Belfast Marathon 19/09/2021

event

Didnt see a previous thread on this, maybe I am blind though.

Many or anyone signed up, has anyone done it before, what is the route like etc?

I know be way different with COVID this year, not expecting huge crowds but just to get out and do a race on the island be great and something to train for over the summer


https://www.belfastcitymarathon.com/events/marathon

Eamando1981

I did it in 2018. the route is different now I believe a bit flatter which is good, as the antrim road hill was savage.



Really enjoyed it good atmosphere, if Dublin doesn't happen it could be my plan b

Supercell

Entered this myself. It looks like there is a fairly substantial hill around half distance according to the website profile chart. Something to aim for, really missed just participating in events for the last year, will make a weekend out of it with herself.

sk8board

V tempted to put my name down. It might well be the biggest marathon on the island this year.

Supercell

The website mentions that there will be "Free shuttle buses will be in operation on race day" but doesnt say from where to where, is it fair to assume there will be buses running from the finish back to the start (they are around five miles apart looking at the map)? Thinking about where to park, dont fancy a long walk before or after running a marathon.

sideshowbob321

Ran it two years ago and if it's the same it was a bit of a nightmare at the end tbh. 15 minute walk/crawl to a coach that brings you into the City then you need to change coach to get shuttled back to the start ....

And that's before you consider a wrong turn added half a KM to the course and a completely manic and unorganised finish area that had long queues and was open to non runners.

Other than that it was grand

franciscanpunk

I genuinely dont mind if I've they add in extra few yards this year again I'd just be delighted to get to do it and sure its better value for money

i wonder what date it will be confirmed or not similar to dublin saying they will make a call in late june(think it was june 25\26 that i read)

ChampionChip

I do the timing chips for it and they are confident it will go ahead given the pace of the vaccine rollout and the cases in NI.

Pinoy adventure

Champion chip
There was official runs held in Northern Ireland over the weekend including the last back yard ultra run by atlas

ChampionChip

Pinoy adventure wrote: »

Champion chip
There was official runs held in Northern Ireland over the weekend including the last back yard ultra run by atlas

All the events inc mine and Atlas up to now have been run under the restriction of no spectators and only 100 persons allowed including the officials and marshalls.

The expectation is that we will move to 500 persons and 500 spectators from May 24th after the latest review due this Thursday.

ChampionChip

Its official now. We can have the 500 participants and 500 spectators at a race. May 30th the morning will be the 10k event and afternoon the 5k. Entries will be open until Monday morning at 10am. They will close while we do a head count and then it might re open depending on the numbers reached but will be at a higher price to cover extra costs of first class postage etc

Bgiraffe

Hoping to do the Belfast marathon on September 19. (Based in Meath). But between a communion 'probably being on in mid-September' and needing to book a hotel/wondering if the event will actually take place, it's a bit of a lottery.

On a more concrete issue, does anyone know if it's a hard and fast rule that you can't wear earphones on the day? I recently bought a (relatively) expensive pair of ear buds which I use when running. I see on the marathon website it says you have to wear bone conduction headphones. Can't see myself forking out for a pair of those. Just wondering if this is a rule that's enforced or not?

Supercell

I booked a place anyhow, we will make a weekend away regardless if its on or not, plenty to do and see up there regardless. Nana already sorted out for babysitting duty back home, no going back now!
Most races in my experience don't allow in/over ear headphones for obvious reasons, I would leave them home for the race and enjoy the atmosphere and cheering on.

The Davestator

Bgiraffe wrote: »

Hoping to do the Belfast marathon on September 19. (Based in Meath). But between a communion 'probably being on in mid-September' and needing to book a hotel/wondering if the event will actually take place, it's a bit of a lottery.

On a more concrete issue, does anyone know if it's a hard and fast rule that you can't wear earphones on the day? I recently bought a (relatively) expensive pair of ear buds which I use when running. I see on the marathon website it says you have to wear bone conduction headphones. Can't see myself forking out for a pair of those. Just wondering if this is a rule that's enforced or not?

It's never been enforced in my experience. It almost always says it on races so you can hear people / stewards / ambulances but it's unenforceable.
keep the volume down for the reasons mentioned though

TomD101

chances of it still going ahead for 10.000 people? 50 /50 ? I have an entry and am desperate for a race coming from south of the border...

ChampionChip

TomD101 wrote: »

chances of it still going ahead for 10.000 people? 50 /50 ? I have an entry and am desperate for a race coming from south of the border...

The total taking part is usually in the region of 17000 but ..

That's split between 3500 individuals and 2500 relay teams and the Fun Run which is at a separate start point from the others but same finishing area.

The key pinch point is the marathon start with the full complement of 6000 runners starting off. The rest are spread out round the course at relay points etc.

