BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND (04.05.25)
Before European country no.33, I was able to interview 2 people with M.E; Richard and Aileen who told me all about their lives with M.E in Northern Ireland. After landing in Belfast I was met for dinner by Joan and Linda from the Hope 4 ME & Fibro Northern Ireland charity. It was great to hear about all of the advocacy and events happening there, particularly in May this year. They very kindly donated £100 to Invest In ME also.
I had a pretty leisurely day before the race picking up my race number from the ICC, browsing Ulster Museum and meeting Richard for a coffee. Later on I met up with my friends Caron and Kris for a dinner (burger not pasta!), worked on my dodgy knee a little then got some fairly decent sleep. In the morning, I scoffed some bananas, walked 30 mins to the shuttle bus which took the runners to Stormont where I shivered for 90 minutes before the race finally got going.
Start
I was quite far back up the hill by the Lord Edward Carson statue when the race started and it was much busier than I expected. Lots of relay runners (16,000) mixed in with the marathon entrants (6,500) outside of the iconic parliament building. I saw Robert Boyde-Wolke (Rob Deafrunner) once again dressed in his top hat with German colours and pinstripe suit, I saw him in Montenegro on the last race too (he beat me at the finish line!). He's done over 30 European marathons too and was busy filming for his YouTube channel. I also saw some old guy called Oggie who was running his 800th marathon in 800 weeks, it had taken 13 years and he was 68 years old. Lots of people were taking photos with him, what a legend. I had the very rare experience of shivering on the start line as I took off my jacket, total opposite of Serbia (25c) this time last year! After watching the elites head off into the distance down the Prince Of Wales Avenue, we shuffled to the start line which took a good 7 or 8 mins and then it was a slow jog for the first couple of miles before the runners spread out a bit. I'd dropped a couple of Ibuprofen for my bad right knee and it was more of a dull ache than anything too painful at this point.
Running alongside me for a good mile or so was a guy dressed as Cruella Deville and he was shouting 'come here little doggy' to every canine he could see amongst the crowds. The first part of the race was across the eastern part of the city which felt pretty Protestant with Union Jacks on lamp posts, safe ground for me with the Northern Ireland football top on perhaps. Water was in half-filled plastic cups here which worried me a little but luckily this was the only real water station without bottles. Plenty of cardboard signs in the crowd for this one, mostly about how far it was until Guinness-time, 'You Could Have Chosen Therapy' but I think 'Go and chafe your dreams' was probably my favourite. It was a bit frustrating weaving through some of the very slow relay runners who were walking at times. One of them asked the fully uniformed fireman with oxygen tank on his back whether he was doing the relay or full marathon and was shocked to hear he was doing the whole thing. Amazing. 'Keep Er Lit' as the locals say.
Middle
As the course turned from the long undulating Castlereagh Road into Montgomery Road, I grabbed some jelly babies from a kid in the crowd and chucked some water over my head. We'd passed lots of bands playing so far, a mix of traditional, rock and a duo playing keyboards and singing inside a bus stop. I overtook a guy in a full grey suit who was looking pretty damp and then a guy running in jeans which although impressive, must have been insanely uncomfortable. Up the long Cregagh Road through Willowfield and then a nice diversion through Ormeau Park, I was going along quite well and feeling OK. There was a nice view of the Lagan river over Ormeau Bridge before the route continued into the centre of Belfast. I knew that Caron and Kris would be there at mile 9 by Belfast City Hall and it was a nice boost to stop briefly, offload my sweaty jacket and give them a sweaty hug that they definitely didn't consent to.
I was starting to get pretty hot but extremely grateful of all the 'unofficial' water stops with residents putting up tables and giving out bottles and cups along with more jelly babies and oranges. There was loads of encouragement, high fives from the kids and shouts of 'Green And White Army' aimed at me for my football shirt. It kept me ticking along fairly well as I hit halfway at around 1 hr 55 mins which I was pretty happy with given the training niggles. Through the Balmoral district, suddenly the flags changed at Anderstown and the shop names all took a more Irish flavour. I could see some picturesque hills in the background and lots of tanned grassland, it felt like we were being taken to all corners of the city. From Falls Road, along Cupar Way and to the Peace Walls with their incredible murals it was an awesome sight and one which occupied my brain nicely at around 17 miles or so. I'd read a lot about the history of Shankill Road and I was looking forward to running a bit of it (albeit about 200 yards!) before the route crossed Crumlin Road near my hotel and into Cliftonville.
