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Can you catch the Christmas Pudding?

Now when you think Christmas Pudding - exercise probably isn't the first word that springs to mind.

But today in Cardiff that was exactly what was on the menu as hundreds gathered to raise money for the British Heart Foundation.

Megan Boot has been finding out some of the very personal stories behind the race:

P-PUDDING_LK__ Play video
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Cardiff Castle hosts 'Chase the Pud' charity race
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Heart disease deaths half, but heart failure persists

The number of people dying from a heart attack has halved in the past 30 years, with more people than ever before surviving an attack - but heart disease is still a life-changing condition.

Now there are hopes that a new research programme might identify ways in which the body is able to do more to help repair itself.

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Heart failure 'a burden' on Wales

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New campaign to highlight extent of heart failure

This television advert is part of British Heart Foundation's 'Mending Broken Hearts Appeal'.

The charity is urging people to donate towards funding research that could cure heart failure.

What is heart failure?

When you have a heart attack, your heart will suffer damage that can never be repaired. This can lead to heart failure.

When you have heart failure, your heart cannot pump blood around your body as well as it used to, which means the oxygen in your blood cannot reach the parts of your body where it is needed. In severe cases, this can leave you disabled and gasping for breath.

Read More: 'About heart failure' on British Heart Foundation website

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Heart failure 'a burden' on Wales

'More people' living with damaged hearts

The British Heart Foundation says that although heart attack deaths in Wales are falling, there is little evidence that heart failure deaths are also decreasing.

The majority of coronary heart disease deaths are a result of a heart attack.

We're undergoing an unprecedented period of change when it comes to heart health in Wales.

It is pleasing that decades of British Heart Foundation funded research has contributed to the dramatic fall in heart attack deaths over recent years. But this means that more and more people are surviving heart attacks with damaged hearts and there is now an urgent need to find ways of reversing that damage.

Our scientists are making great strides in this fight against heart failure, but success will require much more money and much more research to ensure that this momentum is not lost.

– Professor Peter Weissberg, BHF medical director
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Heart failure 'a burden' on Wales

Heart disease deaths 'halved in 30 years'

Deaths from heart disease in Wales have halved over the past 30 years, according to new figures from the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

But the charity is warning that the drop should not mask the burden heart failure continues to place on Wales.

BHF figures show around 4,300 people now die from coronary heart disease in Wales each year, compared to over 9,600 who died from the disease in 1981.

The charity is launching a new campaign to support its Mending Broken Hearts Appeal, funding regenerative medicine research that could cure the condition.

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Heart failure 'a burden' on Wales

Health experts: 'We can - and will - beat heart disease'

British Heart Foundation says it hopes its new campaign, Fight for Every Heartbeat, will gain the support of people in Wales and help save lives.

Heart disease devastates too many lives. Every day in the clinic I hate seeing its impact on children, parents and grandparents. I'm searching for a breakthrough to put an end to the suffering. But medical research costs money and the BHF urgently needs support to rid the UK of heart disease and the misery it brings.

– Professor Mark Kearney, BHF researcher and cardiologist

We're fighting for every heartbeat - regardless of a person's postcode. Our new campaign will bring this urgent fight to the public's attention. With the support of people living in Wales we can, and will, beat heart disease.

– Professor Peter Weissberg, BHF Medical Director
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'Hard-hitting' heart campaign

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Heart disease 'claims 5,000 Welsh lives each year'

A hard-hitting TV advert will be shown to raise awareness of heart health, as new figures reveal coronary disease claims 5,000 Welsh lives every year.

Fabrice Muamba collapsed on the pitch in March last year during an FA Cup tie Credit: Rebecca Naden/PA Wire

The advert - part of British Heart Foundation's new campaign 'Fight For Every Heartbeat' - includes the moment footballer Fabrice Muamba went into cardiac arrest during an FA cup match last year.

Heart disease remains the UK's single biggest killer, with one in six men and one in nine women in Wales dying as a result of it.

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'Hard-hitting' heart campaign