FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Marathon Sunday to return over Bank Holiday May Weekend to Celebrate
40th Year of the Belfast City Marathon
On Sunday 1st May 2022, with a brand-new title sponsor, the Mash Direct
Belfast City Marathon is set to take place, with the event celebrating its
40th year.
The Belfast City Marathon first launched in 1982 as a marathon only event.
Fast forward to the year 2022, the event organisers are delighted to OPEN
entries for the 40th event which now includes the Marathon and Wheelchair
Race, Team Relay and 8 Mile Walk events.
The event was launched this morning (Tuesday 19th October) by John Allen,
Chairman of the Belfast City Marathon, at the Clayton Hotel, Belfast.
Returning to the traditional date on Bank Holiday May weekend, having been
cancelled in 2020 and moved to October in 2021 due to the pandemic, the
event will take place on a Sunday again with a full line up of events to
suit all levels of fitness. All events will start in Stormont and finish
in Ormeau Park.
Participants can expect exciting new initiatives for the event's 40th year,
including an Expo and Pack Collection at the Titanic Exhibition Centre,
Belfast with new title sponsor Mash Direct. This will take place over two
days – Friday 29th April and Saturday 30th April 2022 with a range of
exhibitors suitable for the whole family to attend.
Furthermore, participants can expect a quicker pack collection experience
through QR Code scanning. The event organisers firmly believe this will
cut back on any queues and prove to be a more enjoyable experience for
entrants in 2022.
In addition, for the relay runners, there will be a return to chip timing
for all participants with great team prizes to be confirmed in the coming
months. All participants of the Marathon, Team Relay and 8 Mile Walk will
receive a quality Tech T-shirt (with the option to print their name on the
t-shirt) and a commemorative medal (Marathon and Team Relay have the option
to purchase an iTAB again).
Add to this some exciting new sponsorships including Mash Direct and
CompareNI.com, the event is also delighted to confirm they will be working
closely again with Official Charity Partner – Cancer Focus Northern
Ireland. Participants are encouraged to be #StrongerTogether and run, walk
or wheel for team Cancer Focus NI in 2022 to help more people survive from
cancer.
John Allen, Chairman of the Belfast City Marathon organising committee,
commented:
"After two years of cancelling and moving the May Marathon event, we are
very thankful to be able to host the 40th year of the marathon in May 2022.
I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome our new title sponsor Mash
Direct on board for what will be an exciting year of positive change and
development as we see the event reach its 40th milestone. I'd also like to
thank all of our participants, sponsors and volunteers for their support
through challenging times and look forward to seeing you all on Sunday 1st
May 2022."
The event organisers are thrilled to be working alongside new title sponsor
Mash Direct in 2022. With a shared vision to encourage more people to lead
more active and healthier lifestyles, Mash Direct is excited to take over
from previous sponsor Deep RiverRock, in what is known as a key sporting
event in the Northern Ireland calendar.
Clare Forster, Mash Direct Head of Marketing says,
"We are excited to be at the start line today for the feel-good event of
the year - the Mash Direct Belfast City Marathon in 2022.
This is an event that brings the best out in people, so we jumped at the
chance to team up and promote healthy eating. We have lots of fresh
vegetable dishes to help you to get your five a day plus local potatoes are
a great way to carb load!
Our farm is just a short jog away from the marathon route so this is a
dream local partnership for us. We are looking forward to supporting an
incredible team of organisers, participants and volunteers who have made
the Marathon what it is today."
The Official Charity Partner for 2022 is Cancer Focus Northern Ireland.
Richard Spratt, Chief Executive of Cancer Focus NI, said:
"Cancer Focus NI is delighted to be the sole charity partner of the Belfast
City Marathon in their 40th year. We are encouraging participants to be
#StrongerTogether in 2022 after a very tough couple of years. All the
money raised for Marathon Sunday will stay in Northern Ireland and will
fund a new research project looking at the treatment of esophageal and
pancreatic cancer – two cancers which at present have very low survival
rates."
Entries are NOW OPEN at www.belfastcitymarathon.com via the Eventmaster
online registration system. Entries can be made via mobile or desktop with
an early rate available until 31st December 2021.
The Mash Direct Belfast City Marathon is sponsored by Athletics Northern
Ireland, Daily Mirror, Belfast City Council, Better, Cool FM (Downtown
Radio and Downtown Country), Translink, Belfast Live, Tayto, Four Star
Pizza and CompareNI.com. This year's official charity is Cancer Focus
Northern Ireland.
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