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Marathon Details - Belfast City Marathon

International Marathons > United Kingdom > Belfast > Belfast City Marathon

Belfast City Marathon

Moy Park Belfast City Marathon & Relay, Half Marathon, 8 Mile Walk

Belfast, United Kingdom

May 4, 2025

http://www.belfastcitymarathon.com

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Race Details

Urban setting, undulating.

Contact Information

Name:	Seamus Rooney
Address:	The Belfast Marathon PO Box 39 Belfast, BT32 8BL Northern Ireland
Phone Number:	+44 28 2587 2828
Email:	Email the organizers

Runner Reviews (76)

Course 3.1

Organization 3.0

Spectators 3.5

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Number of comments: 76 [displaying comments 1 to 11]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 > ]

W. M. from Austria (5/25/2019) "Super Strecke, schöne Stadt" (about: 2019) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Belfast City Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Start bei einem wunderschönen Schloss. Sehr schöne Strecke, ein bisschen hügelig, aber am Ende bergab, super! Die Wasserstationen waren zu wenig. Erst nach 6 Meilen(!!!)war die erste Wasserstation. Dafür gabs Millionen von Gummibären. Ich glaube aber, beim Marathon ist Wasser wichtiger. Aber sonst war alles super. Und Belfast ist eine sehr schöne Stadt mit sehr freundlichen Menschen. Google Translate (to English): Start at a beautiful castle. Very nice track, a bit hilly, but at the end downhill, great! The water stations were too few. Only after 6 miles (!!!) was the first water station. There were millions of gummi bears for that. But I think water is more important at the marathon. But everything else was great. And Belfast is a very beautiful city with very friendly people.
S. D. from Northern Ireland (5/6/2017) "Not all bad but too much motorway" (about: 2017) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Belfast City Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The route isn't great- it would have been nice to see more of the character of Belfast and less of the motorway, but the start at the Town Hall is nice. The support was sparse along the motorway but you can't expect them to trek out and stand in such a bleak spot, where there was support it was enthusiastic and generous. Special thanks to those who came out with hoses- it was a hot day. The relay is a big problem, some of the changeover points were separated off which helped but for most you have to run through a bottleneck of waiting relayers looking for their teammates. Those only happen every now and again though, the real problem is that (unlike in most races where you are able to settle into a group doing your pace after a few miles) because of the relay the marathon runners are constantly having to pass or be passed. This is slightly annoying in the first half but utter misery after mile 20. The cups of water are impossible to drink from. They trialed two stations with bottles this year which was good, but they used large bottles and I suspect they will conclude there was too much wastage. Small sports cap bottles would be great- it is sponsored by a mineral water company. This was my first marathon so it's hard to compare but overall I think it's a nice enough small city race that could showcase its location a bit better.
J. D. from Belfast (11/5/2014) "Very poorly organised." (about: 2014) 4-5 previous marathons \| 2 Belfast City Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 This marathon has so much potential but is let down hugely by poor organisation and a dreadful course. The finish line can only be described as a shambles. The last thing I want to do once I finish a marathon is fight my way through an enormous crowd to get my stuff. No designated place to meet family and friends either. Also, relay runners and us proper runners need to be divided at handover points. The relay runners seem to be oblivious to the people who are actually running the whole thing. Medal was very underwhelming too. Support along the route was negligible too sadly. All in all, a very disappointing race. If organisers apply themselves then this could be a great race. It certainly is not at the minute.
gerard conway from derry north ireland (9/19/2014) "i find i get good times at belfast" (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 3 Belfast City Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Compared to London, the sub 3-hour bunch is small and you get settled quickly into a nice rhythm as a result.