End
At around 19 miles, my knee started to hurt a fair bit more and I was running low on energy despite wolfing down pure honey energy gels. I messaged my friends to let them know I was running a bit late of my ETA for our meetup at mile 22. I put some 80's hits on and tried to distract my brain from wanting to stop every 5 minutes. I decided I had to run for 2 songs then I could walk for 30 seconds, that worked fairly well along with chucking water over my head at every available opportunity. It wasn't a hot day but the unrelenting sun on my face was definitely making me feel a bit drained and the 4 hr 15 pacer skipped past me. Within about 10 minutes, the route had gone from barbed wire and graffiti to a well-kept lake with ducks and swans. The crowd closed in tightly either side of the narrow path around the lap of the lake and there was plenty of encouragement and high-fives. Then back towards the city centre with about 4 miles left including the infamous long incline around mile 24/25. I trudged over towards my friends, told them I was dying a bit and grabbed a can of coke. I've got to say, this was something of a game-changer as I got going again and it powered me forward a bit quicker than earlier.
There was a nice bit of stretch along the river now and yet more relay runners to dodge past the Waterfront area down to Ormeau Bridge. I saw someone take a trip here and there were people quickly around them helping them up, a reminder for me to keep my concentration amidst the sweaty haze that my brain was going through. Along Ormeau Road there was lots of great support with people hanging out of the pubs, drumming, shouting and generally driving people on. I was pretty dead on my feet with my knee throbbing but they wouldn't really let you stop or walk, terrific. A tight turn and then there it was, Ravenhill Road with it's long gradual incline and golf course on the left at the top. 1 mile of shuffling until Guinness and it's fair to say that it felt like forever. There were a few people trying to cross the road in front of the runners who weren't quite getting their timing right and I saw a couple of people collide. I could hear the MC shouting names and knew the end was close so I tried to pick up speed a little and grimaced my way along the final stretch and over the line totally shattered. I grabbed a medal, bought a couple of slushy ice drinks and a Twix, eventually meeting Caron and Kris for a walk back to the centre and some of the delicious black stuff in Brennan's Bar.
Weather
Chilly 8c start, windy up at Stormont then clear skies and sun, crept to 14c.
Ratings
Course: 8/10 - Urban and park paths, through the Peace Gate, lots of landmarks, lakes and hills to the North and West.
Expo: 6/10 - Decent enough buzz at the ICC, few stalls and free Vimto energy gels and electrolytes.
Support: 9/10 - Spectators cheering the whole way round, only London and Dublin have been better.
Refreshments: 8/10 - Bottles of water, Powerade, oranges, Vimto energy gels, jelly babies.
Goodie Bag: 7/10 - Jacket, porridge oats, Frosties cereal bar, chia seeds, SIS energy gel, electrolyte powder, green teabag.
Medal & Pics: 7/10 - Silver thin, but large medal with Belfast street map, green, blue and white ribbon. £19.95 for photo pack.
Time Completed: 4hrs 45 mins
I had a pretty leisurely day before the race picking up my race number from the ICC, browsing Ulster Museum and meeting Richard for a coffee. Later on I met up with my friends Caron and Kris for a dinner (burger not pasta!), worked on my dodgy knee a little then got some fairly decent sleep. In the morning, I scoffed some bananas, walked 30 mins to the shuttle bus which took the runners to Stormont where I shivered for 90 minutes before the race finally got going.
Start
I was quite far back up the hill by the Lord Edward Carson statue when the race started and it was much busier than I expected. Lots of relay runners (16,000) mixed in with the marathon entrants (6,500) outside of the iconic parliament building. I saw Robert Boyde-Wolke (Rob Deafrunner) once again dressed in his top hat with German colours and pinstripe suit, I saw him in Montenegro on the last race too (he beat me at the finish line!). He's done over 30 European marathons too and was busy filming for his YouTube channel. I also saw some old guy called Oggie who was running his 800th marathon in 800 weeks, it had taken 13 years and he was 68 years old. Lots of people were taking photos with him, what a legend. I had the very rare experience of shivering on the start line as I took off my jacket, total opposite of Serbia (25c) this time last year! After watching the elites head off into the distance down the Prince Of Wales Avenue, we shuffled to the start line which took a good 7 or 8 mins and then it was a slow jog for the first couple of miles before the runners spread out a bit. I'd dropped a couple of Ibuprofen for my bad right knee and it was more of a dull ache than anything too painful at this point.
Running alongside me for a good mile or so was a guy dressed as Cruella Deville and he was shouting 'come here little doggy' to every canine he could see amongst the crowds. The first part of the race was across the eastern part of the city which felt pretty Protestant with Union Jacks on lamp posts, safe ground for me with the Northern Ireland football top on perhaps. Water was in half-filled plastic cups here which worried me a little but luckily this was the only real water station without bottles. Plenty of cardboard signs in the crowd for this one, mostly about how far it was until Guinness-time, 'You Could Have Chosen Therapy' but I think 'Go and chafe your dreams' was probably my favourite. It was a bit frustrating weaving through some of the very slow relay runners who were walking at times. One of them asked the fully uniformed fireman with oxygen tank on his back whether he was doing the relay or full marathon and was shocked to hear he was doing the whole thing. Amazing. 'Keep Er Lit' as the locals say.
