Belfast City Marathon: Mick Clohisey and Fionnuala Ross triumph as race returns
- Published
Mick Clohisey led the field away at Stormont and dominated the race
Irish Olympian Mick Clohisey won the Belfast City Marathon, while Fionnuala Ross was first in the women's race.
Clohisey, who represented Ireland at the 2016 Games, triumphed in a time of 2:20.42 and claimed the Irish National Marathon title.
Armagh runner Ross won the women's race in a time of 2:43.42 and secured the women's Irish Marathon title.
The race returned following an absence of more than two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
More than 5,700 people took part across the main event, team relay, 5km fun run and eight-mile walk, which makes it Northern Ireland's largest mass participation sporting event since the pandemic began.
Clohisey's personal best is his 2:13.19 time set in Dublin two years ago but amid windy conditions in Belfast and a lack of serious challengers, that time was never going to be within reach on Sunday.
The Raheny Shamrocks man clinched his second Irish marathon title as he finished two minutes and six seconds ahead of City of Derry Spartans athlete Kyle Doherty with Dungannon man Colin Heron taking third spot in 2:27.25.
Fionnuala Ross won the women's race to clinch her first Irish marathon title
Ross' women's winning time left her 58 seconds ahead of Dublin athlete Ciara Hickey [2:44.40] with North Belfast's Irish international athlete Gladys Ganiel [2:45.03] and City of Derry Spartans' Catherine Whoriskey [2:48.17] in third and fourth positions.
Carndonagh man Karol Doherty won the wheelchair event in a time of 2:47:06.
In the London Marathon, Belfast teenager Emer McKee, who twice broke the 5km record for a 12-year-old earlier this year, won the Under-13 girls' mini marathon in the time of 8:28 while Mid-Ulster's European Under-20 3,000m gold medallist Nick Griggs won the Boys Under-17 race in 7:21.
In the main marathon event in London, 61-year-old Maghera man Tommy Hughes narrowly missed his target of breaking two hours and 30 minutes as he clocked 2:30.46.
Hughes, who has set a multitude of age group long distance world records in recent years, was aiming to better the 2:30 mark in his 60s after having achieved the feat during his 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s.
The 1992 Barcelona Olympian also was just outside his own father-and-son world record set with son Eoin at the 2019 Frankfurt Marathon.
With his son clocking 2:29.57, that left the Hughes' combined time as 5:00.43 which was a minute and 31 seconds outside their existing mark.
Welsh father and son Nick and Josh Griffiths also made an attempt at the world record but the clocked a combined 5:01.32 with Josh second Briton home in 2:13.39 as he finished eighth overall and his dad clocking 2:47.53.
County Down athlete Eoghan Totten finished 20th in the men's race as he clocked 2:26.08 on the London course where Ethiopian athlete Sisay Lemma took victory in 2:04.01.