A. L. from Belfast, Northern Ireland (5/15/2014) "great as home race but downhill wrecked my knee" (about: 2014) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Belfast City Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Having completed Dublin seven years ago I was determined to get in a sub four hour time on home turf. Thoroughly enjoyed experience due to family support, but route was poor. Three miles along dual carriageway, four mile incline, followed by one mile STEEP decline which has left me with a serious knee injury I cannot currently run on (I'm only 34!) Three miles along motorway path in driving wind and rain, followed by three miles of industrial estate, including city dump and sewage treatment works. Last three miles of crowd support were superb. Unfortunately this sub four hour run may have left me unable to do another one, primarily due to the steep decline.
M. M. from Edinburgh (5/27/2013) "OK but confusing due to so many relay runners" (about: 2013) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Belfast City Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Managed a PB despite a pretty tough and not that interesting course. Antrim road section and the industrial park make up about half of the course and its either uphill or nothing much of interest to look at. The route could seriously be improved to up Belfast as a marathon destination, start and finish at Stormont perhaps? The real negative for me was the focus on the relay, I went for many stretches without seeing another marathon runner. Every 6 miles you had another influx of relay runners bursting onto the course and then crashing an burning after a couple of miles which was really distracting. Enjoyed the day but not the course or how it was ran. Unless it's a home marathon , one to avoid.
R. E. from Belfast (5/8/2013) "Glorified relay race" (about: 2013) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Belfast City Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 3200 marathon runners along with 18000 relay runners. No sports drink on route other than that picked up off the ground half drank and handed to me by a policeman. It appeared to me the relay guys took all the drink and anyone coming behind was forgotten. Route could do with some improvements. People who run this should be sent to Dublin to see how to arrange a race. I finished got a medal and within 10 meters I was into a crowd of people waiting for the loo...no space for runners to relax.
David Higgins from Belfast (5/8/2013) "A great day" (about: 2013) 3 previous marathons \| 2 Belfast City Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my second Belfast marathon not my best but volunteers at the aid stations were brilliant a good crowd of supporters looking forward for next year
C. K. from Isle of Man (5/7/2013) "Well organised event with great crowd support." (about: 2013) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Belfast City Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 My first marathon. Water was plentiful, and served in cups (not a problem to me). Energy drinks given out in bottles around mile 20, which was nice. Gels given out at various other points, but had my own. The relay didn't cause me any problems, in fact made for a great crowd! Support was superb from spectators. Course itself was hilly with about 700' of climbing according to my Garmin data on Strava. And I felt it. That said, I've finished my first marathon in a great city with excellent cheap flights from the UK and quality inexpensive hotels - which is why I chose it over Edinburgh. Oh, and weather was great too!
D. M. from Cambridge, UK (5/17/2012) "Great crowd & atmosphere, finish was a bit messy" (about: 2012) 1 previous marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 First time I have ran this marathon but I loved it despite the terrible weather. First 12 miles is through city and lots of support from people helped. From miles 16-21 was a slog due to wet, windy cold weather, congested narrow footpaths by the lough and lonelinesss of running through an Industrial estate. Once back in the city centre again crowd support carried me through the last stretch. Like most people, couldn't find friends at finish line for 40mins so ended freezing in the rain. Weather was awful, but saw the weather forecast beforehand and prepared myself to 'enjoy' the new experience of running a wet marathon :-). Life is what you make it eh?