Middle
As the course turned from the long undulating Castlereagh Road into Montgomery Road, I grabbed some jelly babies from a kid in the crowd and chucked some water over my head. We'd passed lots of bands playing so far, a mix of traditional, rock and a duo playing keyboards and singing inside a bus stop. I overtook a guy in a full grey suit who was looking pretty damp and then a guy running in jeans which although impressive, must have been insanely uncomfortable. Up the long Cregagh Road through Willowfield and then a nice diversion through Ormeau Park, I was going along quite well and feeling OK. There was a nice view of the Lagan river over Ormeau Bridge before the route continued into the centre of Belfast. I knew that Caron and Kris would be there at mile 9 by Belfast City Hall and it was a nice boost to stop briefly, offload my sweaty jacket and give them a sweaty hug that they definitely didn't consent to.
I was starting to get pretty hot but extremely grateful of all the 'unofficial' water stops with residents putting up tables and giving out bottles and cups along with more jelly babies and oranges. There was loads of encouragement, high fives from the kids and shouts of 'Green And White Army' aimed at me for my football shirt. It kept me ticking along fairly well as I hit halfway at around 1 hr 55 mins which I was pretty happy with given the training niggles. Through the Balmoral district, suddenly the flags changed at Anderstown and the shop names all took a more Irish flavour. I could see some picturesque hills in the background and lots of tanned grassland, it felt like we were being taken to all corners of the city. From Falls Road, along Cupar Way and to the Peace Walls with their incredible murals it was an awesome sight and one which occupied my brain nicely at around 17 miles or so. I'd read a lot about the history of Shankill Road and I was looking forward to running a bit of it (albeit about 200 yards!) before the route crossed Crumlin Road near my hotel and into Cliftonville.
End
At around 19 miles, my knee started to hurt a fair bit more and I was running low on energy despite wolfing down pure honey energy gels. I messaged my friends to let them know I was running a bit late of my ETA for our meetup at mile 22. I put some 80's hits on and tried to distract my brain from wanting to stop every 5 minutes. I decided I had to run for 2 songs then I could walk for 30 seconds, that worked fairly well along with chucking water over my head at every available opportunity. It wasn't a hot day but the unrelenting sun on my face was definitely making me feel a bit drained and the 4 hr 15 pacer skipped past me. Within about 10 minutes, the route had gone from barbed wire and graffiti to a well-kept lake with ducks and swans. The crowd closed in tightly either side of the narrow path around the lap of the lake and there was plenty of encouragement and high-fives. Then back towards the city centre with about 4 miles left including the infamous long incline around mile 24/25. I trudged over towards my friends, told them I was dying a bit and grabbed a can of coke. I've got to say, this was something of a game-changer as I got going again and it powered me forward a bit quicker than earlier.
There was a nice bit of stretch along the river now and yet more relay runners to dodge past the Waterfront area down to Ormeau Bridge. I saw someone take a trip here and there were people quickly around them helping them up, a reminder for me to keep my concentration amidst the sweaty haze that my brain was going through. Along Ormeau Road there was lots of great support with people hanging out of the pubs, drumming, shouting and generally driving people on. I was pretty dead on my feet with my knee throbbing but they wouldn't really let you stop or walk, terrific. A tight turn and then there it was, Ravenhill Road with it's long gradual incline and golf course on the left at the top. 1 mile of shuffling until Guinness and it's fair to say that it felt like forever. There were a few people trying to cross the road in front of the runners who weren't quite getting their timing right and I saw a couple of people collide. I could hear the MC shouting names and knew the end was close so I tried to pick up speed a little and grimaced my way along the final stretch and over the line totally shattered. I grabbed a medal, bought a couple of slushy ice drinks and a Twix, eventually meeting Caron and Kris for a walk back to the centre and some of the delicious black stuff in Brennan's Bar.
Weather
Chilly 8c start, windy up at Stormont then clear skies and sun, crept to 14c.
Ratings
Course: 8/10 - Urban and park paths, through the Peace Gate, lots of landmarks, lakes and hills to the North and West.
Expo: 6/10 - Decent enough buzz at the ICC, few stalls and free Vimto energy gels and electrolytes.
Support: 9/10 - Spectators cheering the whole way round, only London and Dublin have been better.
Refreshments: 8/10 - Bottles of water, Powerade, oranges, Vimto energy gels, jelly babies.
Goodie Bag: 7/10 - Jacket, porridge oats, Frosties cereal bar, chia seeds, SIS energy gel, electrolyte powder, green teabag.
Medal & Pics: 7/10 - Silver thin, but large medal with Belfast street map, green, blue and white ribbon. £19.95 for photo pack.
Time Completed: 4hrs 45 mins