The British Heart Foundation has cancelled the Swindon half-marathon because of its high organisational costs.

The charity said it had taken the decision because the event was no longer “a sound investment for BHF”.

It made the decision to stop running the event just two years after it took it over from Swindon Borough Council.

The charity is now looking for another organisation to sponsor the marathon.

“We are working with the council at the moment, but it is still early to know,” said BHF regional event organiser Alistair Hills.

Thirteen people had registered to the marathon, but all were offered a refund.  Runners were also offered entries to other BHF marathons, such as the Longleat and the Brands Hatch, both due in March.

The 13.1 miles run was due to be held on Sunday 11 October, for the 12th consecutive year. More than 1,500 runners had signed up to last year’s marathon, which raised £55,000.

“We constantly review our events to make sure that they are financially viable so we can fund heart research. If they are not providing enough money, we have to cancel them,” said Lucy Jones, a senior media officer at BHF.

The Charity has recently launched its first 'Dechox' fundraising challenge, which asks people to give up chocolate in March.

“The idea is to have a range of fundraising products that work for different people,” said Jones. “We want to make sure that we are doing things that are cost effective and this event is already going well.

“We are looking to grow our events series next year in a way that is viable for us,” she added.

The BHF organise 70 sport fundraising events, including cycling and trekking challenges. No other event has been cancelled.