2024 Moy Park Belfast City Half Marathon – Race Preview
19 September 2024
Current title holder Anne Marie McGlynn will face a major challenge defending her Moy Park Belfast City Half Marathon title this Sunday (start 9am at Ormeau Embankment). Organisers are delighted with the 6,600 entries which closed weeks ago in what is easily the biggest event of its kind and one of the largest in Ireland.
A year ago 44 year old McGlynn enjoyed an easy victory over runner up Gladys Ganiel. She will be making strenuous efforts to retain her title following a fast Seville Marathon time of 2 hrs 33 mins back in February. However this time she faces fierce competition from GB’s Natasha Cockram who recorded a superb time for the half marathon of just outside 70 mins earlier this year in Spain behind 3 Ethiopians.
31 year old Natasha who has paced the race in Belfast previously is also an excellent marathon runner with a PB of 2 hrs 26 mins She also ran 2 hrs 35 mins when racing for GB in last year’s Budapest World Championships.
Also, the addition of Monica Silva of Portugal (PB of 79 mins) makes this year’s race the most competitive yet with a course record possibly on the cards.
Again the local male field will struggle to compete with the foreign opposition. A year ago Annadale’s Eskander Turki, who ran an impressive 2 hrs 22 mins in May in his first Moy Park Belfast City Marathon, just managed to hold off North Belfast’s Conan McCaughey in some 69 mins.
This time will be regarded as a mere training run for this year’s African favourite. Kenyan’s Barnabas Kipkoech finished 3rd in the Malaga Half in March in 62 mins 32 secs. The 30 year old also ran a sub 2 hrs 11 mins marathon time in Rotterdam a month later.
A further threat is Spain’s Abdenasser Oukhelfen who ran under 65 mins for the half marathon in the Czech Republic in June.
In addition to Turki local entries include CDNR Track Club’s Conor Gallagher who was runner up in the 2022 event in 67 mins 44 secs. 4 minute miler Brhane Gebrebrhan of Annadale is also racing.
An intriguing possible starter is Clonliffe’s Stephen Scullion. The 35 year old Olympian won the inaugural Belfast Half back in 2013 and recently recorded 2 hrs 16 mins for 13th place in this year’s London Marathon.
Organisers would like to wish all runners partaking in the Moy Park Belfast City Half Marathon on Sunday the very best of luck.
The Moy Park Belfast City Marathon and Half Marathon is sponsored by Moy Park, Northern Ireland Electricity Networks, Belfast Live, Daily Mirror, Cool FM, Downtown, Downtown Country, Translink, Better, Tayto, Belfast City Council, Deep RiverRock, Athletics NI, Charles Hurst, Linwoods Health Foods and Mac in a Sac. The official charity partner is Air Ambulance Northern Ireland.
