BBC News NI Live - Belfast City Marathon

Summary

Belfast City Marathon special - Monday 2 May 2016
About 17,500 runners taking part in 35th annual race
2,700 people running the full race, 1,800 relay teams
First athletes expected to cross finish-line at about 11:00

Live Reporting

Fiona Murray, Iain McDowell, Sharon Ferguson and Erinn Kerr

Enjoying a well deserved drinkpublished at 11:38 British Summer Time 2 May 2016
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Finishing the fun runpublished at 11:33 British Summer Time 2 May 2016
Vickie Sayers and Owen Murphy have completed the fun run. Well done to them!
And the winner is...Kenya's Joel Kipsang Kositanypublished at 11:27 British Summer Time 2 May 2016
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Our reporter has a bird's eye viewpublished at 11:21 British Summer Time 2 May 2016
BBC reporter Tori Watson captures all the drama of the marathon on a body camera
Media caption,
BBC reporter Tori Watson captures all the drama of the marathon on a body camera
Feeling thirsty?published at 11:20 British Summer Time 2 May 2016
Wonder woman!published at 11:14 British Summer Time 2 May 2016
Susan Boreham was the first woman to cross the line in the inaugural Belfast Marathon in 1982 in a time of about 3:11:00, and remembers having to endure a "gruelling" final six miles.
She says: "Initially when you cross the line you just say: 'Thank goodness!' And then a couple of minutes later, it's: "I did it, I finished it, that was a fantastic thing to do!"
Raising funds for a good causepublished at 11:01 British Summer Time 2 May 2016
Many of those taking part in the Belfast Marathon are doing so to raise funds for charities.
Image source, Pacemaker
Boxing champ sends good wishes to runnerspublished at 11:00 British Summer Time 2 May 2016
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Clapping and cheerspublished at 10:50 British Summer Time 2 May 2016
Those taking part in the marathon are getting plenty of support from the sidelines.
Running the course of historypublished at 10:41 British Summer Time 2 May 2016
Thousands of runners were forced to take an alternative route in the 1998 Belfast Marathon, after two mortar bombs were found in the Grosvenor Road area of Belfast, near the course.
Quick puff or sugar rush?published at 10:32 British Summer Time 2 May 2016
Belfast Lord Mayor Arder Carson, who started the runners off today, ran the race back in 1989, clocking in with a time of about 4:23:00 but almost ran out of puff when he reached Grand Parade.
"I asked for a cigarette and that was probably the wrong thing and it was refused to me," he says. "I ended up getting a gobstopper, which I sucked from there to the very end - it got me over the line with the wee sugar burst that I got."
Drinking-up timepublished at 10:27 British Summer Time 2 May 2016
Runners along the route will have been glad to see the refuelling stations in the horizon.
Whether they drank the water or threw it over their heads to cool down is anyone's guess!
Stopping for a stretchpublished at 10:24 British Summer Time 2 May 2016
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Fond memories of the first Belfast Marathonpublished at 10:22 British Summer Time 2 May 2016
Belfast Marathon chairman David Seaton has fond memories of the first race, held back in 1982.
He says he finished it in 20th place with a time of about 2:38:00.
“Everybody crossed the line and got a free pint of Guinness if they wanted it,” he laughs!
Tick, tock...published at 10:16 British Summer Time 2 May 2016
Decisions, decisions....published at 10:15 British Summer Time 2 May 2016
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Facts and figurespublished at 10:12 British Summer Time 2 May 2016
18,000 runners are taking part in the marathon.
Image source, bbc
2,700 are hoping to complete the full route and 1,800 relay teams have also registered.
Oompa Loompas playing their partpublished at 10:07 British Summer Time 2 May 2016
No, they weren't auditioning for a role in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, they were taking part in the marathon.
Belfast streets awash with colourpublished at 10:01 British Summer Time 2 May 2016
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Organ donation 'no joke', says Alexanderpublished at 09:58 British Summer Time 2 May 2016
Ballymena man Alexander Owen is running in his 75th marathon, and he's doing it to raise awareness of organ donation. All the best, Alexander!