Wales has already moved to 4000 runners at races and England has no upper limit at all but races in England are suffering from local govt interpreting the rules different from central govt, hence the problems with ParkRun. I'd expect that NI would be well past the 6000 limit by September.

NI is due the next review tomorrow (Thursday 10th) and I think we will see the 500 limit increased some more.

Key date for marathons like London, Dublin, Belfast etc is the end of June when they will say if they will go ahead or not.

My feeling is that Belfast will go ahead as planned but the other 2 will not just due to their sheer size.

Supercell

Fantastic news, cannot wait!

ChampionChip

Good news from the latest review in NI is that the limit of 500 is planned to be scrapped completely and no upper limit on numbers of participants at outdoor sports from June 21st. Subject to risk assessments..

Has to be confirmed next week by govt so if it goes ahead that clears the way for the Antrim Coast Half in August and the Belfast Marathon in September to take place.

Hopefully ParkRun will start soon also and encourage the more casual runners that its safe to return as its those folks we are not seeing at organised events so far.

sk8board

signed up to the marathon today. It may yet be the biggest marathon on the island this year.

ChampionChip

Park Run to start on June 26th in NI and that will give more casual runners confidence to start entering races again I think.

ChampionChip

Big announcement coming re the Belfast event. I cant pre-empt it before they go public with it.

rovers_runner

ChampionChip wrote: »

Big announcement coming re the Belfast event. I cant pre-empt it before they go public with it.

If this is gone the Dublin may as well go ahead and confirm same this week.

ChampionChip

Def not cancelled trust me. Still going ahead.

TomD101

ChampionChip wrote: »

Big announcement coming re the Belfast event. I cant pre-empt it before they go public with it.

thanks for your updates

sideshowbob321

Belfast Marathon confirmed but date change to 3rd October ..... Bode well for Dublin ???

franciscanpunk

booked the work holidays to coincide with the original(well moved around but the latest) dats of sept 19

sk8board

Just got the mail here too. The main thing is it’s going ahead - and the 2week delay might reduce the temperatures a little too.

It’s great news, albeit I’ll be doing a 20wk training block now

The email says “ The organisers have decided to cap all events under these guidelines and full details of participant numbers are available on the official website.”
FM cap: 4,800
Relay cap: 1,500 teams (2-5 people)
HM cap: ?

Sounds like it would be about 15,000+ participants overall (2019 had 17,000) - which would be way outside the guidelines, no?

franciscanpunk

Yeah for me it doesn't really work but in fairness I can't say they are not giving enough notice and it just a slight delay so maybe it will be better for most people, with as poster alrrady said more time to train and a bit cooler.

Great to see it is happening anyway.

I think it sounds as if they lost out out to some other events that are planned in Belfast that weekend, I'm not sure what they are exactly, they've thrown due Covid in the email which can used a reason to change anything for the next while!

This is the text for anyone interested
.......
The organisers are pleased to announce that the rescheduled 39th Deep RiverRock Belfast City Marathon will go ahead this year, following delays due to COVID-19. However due to severe congestion of other cultural events in Belfast during September, the planned date (19th September 2021) has been changed to Sunday 3rd October 2021 to ensure all participants can compete safely to a standard which they are accustomed to.

Belfast City Marathon are fully aware that there are still some restrictions which may affect the staging of their event and will follow all NI Executive guidelines throughout their planning and implementation to ensure participants, volunteers, staff, and members of the Public are kept safe.

The organisers have decided to cap all events under these guidelines and full details of participant numbers are available on the official website. However please be mindful that if the event sells out before the entry deadline, Friday 27th August 2021 no entries will be accepted.

All registered entrants will AUTOMATICALLY transfer to the new date of 3rd October, so your place is safe. If this date does not suit, please contact info@belfastcitymarathon.org before 30th June 2021 for a deferral, transfer of name/event or full refund*

*No refunds will be given after 30th June 2021.

Furthermore, we would like to encourage as many of our registrants to run, walk or jog for our official charity, Cancer Focus NI, as they are in desperate need of funds as they too make their way out of the coronavirus pandemic. So #MakeItCount and run for Cancer Focus NI - together and help even more people survive cancer. For more information visit www.cancerfocusni.org

Finally, we would ask for your patience at this time while we work through all our race day plans but will be in touch with more information as soon as possible. We apologise for the inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your support at this time.

For more information, please visit www.belfastcitymarathon.com

Take care and stay safe.

Belfast City Marathon Ltd
........

franciscanpunk

also i see on facebook a lot of people saying it clashes with london - tbf, maybe they were told it would only get approval if they moved to 3.oct - i wonder what other cultural events are taking precedence

sonyvision

Signed up over the weekend. Date doesn't make a whole lot of difference to me. I do have a spot for Dublin Marathon would have liked the 5 week break rather than 3 weeks but just glad to have something coming up.

Changing hotel dates now.

