Belfast Marathon

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Belfast Marathon
Inflatable archway, outside Belfast City Hall, at the start of 2011 event
LocationBelfast, Northern Ireland
Event typeMarathon
Distance26.2 miles (42.2 km)
Primary sponsorMash Direct
Established1982[1]
Course recordsMen's: 2:13:41 (2012)
Ethiopia Negewo Ararisa
Women's: 2:36:50 (2013)
Ukraine Nataliya Lehonkova
Official siteBelfast Marathon
Participants>5,700 (2021)[2]

The Belfast City Marathon takes place in Belfast in Northern Ireland. The organisers describe it as the "largest mass sport participatory event in Northern Ireland" with between 15,000 and 18,000 participants taking part in several events.[3][4][5] These events, typically scheduled over the May bank holiday weekend, include marathon, wheelchair race, team relay and 8-mile walk events. The organisers also stage Northern Ireland's largest half marathon event, which takes place annually in September.[citation needed]

Marathon[edit]

Participants in 2013 event

The Belfast City Marathon is an AIMS certified race.[6] The race traditionally starts at Stormont Estate at 9am and finishes in Ormeau Park.[7]

5,000 runners took part in the 2019 "full marathon".[3] Following this event, organisers apologised after it was noted that the course was 0.3 miles longer than the typical marathon standard.[8][9]

The 2020 edition of the race was cancelled as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Ireland, with all registrants given the option of either running the race virtually or transferring their entry to 2021, 2022 or 2023.[10][11] The 2021 event was rescheduled from May to October 2021.[12][13]

Previously sponsored by Deep River Rock,[14] the 2022 event (scheduled for May 2022) was reported to be Mash Direct.[15]

Half marathon[edit]

First launched in 2013, the Belfast City Half Marathon is an extension of the May Marathon event.[citation needed] The race starts at Ormeau Park.[16]

Winners[edit]

Year Male Athlete Country Time Female Athlete Country Time
1982 Gregory Hannon Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 2:20:25 Susan Boreham Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 3:11:26
1983 Paul Craig Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 2:20:14 Roma McConville Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 2:58:07
1984 Andy Daly  Scotland 2:18:01 Theresa Kidd Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 2:47:33
1985 Marty Deane Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 2:15:51 Moira O'Boyle Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 2:45:40
1986 Marty Deane Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 2:16:05 Moira O'Neill Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 2:43:26
1987 Calum Bark  Scotland 2:17:47 Theresa Kidd Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 2:48:28
1988 Thomas Hughes Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 2:19:00 Theresa Kidd Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 2:49:10
1989 Ian Bloomfield  England 2:20:45 Rosaleen Hayden  Ireland 2:58:31
1990 Jerry Kiernan  Ireland 2:18:58 Eleanor Hill  Ireland 2:50:07
1991 Joel Kipchumba  Kenya 2:18:56 Brenda McNamara  Ireland 2:55:25
1992 Jerry Kiernan  Ireland 2:20:52 Catherine Smyth  Ireland 2:42:41
1993 Gerard McGrath  Ireland 2:18:12 Catherine Smyth  Ireland 2:45:05
1994 Terry Mitchell  Scotland 2:20:24 Catherine Smyth  Ireland 2:44:42
1995 John Ferrin Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 2:18:42 Patricia Griffin  Ireland 2:53:10
1996 Terry Mitchell  Scotland 2:21:36 Trudi Thomson  Scotland 2:44:57
1997 John Ferrin Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 2:20:17 Olive Nolan  Ireland 2:55:10
1998 Thomas Hughes Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 2:23:33 Jackie Newton  England 2:57:25
1999 Samuel Okemwa  Kenya 2:20:58 Barbara Brewer Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 2:58:49
2000 Wilson Cheruiyot  Kenya 2:24:13 Mary Jennings  Ireland 3:02:31
2001 Joseph Riri  Kenya 2:26:00 Debra Curley  England 2:56:05
2002 Simon Pride  Scotland 2:22:21 Trudi Thomson  Scotland 2:49:39
2003 Lezan Kimutai  Kenya 2:17:09 Trudi Thomson  Scotland 2:45:48
2004 Peter Edukan  Kenya 2:23:51 Julia Myatt  England 2:52:52
2005 Eric Kiplagat  Kenya 2:22:20 Lemma Urge  Ethiopia 2:41:33
2006 Stephen Ndungu  Kenya 2:16:51 Joyce Kandie  Kenya 2:43:11
2007 John Mutai  Kenya 2:16:24 Desse Demelesh  Ethiopia 2:46:45
2008 John Mutai  Kenya 2:16:31 Marshet Jimma  Ethiopia 2:39:22
2009 John Mutai  Kenya 2:17:35 Joyce Kandie  Kenya 2:47:44
2010 Urga Negewo  Ethiopia 2:16:53 Sarah Stradling  England 2:44:03
2011 Jacob Chesire  Kenya 2:14:56 Vera Ovcharuk  Ukraine 2:46:04
2012 Negewo Ararisa  Ethiopia 2:13:41 Alice Chelangat  Kenya 2:39:02
2013 Joel Kipsang  Kenya 2:19:28 Nataliya Lehonkova  Ukraine 2:36:50
2014 Freddy Sittuk  Kenya 2:18:30 Bayrush Shiferaw  Ethiopia 2:41:20
2015 Joel Kositany  Kenya 2:19:36 Berhan Gebremichael  Ethiopia 2:40:57
2016 Joel Kositany  Kenya 2:17:39 Berhan Gebremichael  Ethiopia 2:48:26
2017 Bernard Rotich  Kenya 2:16:04 Laura Graham  United Kingdom 2:41:47
2018 Eric Koech  Kenya 2:18:19 Caroline Chepkwony  Kenya 2:41:23
2019 Joel Kositany  Kenya 2:17:09 Caroline Jepchirchir  Kenya 2:34:55
2020 cancelled as part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Ireland[11]
2021 Mick Clohisey  Ireland 2:20:42 Fionnuala Ross  Ireland 2:43:42
2022[17] Paul Pollock  Northern Ireland 2:16:16 Gladys Ganiel  Northern Ireland 2:43:49

