the river – you will be going under them! This is Survival after all and we welcome the road less traveled for this event. Soon, the colossal form of the home of Welsh Rugby will hove into view and that is your destination. With some obstacles en route, when you reach the Millennium Stadium you are roughly half way around the course. After completing an obstacle or two in the stadium, you’ll be homeward bound back towards the Bay. Re-tracing the Taff, it’s time for one or two more challenges on the way back, including a surreal interlude on one of the old graving docks adjacent to Mermaid Quay which last year involved a London Taxi!? From there, you are truly on the homeward stretch and the final obstacle looms large ahead of you as you re-enter the Oval Basin. But it’s a big one. The MH Wall of Fame towers over you as you approach the finish line and in the natural amphitheatre of the Oval Basin, you will be the star of the show as the huge crowd cheers you on and wills you over that wall. Once down the other side, celebrate your achivement by enjoying our post-race entertainments, a free massage courtesy of For Goodness Shakes, something to eat in the event village or something tasty from one of the many nearby restaurants. This is some event. Whether you live here or are visiting Cardiff for the first time, Survival shows you the city from a totally fresh perspective. Welcome to Cardiff and to Survival of the Fittest 2010.
Getting There
Road
Cardiff is on the M4 and a wee hop, skip and a jump across the Severn bridges for those travelling from Southern England. For those coming from the north, the M50 can bring you pretty quickly (and down a very very pretty road indeed) towards Cardiff via the Wye valley from Brum and beyond.
Rail
There is a small station at Cardiff Bay, right next to the event village which has connections from Cardiff Central. National rail sees direct trains run between London Paddington and Cardiff on the Great Western mainline. It takes around 2 hours from London. Connections between Cardiff and the South West of England are also strong via Bristol. To the north, cross country routes take you to and from the Midlands and beyond with ease. Please check timetables for further details.
Air
Cardiff International airport is a 45 minute train or bus ride away from the city centre.
Accommodation
There is plenty to choose from in Cardiff. From super stylish options in the city centre, to budget accommodation and magnificent out-of-town country house hotels, there is a good deal of choice. Try www.visitcardiff.com for a full run-down of options, plus superb info on what's on around town and in the surrounding valleys and mountains of the stunning Welsh countryside.
We'll see you there in Cardiff SOTF 2010!
