History of the Belfast City Marathon
The Belfast City Marathon first launched in 1982 with 3021 taking part in a marathon only event. The marathon course started at the old Maysfield Leisure Centre and Greg Hannon was the winner in a time of two hours, 20 minutes and 25 seconds. Sue Boreham was the first woman across the line in a time of 3 hours, 11 minutes and 26 seconds. The event would take place on May Day Bank Holiday Monday each year. Photo credit: Ian Finn (1982)
1989 - the Team Relay event was introduced for teams of 2-5 runners, generating over £1.1M annually for local charities
1997 - the 8 Mile Walk and Fun Run events were introduced making the event the largest mass sport participatory event in Northern Ireland
2013 - the Half Marathon September event was launched
2019 - the Marathon, Team Relay, Walk and Fun Run events took place on a Sunday for the first time ever
2020 - all events were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2022 - the Belfast City Marathon celebrated it's 40th year
2023 - the Belfast City Half Marathon celebrates its 10th year
