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Belfast City Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Belfast City Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.1 
Organization 3.0 
Spectators 3.5
Number of comments: 76 [displaying comments 21 to 31]
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G. G. from Carrickfergus
(5/5/2010)
"Things are looking up!" (about: 2010)
3 previous marathons
| 2 Belfast City Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Having just read the reviews of last year's race, I am pleased to say that many of the problems seem to have been ironed out this year. 1. Bag collection was from City Hall, along with a much improved expo. 2. Mile makers at every mile were clearly evident. 3. Technical t-shirts for marathon runners instead of cotton ones. 4. Pacers were available. 5. Sound system at the start was very clear, with time warning giving a countdown to the start. 6. Supporters were generous, providing sweets, etc. themselves. 7. Plenty of shuttle buses were evident. 8. Better security at bag collection after the race. Ok, so parts of the course are dull and water comes in a cup (think of the environment), but remember: it is about running a marathon across a city that is unique. Open your eyes to the culture and history and "enjoy" the majority of the race that hits the mark. | |
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S. H. from Ireland
(5/4/2010)
"Water issue is bad" (about: 2010)
1 previous marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 4 This was my first marathon and I was a little worried after reading previous posts. I'll start off by saying that the water issue is horrendous! A major water company sponsors this race and you end up drinking mains water out of plastic cups. The worst thing was that the water station between 17 miles and 21 miles had run out of water by the time I passed. This just happens to be one of the most important spans in a marathon and you're left high and literally dry. The crowds from the city to Falls Road and up Antrim Road were fantastic. As a bonus, they did give out a proper running top this year, and the medal wasn't the worst I've seen. Thanks, Belfast! | |
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M. P. from Virginia, US
(10/26/2009)
"ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Belfast City Marathon
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 The explanations below cover pretty much all of the problems with this marathon. The mile markers, the buses, the t-shirts... etc. The only other thing that was ridiculous - although personally I don't care about it - was the medal, which is probably the smallest, cheapest one I have ever seen. This thing needs a lot of work, and I just hope that whoever is in charge is looking at these websites. | |
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g. l. from n ireland
(8/9/2009)
"no water" (about: 2009)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Belfast City Marathon
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 This was my first-ever marathon, and I was not expecting a fast time, but most of the water stations had run out before we got there, and a bucket is a dangerous replacement. Then the route through the industrial estate lacked mile makers (or else they were so far up a lamp post as to be a joke). Then, having to dodge traffic at the finish was a pain. It needs a lot of improving. | |
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A. l. from Ireland
(5/22/2009)
"never again" (about: 2009)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Belfast City Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 I can't fathom how the organizers got this so wrong. The start was a mess, and the finish was an even bigger mess. For a marathon to be sponsored by a bottled-water company and give out water in buckets - yes, buckets - is a joke.... I could go on and on. | |
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S. M. from Donegal, Ireland
(5/11/2009)
"Really starting to lose faith in this one...!" (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Belfast City Marathons
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 Well, ladies and gents, the title says it all. I have run this marathon 3 times now - 2005, 2008 (see '08 review) and this year. I gave it the benefit of the doubt in other years and hoped that someone would get their act together and finally make this marathon into the event it could be, but sadly, not this year, again. The organization fell flat again, plus the calls for small improvements seem to have fallen on deaf ears. To mirror one previous post, I have run such marathons as Boston, Amsterdam, Dublin, Barcelona, and comparing Belfast to these really shows it's shortcomings. I'll begin: The bag collection: Bag collection was in a lovely big park, about 6 miles out of the city center. Nice, if you wanted to go for a picnic, but personally, I think this could have been situated more conveniently nearer the city center, considering all that it consisted off was a small marquee containing the race bags and one stall from a local running shop. The expo was non-existent. Bag-drop: Again, the bag drop was into the back of a single transit-type van. But at least this year, they had it identified as an official marathon vehicle. But for anyone who was a stranger to the city, it would have been very difficult to find, as I found out last year. Also, a point to note: when the bags are laid out at the complex at the finish line, there did not appear to be any sort of supervision or security. At the end of the race, I was able to wander freely through all of the bags and search for my own. I know bags are left at your own risk, but at least one person to check that the bag taken matches your race number wouldn't be out of the question, would it...? Start line: Again, absolutely no effort was made to separate runners of varying times/abilities. A general free-for-all. They had a few placards on the street lamps designating the general area for the different finish times, but these may as well not have been there. Marathon runners, relay runners, and walkers were all in the mix. So it took the usual 3-4 miles before it all got sorted out. The mile markers: This one was a big bone of contention for me last year. The majority were missing last year, but I did notice a slight improvement this year, with about ONLY 7 or 8 markers missing, especially in the latter stages. But I would take their accuracy with a pinch of salt, as I did mile 16-17 in 5:55 - not bad, considering I was running at 7:30 pace. Just by pure coincidence, a runner who was running at the same pace as me and my friend was wearing a GPS, so we gave up even trying to work of the mile markers and ran too his watch instead. But it did become the running joke through the rest of the race to spot the next mile marker and guess how far it was out. The course: A) Long, boring stretches of dual-carriage after 3 miles from the start with no support. B) That terrible, narrow cycle path from mile 16 until about 19 mile, again with zero