Last minute preparations are underway for thousands of people set to take in this year’s Belfast City marathon.
This year’s marathon event on Sunday has a record 5,500 entrants aiming to complete the course around the streets of Belfast, making it the biggest marathon in the city’s history.
Last year’s winners, Mohamed Oumaarir and Shewaye Woldemeskel, will be hoping to defend their respective male and female titles.
Other participants will be competing in the wheelchair race, team relay and eight-mile walk across the city, securing its place as Northern Ireland’s biggest mass sport participatory event.
The race will start at Stormont at 9am, passing landmarks such City Hall and Parliament Buildings, before finishing at Ormeau Park.
The team relay event also has a record 12,500 participants, also making it the largest team relay in the city’s history.
It follows the same route as the main marathon and wheelchair race, with the five ‘legs’ of the event ranging from approximately four to 7.5 miles, with changeover points across the route.
Participants must complete the marathon race or team relay within six hours.
The eight-mile walk will see 1,200 participants make their way around the city.
Also starting at Stormont Estate, walkers will set off after the marathon and team relay begins, following the initial eight miles of the marathon route before finishing in Ormeau Park.
Ahead of Sunday’s race, organisers of the annual event will be the Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast today and Saturday where runners can collect their race numbers.
Participants are reminded that they need their QR code that was emailed to all registrants in order to collect their pack.
Traffic disruption is expected around the city throughout most of Sunday from around 6am to 4.30pm.
Some roads will be closed, while others will be shut on a staggered basis as participants pass through.
Motorists can expect traffic disruption throughout the morning and early afternoon on Sunday 5th May due to the 2024 Moy Park Belfast City Marathon🚦#moyparkmiles pic.twitter.com/aJkRS304yH
— BelfastCityMarathon (@marathonbcm) April 29, 2024
There will be free transport to the various start and finishing line points for those taking part in all races.
Many participants will be taking part to fundraise for charity or in memory of a loved one.
Among those involved will be staff from IntoMedia Group, which owns the Irish News and Q Radio, who are hoping to raise funds in memory of three colleagues who died last year.
A total of 27 employees are participating in the relay and eight-mile walk to fundraise for the charities chosen by the families of Hugh Russell, Dawn Egan and Lorraine McCarthy.
Hugh and Dawn’s families have chosen Macmillan Cancer Support, and Lorraine’s family has chosen Medical Aid for Palestine.
To donate, please visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/intomediamarathon
