“It was a no-brainer”: running the Cardiff Half for mental health research

Friends Charley Bezuidenhout (Psychology 2022-) and Lizzy Braithwaite (Psychology 2022-) are both students at Cardiff University. They’ve decided to run the 2024 Cardiff Half Marathon together, in support of vital mental health and neuroscience research taking place on campus. Here, they reflect on their running journeys as well as their motivations for joining the Half. 

What inspired you to sign up to the Cardiff Half Marathon and fundraise for Cardiff University’s neuroscience and mental health research?

We share a love for both running and our course – Psychology – so it was a no-brainer to run the Half for Cardiff University’s mental health and neuroscience research.

As well as this, we are both undertaking a year’s research placement with the University. One of us is working at the Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC) and one of us is working for the BabyLab at the Cardiff University Centre for Human Developmental Science. So, neurological research is a cause that’s near and dear to us both!

When did you start running and why?

Lizzy: I began running 5ks in lockdown to get out of the house and moving. When I came to university, I wanted to set myself the challenge of running further, so I ran the Cardiff Half at the start of my second year and loved the experience. Running always used to seem like a chore, but I have grown to love it as it offers me an opportunity to connect with my own thoughts while getting some fresh air.

Exercise and staying fit has always been important to me, so to have a goal such as the Half is a great motivator. I remember I was extremely nervous to run my first Half, as I had never run this far before, but the atmosphere and the crowds definitely kept me going.

Charley: I started running in January of this year, more as a mental strength endeavour than for my physical fitness. As much as I wanted to keep active, I also wanted to give myself a commitment to stick at – and that is exactly what happened. I found myself getting up and out of my studio flat and seeing more of Cardiff and the surrounding areas than I ever would have without running. The time spent running in the open air, with nothing but myself and my music, is now my favourite part of my week. I have never run the Cardiff Half before – I don’t know what to expect on race day, which is both exciting and nerve-racking!

Why did you decide to sign up together? Have you found that this has helped with staying motivated while training? 

We met during Freshers’ Week at Cardiff and became closer as our first year went on. A couple of months into second year, Charley said she wanted to get back into running.

She suggested we join a local run club we found on social media, called Girls Who Run. This is a group of girls, students, and professionals in the South Wales area, who meet up a couple of times a month to go for runs together. We’re able to meet girls with all kinds of running journeys and experiences. It became the perfect way to enjoy running as we’re able to socialise and meet new people every month.

Signing up for the Half together has definitely helped us to keep on track with training and encourage each other. We both enjoy using Strava as a way to log our progress, write fun captions, and post photos of ourselves while out on runs. We can still support one another even when we aren’t running together, which is lovely and a great way to keep up morale when runs get tougher!

What are your training plans in the weeks leading up to the race?

We’ve aimed to complete a couple of short runs and one long run per week, fitting these in around work – Lizzy has even been running on holiday! We have also ran together a few times, so we can get a conversational pace going and a vibe for the big day, and we usually end the run with a coffee and pastry.

We aim to do more training runs together when we are both back in Cardiff for our third year. The week before we race, we want to relax as much as possible so our bodies will be at peak performance. We’ve booked a spa day in the week leading up to the Half so we can really unwind!

What are you looking forward to on race day?

We can’t wait to share the achievement together – we have already planned our matching race day outfits – and to celebrate with our friends at the finish line (with lots of bubbly!). Our friends and family are very proud and excited for us.

What would you say to someone else thinking of running to raise funds for Cardiff University?

The #TeamCardiff team are all so lovely and provide so much support if needed. It is also an incredible cause to support, and with Cardiff University’s research being world-leading, you can be sure that all the money you raise will be going towards huge projects and incredible findings. We couldn’t recommend supporting this cause more!

Support Charley and Lizzy

Show your support for Charley and Lizzy on JustGiving and help them boost their fundraising total.

Run the Cardiff Half Marathon in October

Do you have your own Cardiff Half Marathon place? We’d love you to join #TeamCardiff and support Cardiff University’s cancer or neuroscience and mental health research. Find out more.

Take on a different active challenge

You don’t have to be a half marathon runner to get fundraising! Whatever your fitness or ability level, there are organised events you can join as part of #TeamCardiff. See the full range of challenges on offer.