“A marriage made in heaven”: Run 4 Wales CEO on Always Aim High acquisition
“A marriage made in heaven”: Run 4 Wales CEO on Always Aim High acquisition
The CEO of Run 4 Wales has labelled the social enterprise’s acquisition of Always Aim High Events as “a marriage made in heaven” as the company looks to expand to become an “all-Wales organisation.”
R4W’s portfolio of events includes the Cardiff Half Marathon and Newport Marathon Festival, with surpluses invested into grassroots sport and community projects through the Run 4 Wales Charitable Foundation.
Matt Newman, R4W’s CEO, praised the alignment of the two companies on key issues like sustainability and having an impact in the community.
He said: “The guys who have been founders of [Always Aim High] for about 15 years were getting to a point of wanting to have a quieter life, and sometimes the stars align. Everything got to a good place in terms of succession for the organisation and ambition for the organisation.
“We can help by exploiting the natural environment in Wales by bringing our audience to a different part of Wales, and all those things just align perfectly. I think it was a marriage made in heaven.”
Since starting in 2011, Always Aim High Events has established events including the Slateman, Snowman, and Sandman triathlons and the Snowdonia Trail Marathon Eryri, utilising Wales’ natural beauty.
In 2023, R4W was absorbed into the London Marathon Group, with London Marathon taking a 50% shareholding. Matt says this was crucial in the acquisition of Always Aim High, taking their events to a global audience.
He continued: “When we started, we very much had an all-Wales perspective. We delivered a number of events in North Wales. We had the World Mountain Running Championships and World Trail Running Championships.
“It’s difficult, with the geography in Wales as much as anything, to keep delivering in the north, but it was always our ambition to be an all-Wales organisation. We’ve worked with Always Aim High for about the last five years and got to know them really well. They’ve always had a wonderful reputation.
“In Snowdonia, they have incredible trail running events as well as cycling in Anglesey, a real sort of complementary portfolio for us. It was also an opportunity for us as a social enterprise to extend the work that our charitable foundation does.
“It is celebrating its 10th year this year and is really focused on changing lives, especially those of children and young people. We’re starting to look at how we could engage in communities that are typically not engaged, so we are very much seeing this as a new chapter in the story.”
Always Aim High has also donated more than £250,000 to local charities and groups as a direct result of events in their local areas.
It is hoped that the new partnership will have an all-Wales impact by putting on world-class events and helping to break down barriers to encourage more people into activity.
Matt said: “I think from day one, the difference for Run 4 Wales was always that we were a social enterprise, so it was about putting on world-class events, but it was also about a social agenda that would wrap around those events.
“One that would really engage with the communities that they were involved with and with the customer group that were keen on our events to build a bit of a community around our events, which has just grown from strength to strength.”
Tim Lloyd, Co-Founder of Always Aim High Events, added: “Always Aim High Events has been my passion for well over 15 years — a passion project that grew into a thriving business, and I’ve enjoyed every minute of the journey.
“From the beginning, it’s been all about community, working alongside incredible people to bring world-class events to the stunning landscapes of North Wales. I’m delighted to continue supporting the business into the future.
“I’m genuinely excited to see Always Aim High Events flourish under Run 4 Wales — it’s a fantastic opportunity for the team, and I look forward to watching them go from strength to strength.”
Running has exploded in popularity since the Covid pandemic, with many of us lacing up our trainers and heading out for a light jog for the first time. It’s a demand that Run 4 Wales have had to keep up with, with more and more people wanting to compete in elite competitions.
But it’s a challenge they are willing to accommodate, according to their CEO
“It is an incredible challenge, but what an amazing opportunity for us. Our flagship event, the Cardiff Half Marathon, sold out in 12 hours this year. Thirty thousand people, over 5,000 international runners coming into Cardiff, which is a real celebration of the ‘Visit Wales’ agenda. We’re very proud of how we’ve been able to take that agenda outside of Wales to an international audience.
“The other really significant thing that we’re proud of is how we’ve been able to help charities in Wales. They’ve been through a difficult time, and the Cardiff Half Marathon is now Wales’ biggest charity fundraising event.”
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