Runners lace up as Belfast Marathon to get under way

Q: What is the starting point of the Belfast City Marathon?

The Belfast City Marathon starts at Stormont.

Q: How many people are participating in the Belfast Marathon?

Just under 24,000 people have signed up for the Belfast Marathon.

Q: Where does the Belfast City Marathon finish?

The marathon finishes at Ormeau Park.

Q: What landmarks do runners pass during the Belfast Marathon?

Runners will pass landmarks including City Hall and Parliament Buildings.

Close-up of hands tying the laces on a blue running shoe worn on a paved surface. The person is crouched down, wearing light-colored socks and a smartwatch on one wrist, with the focus on the shoelaces being pulled tight.

Just under 24,000 people have signed up for the marathon on Sunday [Getty Images]

The Belfast City Marathon is due to kick off with runners aiming to complete the 26.2-mile course.

The 44th marathon will start at Stormont and finish in Ormeau Park, and just under 24,000 people have signed up for it.

Participants will race across the city, past landmarks including City Hall and Parliament Buildings, before finishing in Ormeau Park.

There will be numerous roads closed and changes to public transport for much of Sunday as it gets under way.

The Team Relay consists of five legs, of varying distance, with changeover points across the route.

The first Belfast City Marathon was held on the same date in 1982, with more than 3,000 participants starting at the former Maysfield Leisure Centre near the city centre.

Tilahun Nigussie broke the record at the 43rd Belfast City Marathon in 2025. The Ethiopian won the marathon with a new event record of 2:13:37.

When time does the Belfast marathon start/likely to finish?

A large crowd of runners begin their race from the starting line at the Stormont estate. The runners, wearing athletic gear, are running underneath a large blue banner reading 'Moy Park Belfast City Marathon' and are heading towards the camera. There are supporters behind metal barricades on either side holding up supportive signs.

Thousands of runners begin the marathon from Stormont Estate in east Belfast [Pacemaker]

The race gets under way at the Stormont estate in east Belfast.

The wheelchair race starts at 08:59 BST, the elite race starts a minute later and all other participants begin at 09:01.

Participants start on Prince of Wales Avenue, and proceed down the hill, on to the Upper Newtownards Road.

The first of the runners are expected to cross the finish line shortly after 11:00.

However, the rest of the runners will still be making their way across the city for a number of hours after that.

Roads will reopen after six hours, and organisers have asked anyone continuing along the route after that time to move onto the footpath and follow road safety laws.

What is the Belfast Marathon route?

The course traverses the city, starting off in Stormont in east Belfast then heading south.

It takes in the Boucher Road, before going west onto the Falls Road.

From there, it's north, past the Waterworks, as well as through the city centre, before ending in Ormeau Park.

The route has minor alterations in east Belfast this year.

It will now turn left off Beersbridge Road onto Clara Street, and then left again onto Castlereagh Road.

In north Belfast, this year the route will remain on Oldpark Road and turn right at the roundabout onto Cliftonville Road and continuing on the route.

Which roads are closed for the Belfast Marathon?

For a full list of what roads are closed and when they reopen you can click here.

There will be some disruption for the duration of the marathon, with the Upper Newtownards Road closing at the Comber Road junction from about 06:00 until 11:00.

Roads along the route will open and close on a staggered basis as runners pass, so for example the Boucher Road, from Tates Avenue to Stockmans Lane, will be closed between 08:30 and 13:30 while Duncairn Gardens in north Belfast will be closed between 09:30 and 14:45.

The last road to reopen will be the Ravenhill Road from the Rosetta Roundabout to the Ormeau Embankment (where local access is being maintained) which closes at 09:00 and does not reopen until 15:45.

Is there going to be extra public transport?

To help people going to the marathon there will be special early morning trains from Londonderry, Larne, Bangor, and Newry to Belfast Lanyon Place.

For a list of all special departure times click here.

These additional services cannot be booked in advance and standard fares will apply.

Public transport around the city will be affected due to several road closures.

The picture shows three people on wheelchairs in front of other people dressed in blue on bicycles. Stormont and hundreds of marathon runners are behind them

Wheelchair participants will be first to set off on the 26.2 mile route [Pacemaker]

Ulsterbus, Metro and Glider bus services within Belfast will be subject to delay or disruption.

Shuttle buses will be available from Belfast City Hall and Lanyon Place Station to the starting line from 07:00 BST and 07:30 BST respectively.

A shuttle bus will also take spectators from Massey Avenue to Ormeau Park after the start of the race at Stormont and additional buses will drop off runners off at their designated relay changeover point.

A bus will transport participants from Ormeau Embankment to Belfast City Centre from 11:45 BST to 16:00 BST and every shuttle bus leaving Ormeau Embankment will transport spectators back to Stormont.