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Belfast City Marathon over the years". BBC News. 27 April 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  2. ^ "Belfast City Marathon: Race returns after Covid cancellations". BBC News. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Belfast City Marathon 2019: Results, pictures and video as record crowd take on new 'longer' route". Belfasttelegraph. 5 May 2019. Around 18,000 took part in the full marathon, the wheelchair race, team relay, walk and fun run [..] With 5,000 taking part in the full marathon
  4. ^ "Belfast Marathon: Kilkeel's Laura Graham aims for repeat win after 2017 triumph". BBC Sport. 6 May 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  5. ^ "Clothes tell the story of the 36th Belfast marathon". Irishtimes.com. 1 May 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  6. ^ "Deep RiverRock Belfast City Marathon". aims-worldrunning.org. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  7. ^ "Belfast City Marathon 2017: All you need to know". BBC. 1 May 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  8. ^ "Belfast Marathon: Organisers apologise after course is 0.3 miles too long". BBC Sport. 5 May 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  9. ^ "Runners in Belfast City Marathon run extra 0.3 miles after course mix-up". Thejournal.ie. 5 May 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  10. ^ "Belfast Marathon: Coronavirus pandemic forces organisers to cancel 2020 event". BBC Sport. 3 June 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  11. ^ a b "2020 Deep RiverRock Belfast City Marathon CANCELLED | Belfast Marathon News | General | news". Belfast City Marathon. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  12. ^ "Belfast Marathon moved to September with virtual half race in May". irishnews.com. Irish News. 29 January 2021.
  13. ^ "39th Deep RiverRock Belfast City Marathon Rescheduled to 3rd October 2021". Belfast City Marathon. 16 June 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  14. ^ "Belfast City Marathon course was too long, organizers say". CNN. 5 May 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  15. ^ "Mash Direct Belfast City Marathon". belfastcity.gov.uk. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  16. ^ "The Moy Park Belfast City Half Marathon". Belfast City Council. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  17. ^ Belfast City Marathon. 2022. Belfast Marathon Results | results | Belfast City Marathon. [online] Available at: <https://belfastcitymarathon.com/results/2022#fullResults> [Accessed 13 October 2022].

External links[edit]