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 > ]



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W. M. from Austria (5/25/2019) "Super Strecke, schöne Stadt" (about: 2019) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Belfast City Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Start bei einem wunderschönen Schloss. Sehr schöne Strecke, ein bisschen hügelig, aber am Ende bergab, super! Die Wasserstationen waren zu wenig. Erst nach 6 Meilen(!!!)war die erste Wasserstation. Dafür gabs Millionen von Gummibären. Ich glaube aber, beim Marathon ist Wasser wichtiger. Aber sonst war alles super. Und Belfast ist eine sehr schöne Stadt mit sehr freundlichen Menschen. Google Translate (to English): Start at a beautiful castle. Very nice track, a bit hilly, but at the end downhill, great! The water stations were too few. Only after 6 miles (!!!) was the first water station. There were millions of gummi bears for that. But I think water is more important at the marathon. But everything else was great. And Belfast is a very beautiful city with very friendly people.
S. D. from Northern Ireland (5/6/2017) "Not all bad but too much motorway" (about: 2017) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Belfast City Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 The route isn't great- it would have been nice to see more of the character of Belfast and less of the motorway, but the start at the Town Hall is nice. The support was sparse along the motorway but you can't expect them to trek out and stand in such a bleak spot, where there was support it was enthusiastic and generous. Special thanks to those who came out with hoses- it was a hot day. The relay is a big problem, some of the changeover points were separated off which helped but for most you have to run through a bottleneck of waiting relayers looking for their teammates. Those only happen every now and again though, the real problem is that (unlike in most races where you are able to settle into a group doing your pace after a few miles) because of the relay the marathon runners are constantly having to pass or be passed. This is slightly annoying in the first half but utter misery after mile 20. The cups of water are impossible to drink from. They trialed two stations with bottles this year which was good, but they used large bottles and I suspect they will conclude there was too much wastage. Small sports cap bottles would be great- it is sponsored by a mineral water company. This was my first marathon so it's hard to compare but overall I think it's a nice enough small city race that could showcase its location a bit better.
J. D. from Belfast (11/5/2014) "Very poorly organised." (about: 2014) 4-5 previous marathons \| 2 Belfast City Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 This marathon has so much potential but is let down hugely by poor organisation and a dreadful course. The finish line can only be described as a shambles. The last thing I want to do once I finish a marathon is fight my way through an enormous crowd to get my stuff. No designated place to meet family and friends either. Also, relay runners and us proper runners need to be divided at handover points. The relay runners seem to be oblivious to the people who are actually running the whole thing. Medal was very underwhelming too. Support along the route was negligible too sadly. All in all, a very disappointing race. If organisers apply themselves then this could be a great race. It certainly is not at the minute.
gerard conway from derry north ireland (9/19/2014) "i find i get good times at belfast" (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 3 Belfast City Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 Compared to London, the sub 3-hour bunch is small and you get settled quickly into a nice rhythm as a result.
A. L. from Belfast, Northern Ireland (5/15/2014) "great as home race but downhill wrecked my knee" (about: 2014) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Belfast City Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 Having completed Dublin seven years ago I was determined to get in a sub four hour time on home turf. Thoroughly enjoyed experience due to family support, but route was poor. Three miles along dual carriageway, four mile incline, followed by one mile STEEP decline which has left me with a serious knee injury I cannot currently run on (I'm only 34!) Three miles along motorway path in driving wind and rain, followed by three miles of industrial estate, including city dump and sewage treatment works. Last three miles of crowd support were superb. Unfortunately this sub four hour run may have left me unable to do another one, primarily due to the steep decline.
M. M. from Edinburgh (5/27/2013) "OK but confusing due to so many relay runners" (about: 2013) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Belfast City Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 3 Managed a PB despite a pretty tough and not that interesting course. Antrim road section and the industrial park make up about half of the course and its either uphill or nothing much of interest to look at. The route could seriously be improved to up Belfast as a marathon destination, start and finish at Stormont perhaps? The real negative for me was the focus on the relay, I went for many stretches without seeing another marathon runner. Every 6 miles you had another influx of relay runners bursting onto the course and then crashing an burning after a couple of miles which was really distracting. Enjoyed the day but not the course or how it was ran. Unless it's a home marathon , one to avoid.
R. E. from Belfast (5/8/2013) "Glorified relay race" (about: 2013) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Belfast City Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 3200 marathon runners along with 18000 relay runners. No sports drink on route other than that picked up off the ground half drank and handed to me by a policeman. It appeared to me the relay guys took all the drink and anyone coming behind was forgotten. Route could do with some improvements. People who run this should be sent to Dublin to see how to arrange a race. I finished got a medal and within 10 meters I was into a crowd of people waiting for the loo...no space for runners to relax.
David Higgins from Belfast (5/8/2013) "A great day" (about: 2013) 3 previous marathons \| 2 Belfast City Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my second Belfast marathon not my best but volunteers at the aid stations were brilliant a good crowd of supporters looking forward for next year
C. K. from Isle of Man (5/7/2013) "Well organised event with great crowd support." (about: 2013) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Belfast City Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 My first marathon. Water was plentiful, and served in cups (not a problem to me). Energy drinks given out in bottles around mile 20, which was nice. Gels given out at various other points, but had my own. The relay didn't cause me any problems, in fact made for a great crowd! Support was superb from spectators. Course itself was hilly with about 700' of climbing according to my Garmin data on Strava. And I felt it. That said, I've finished my first marathon in a great city with excellent cheap flights from the UK and quality inexpensive hotels - which is why I chose it over Edinburgh. Oh, and weather was great too!
D. M. from Cambridge, UK (5/17/2012) "Great crowd & atmosphere, finish was a bit messy" (about: 2012) 1 previous marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 5 First time I have ran this marathon but I loved it despite the terrible weather. First 12 miles is through city and lots of support from people helped. From miles 16-21 was a slog due to wet, windy cold weather, congested narrow footpaths by the lough and lonelinesss of running through an Industrial estate. Once back in the city centre again crowd support carried me through the last stretch. Like most people, couldn't find friends at finish line for 40mins so ended freezing in the rain. Weather was awful, but saw the weather forecast beforehand and prepared myself to 'enjoy' the new experience of running a wet marathon :-). Life is what you make it eh?

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Marathon Details - Belfast City Marathon