support - which then leads you into that soul-destroying industrial estate, full of interesting smells and aromas. Funnily enough, there's not much in the way of support there either. It isn't until the relay changeover point near Mile 21 that you start to see much in the way of support again. T-shirts: Every other marathon I have run in the past 3 years has given out a high-quality, wicking, running top/t-shirt. Belfast still gives out a run-of-the-mill, white, cotton t-shirt, with a screen print on the front. Also, I was given the wrong size this year. An expensive t-shirt at £30 plus.... Water stations: I can't fault the number of water stations; there were plenty of them, and there were also energy drinks. But it strikes me as bizarre how a marathon, sponsored by Deep River Rock Water, gave out all of its water in those miserable plastic cups, filled from buckets that were filled (in turn) from fire hydrant stand pipes...! You don't see a bottle of Deep River Rock Water until you cross the finish line. No lovely screw-top bottles here, folks. So there you go - all off of my chest. I only hope that someone can take charge and turn this event around. This event has so much to offer. The crowds, although scarce at times, are full of enthusiasm. When running through the relay changeover points, they would really cheer the full distance runners on, which was one of the things I always looked forward too during this marathon. But sadly, it's still not an event that I would encourage any serious marathoner to aim for. It's good for a family day out, or if you only ever intend to do one marathon and leave it at that. For a marathon that advertises over 16,000 participants (when actually it is nearer to 2,500 marathon runners, with the rest made up of relay teams and walkers), I think they still have a lot to do - really, a lot to do. | |
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R. C. from Newtownards
(5/7/2009)
"We really are a backwater!!!" (about: 2009)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Belfast City Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 My first marathon was run in Chicago, and the organization and support were brilliant - especially for a city that could fit our little province into it. I then decided to run my own country's marathon, and was disappointed to say the least. If other cities can get their organization into order, is there any chance of the organizing committee here speaking to other committees and giving themselves a good kick in the butt?! How can I possibly recommend this to runners from other countries?! | |
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G. K. from Co Meath
(5/5/2009)
"Mediocre marathon..." (about: 2009)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Belfast City Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 There were lots of positives about Belfast '09, but several issues have yet to be dealt with from previous years - namely: the lack of mile markers other than those painted rather discreetly on the road; crowd participation was feeble to be honest (maybe it was the biting wind?); cotton T shirts (I thought these were a thing of the past); extremely cheap plastic cups for water, which broke on contact with hand (though the PowerAde bottles were great); the lack of buses as advertised back to the start from the finish line; the lack of an audible sound system at the start; and the failure to force walkers farther back, apart from one sign suggesting finishing times. | |
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R. C. from Dublin
(5/5/2009)
"the most disorganized marathon" (about: 2009)
2 previous marathons
| 1 Belfast City Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 I ran the Belfast Marathon this year (2009) for the first time, having run the Dublin Marathon last year. I'm glad I ran it but the organizers really need to do some more work if they're to attract real marathoners to the event. 1. Having marathoners line up with walkers at the start of the race is a disaster. How are marathoners to get a good start with people stopping in front of them and blocking the way? 2. The route is quite hilly, and at times you are actually running along a footpath or a motorway. In Dublin the roads were closed for marathoners. At one point marathoners were asked to stop to let lorries cross. This is a disgrace. 3. The relay changeover points need to be further improved. It would be better at all changeover points that the route be split in two for marathoners and relay runners. (The relay is an excellent idea and gives everyone a chance to compete.) 4. The mile markers are a joke. I only saw a mile marker for 13 miles, 17 and 25. How are runners supposed to get their splits right? 5. I found it difficult to get to water at some water stations, as I didn't want to stop running to get water. It's also hard to drink out of a polystyrene cup while running. In Dublin they give you a bottle of water with a drinking cap and have plenty of stations with sports energy drinks. 6. The lack of porta-loos is also a serious problem. Luckily a few shops and bars were open and were letting people use their toilet facilities. 7. The lack of organization for handing in your plastic bags with your changing kit at the start of the race was also a disgrace. I was told to hand it in to a white van at the side of the city hall. What I actually saw were people leaving their bags at a bus shelter. There were no officials looking after the bags. 8. While spectators are to be welcomed, the organizers need to take more care to cordon off the route and also the finish line. Once I crossed through the finish line, I was immediately hit with a wall of spectators. I had to ask someone for my medal and get my own water. 9. I felt most sorry for runners who took longer than five hours to complete the marathon. By that stage most of the officials along the route in Ormeau Park had disappeared. Spectators were walking along and the only way runners could work out the route was by arrows on the ground, which were starting to fade because of the weather. This is very disheartening and a total disgrace. 10. I know the route has been changed over the last year but perhaps they'll think about changing it again so runners aren't forced to run along footpaths, towpaths, the side of motorways or stop for traffic and pedestrians. | |
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Kevin Dunne from Portlaoise, Ireland
(10/19/2008)
"organized but poorly supported outside the city" (about: 2007)
4-5 previous marathons
| 2 Belfast City Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I've run 5 marathons and Belfast is my favorite. I ran it in 2006 and 2007 was unable to run it this year, but intend to be there in 2009. The marathon is very well organized and the shower facilities at the finish are a big plus. Find the race isn't that well supported outside the city center and the marathon relay runners can be a distraction. I like the course and my fastest times are over the new course. All in all, a well-run show. |
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