Supercell

Too close to Dublin if that goes ahead for me, plus my AirBnB is non refundable (my fault for not noticing). Oh well, wait and see what happens with Dublin before deciding what to do.

event

People need to calm down a bit on the social media side. Saying they will contact councilors and MLAs to object and get it moved. Its a bloody marathon, not life or death.

There will be plenty of others to do next year

Majority of ones moaning have never organized a thing in their lives yet love to criticise others

ChampionChip

The whole month of September is blocked with concerts in Ormeau Park and thats the issue that caused the problem. It will not be moved or re instated to September, end of.

On the numbers issue. They have capped it at 4800 individuals and 1500 teams so it means there will be at most 5000 actual runners at the start as the others in the relay teams will be out round the course. Im allowing here for a good few no shows to get the 5000 figure.

There is no Half Marathon on the same day.

sk8board

In 2019 there were 3,750 FM, 4,500 HM and 2,250 relay teams, 17,000 runners in total, so this year is going to be a max of 10-11,000 using avg of 4 per relay

event

I hate relays in marathons. If you want to do a 10k, do a 10k. Don't do it in the middle of a marathon.

My first ever marathon was limerick in 2013 and it was very disheartening to be struggling at mile 21 onward only to be passed by someone who had just started their 10k.

franciscanpunk

ChampionChip wrote: »

The whole month of September is blocked with concerts in Ormeau Park and thats the issue that caused the problem. It will not be moved or re instated to September, end of.

On the numbers issue. They have capped it at 4800 individuals and 1500 teams so it means there will be at most 5000 actual runners at the start as the others in the relay teams will be out round the course. Im allowing here for a good few no shows to get the 5000 figure.

There is no Half Marathon on the same day.

Thanks not familiar with Belfast so didnt know what was on in sept that got the go ahead instead.

Yeah thinking there is any possibility getting it moved back to original date would is a bit nuts

ChampionChip

sk8board wrote: »

In 2019 there were 3,750 FM, 4,500 HM and 2,250 relay teams, 17,000 runners in total, so this year is going to be a max of 10-11,000 using avg of 4 per relay

Most relay teams do the full 5 members but this year will be 1500 teams, 4800 full marathon but most of those are deferrals lots of whom will not run for various reasons. The Half Marathon is never on the same day as the full marathon. usually the Half would have been in Sept and the Full in May but they swopped this year because of Covid and the Half was virtual.

Latest word is that the limit will be reviewed on July 1st for possible lifting on July 5th.

ChampionChip

Speaking to the Office today and they have released more places but about 150 are left now.

sk8board

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117617320#Comment_117617320

Sounds like a sell out, which is great for them. Roughly how many people does that put at the starting line, around 4-5k FM and 1,500 relays runners?

cullenswood

Still some places left on the website....

ChampionChip

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117634919#Comment_117634919

If they sell out at about 5500 and 1500 relay teams then allow for about 20% no shows since there are so many deferrals from last year. About 5500 at the start line in Stormont. Its a good wide area with lots of space for distancing, no buildings near and loads of space at the sides of the road.

franciscanpunk

i see they are doing some pop up locations in september to collect the race packs as an option for people.

What is the general plan for race packs anyway, i imagine its posting to everyone as opposed an expose event? i must have seen this before but can't remember

dgvs

When I signed for the marathon - it was mentioned that race pack will be posted. Now they changed it to collection only. I'm not going to spend money on AirB&B......

sk8board

I was surprised to see that email today too. I happened to book a hotel with a few others, so I can probably get it the day before - they haven't annouced the details for that day yet.

It also looks like you can't just turn up and collect your pack at a collection point, you need to have pre-reserved it so they'll have it at that place.

Posting them just makes so much more sense.

S'

Is there a Strava link available for this years route?

franciscanpunk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117733268#Comment_117733268

like collection only on the day before at a specific location?

I really cant remember what it said originally

Mogrump

If anyone has a spare entry then I would be interested.. booked accommodation Thursday and when I went to register it was sold out! 🙈

Thanks

Mo

franciscanpunk

Seen an update - collection point the day before in ormeau park for anyone who can't attend the locations next month. Why is posting a non-runner, depending on other services and too many oppurtunities for things to go wrong?

diego_b

Now the venue for the 2021 National Marathon Championships

https://www.athleticsireland.ie/news/2021-national-marathon-championships?fbclid=IwAR2Ncvep2IXrhbZcoXIcCB7pj1q9fFJpY4jfQMk-sROEfMi2d1YcXsqPfjg

Supercell

Whats parking like in the Ormeau Park area?,I'm staying in Templemore Avenue during marathon weekend, is street parking overnight safe with a southern reg car?

bucketybuck

I'm genuinely baffled as to why the entries aren't just being posted out, I just don't get it, it really seems like a no brainer.

I had heard bad reports in the past about the organisation of the Belfast marathon, I hope this isn't symptomatic of that and a forerunner of things to come.