40 years old.. & still running

Athletics chief on marathon’s 4 decades

BORN out of the jogging boom of the early 1980s, the Belfast City Marathon first hit the roads in 1982 and has been gathering pace ever since.

More than 3,000 runners took part in the inaugural edition, with 2,171

completing the 26.2-mile route that started at the old Maysfield Leisure Centre and included two laps of a specially-designed circuit.

In the 40 years since, the event has savoured success, endured controversy and suffered tragedy, but it continues to evolve into a global attraction that now features a fiveperson team relay, walk and fun run. One man who has charted the marathon’s growth and transformation is John Glover, current vice-president and former President of Athletics NI.

He said: “In the first year the cold, windy conditions the previous night had brought down trees and caused chaos on the railways. The days of traffic management and closed roads were years away and one unfortunate runner found himself crossing the Albert Bridge at the end of the first lap followed by a hearse. The race was won by local man Greg Hannon.

“Strong criticism of the two-lap course led to a revamp the following year to a single lap taking in a much greater geographical and political area of the city, and indeed beyond.”

John, who was awarded a BEM for Services to Athletics in 2020, also recalls how bomb scares in Belfast forced two lastminute detours. He said: “In 1999 a suspect device was discovered in time for a quick minor diversion. But in 2005 the runners were well on their way when news of a device at Gideon’s Green underpass was relayed to the organisers .

“Thankfully a bit of quick thinking by a PSNI motorcycle outrider saved the day. He managed to direct the runners further up the road, through a park and down a grassy slope back on to Loughshore to join the route.

“Unfortunately this was not before a handful of runners had already passed what thankfully turned out to be a hoax device.”

In 1989 the five-person

Team Relay was introduced to be followed in later years by the Walk and Fun

Run. Three years ago the event changed from

Monday to Sunday, and in 2003 the start was moved to the iconic position directly in front Belfast City Hall.

John says a large part Belfast City Marathon’s s down to the volunteers w event run smoothly on th added: “Having someone street junction on the co hundreds of willing bodie manning of the drink sta relay changeove “Add to that t getting athletes numbers and a transport and reaches gigan proportions. T Northern Ire do respon