Earlier this year myself, Barry, Rav and Aaron decided to enter the 2024 Moy Park Belfast Half Marathon. We also thought it would be fun to sign up Graham for his 40th birthday so with encouragement from Lyndsey and without Graham knowing, race places were confirmed, accommodation found and cheap flights booked, well in advance of the race.
All that remained was to share the good news with Graham so we waited until his birthday party in May and then presented him with his gift (and a mock-up of race number). At first, he was less than impressed with his present thinking we’d signed him up for a full marathon on his own but once he’d been reassured it was “just” the half and he wasn’t going alone he was soon looking forward to a trip to Belfast. Maybe not the race itself but the idea of three nights away, in a city famous for its pubs and nightlife certainly appealed.
Training went well for some, less well for others and badly for one or two of the group. Between us we completed some full-on and very demanding fell races (Barry and Graham), a couple of 10ks, some parkruns, and for Barry and Aaron, tapering only began after taking part in the Great North Run. Injuries were mostly avoided and some of the group felt more confident than others but we all knew we’d have a fun weekend in Belfast.
Last year, myself, Barry and Rav had a long weekend away in Valencia and took part in their half marathon. This year would be even more fun. We might not have the Spanish weather but with a bigger group and a lively destination, we knew we’d all have a great time in Belfast. Hopefully the race would be fun too.
We flew out on the Friday morning to allow us plenty of time to acclimatise before the race on the Sunday — and for a big night out on the Friday. We planned to do the Ormeau Park parkrun on the Saturday and the 9.30am start time made it slightly more appealing although only Aaron and myself made it. The rest of the group were saving themselves for Sunday so they said, (or recovering from the excesses of Friday night).
On Saturday afternoon we visited the Race Expo to collect our race numbers and a couple of the group treated themselves to new socks specially for the race. After that it was straight to the pub for a decent meal as our final race prep began. The rest of the day was spent napping and watching the football before heading to a great pizza restaurant for our evening meal and a final chance to carb load before the race. The round of drinks that accompanied the meal included a bottle of red wine, a pint of cider, a glass of coke and a fruit shoot (with ice). I’ll let you guess who ordered what?
Sunday morning as an early start, we left our apartment just after 8am and it was only a mile walk to the start. The race was due to begin at 9am so we had plenty of time once we arrived to pop to the toilet (no queues), drop off our baggage (no queues), do a warm up, pop to the toilet again (still no queues) and then head to the start line. With a small field of only 6,500 people running and no pens to segregate (or stress people out) it was a far more pleasant experience than a typical GNR morning. We took our place near the front, but not too near, and congregated around a 90min pacer. If we’d really wanted to, we could have stood on the start line so small, informal and yet well organised was the race. That said, we didn’t want to take the mickey and some of the field looked fast — very fast!
As for the race itself, conditions were prefect. A relatively small field, great weather, (dry and not too warm) and a flat course (only 200 feet of elevation, compared to nearly 400 feet on the GNR). The crowds were fantastic. At times it felt like you were taking part in the Tour De France with spectators lining the route, so close to the runners on either side you could have hi-fived everyone if you’d wanted to. The course was brilliant. It took you through the city, into two of the parks that host parkruns, out to the Titanic area, and along the Falls Road and the Shankill Road past all the murals. We also ran though the city centre passing lots of the pubs we’d visited on Friday and would be returning to as soon as the race was over. The route really showcased the city of Belfast and we all agreed it was a great course and one we’d be keen to do again.
On a personal note, I’d not “raced” in a half marathon for a while. Last October I completed Valencia but due to over training and new shoes (Nike Alphas) I managed to sustain my first ever running injury, tearing both hamstrings around six weeks before race day. Fast forward nearly twelve months and after lots of physio, rehab, joining a gym and taking Paul Rea’s advice (better late than never), I’d finally started to take strength and conditioning seriously. Over the past year I’ve started to mix up my training schedule to include gym work and swimming. I completed the Edinburgh marathon in May with my wife. She was taking part in her first ever marathon but this time I was keen to race and run as well as I could.
Usually I obsess over my watch during a race (be it a 5k, 10k or Half) — constantly looking at the time and my mile splits. Trying to bank time on the faster miles and frantically calculating my time, pace, and expected finish time throughout the race. It’s hardly relaxing and feels more like one long maths challenge or complex puzzle. This time was different. I wanted to run well but also to enjoy and remember the run. Plus, I knew Belfast pretty well already so was keen to see the sites. The race turned out to be a far better way of seeing the city than a Red Bus Tour.
For the first twelve miles I didn’t look at my time, pace or race splits. All I did was knock off the miles as they passed. Fortunately, my watch was perfectly in sync with the mile markers during the entire run and that helped massively. First mile done, only twelve to go. Three miles done, only ten (and a bit) to go, five miles completed, getting nearer to the half way point. Six point five five (6.55) miles done, halfway and still going strong. Following Aarons advice, I took salt tablets every 15 minutes and a caffeine tablet at mile ten. I was actually enjoying the run, felt very relaxed and wasn’t completing a maths exercise as I ran. By mile ten things were still going well and I felt strong, only a parkrun to go. Is it just me or is this how all runners think during a race. Certainly, those still working in miles and not kilometres (sorry Ricco) must think like this?
With just over a mile to go I was on the home straight and heading back to the park and the start / finish line. An orange pyro was set off in the crown and that marked the point where the long straight slog would end, you’d turn left and then only had around 800 meters to go. At this point I looked at my watch properly for the first time and checked my timing. If I kept going at my current pace I was on for a personal best – get in! It turned out that mile thirteen was my quickest mile and as the finish line got nearer and nearer, the grin on my face grew and grew. I managed to beat my 2023 Brass Monkey time by a minute and a half. It must have been all the Guinness I’d consumed on the Friday.
The whole gang finished within around 20 minutes of one another and we’d all enjoyed the race (once it was over, for some of us) and we all agreed how well organised the event was, how great the crowds had been and how we’d love to take part and complete again in Belfast. The rest of the weekend is a bit of a blur, we walked back to our apartment, showered and changed before heading out for a slap up meal and some more Guinness. Last thing some of us remember was dancing in a bar around 1am with a group of other “athletes” who’d also had a brilliant day taking part in the 2024 Belfast half marathon.
Based on the success of the trip we’ll be planning another for 2025. I know other members of the club have really enjoyed trips to Manchester, Benidorm, Palma and Lanzarote to compete in half marathons, so maybe next year we could organise a club trip to see Ricco and to take part in the Tarragona Half Marathon in November 2025 — watch this space!
Happy running everyone and thanks for reading,
Jonathan Conlan
