RacesIndependent race preparation guide

Belfast, United Kingdom · 42.195 km road marathon

Belfast City Marathon 2027

Sunday 2 May 2027

A point-to-point tour of all four quarters of Belfast from the Stormont Estate to Ormeau Park, the only marathon in Northern Ireland with a World Athletics Label.

Belfast City Marathon at a glance

Start: 09:00, Stormont Estate (Prince of Wales Avenue in 2026)
Finish: Ormeau Park
Course: Point to point, AIMS-certified: down to the river by km 10, then roads, park paths and towpath (2026 route)
Elevation: From about sea level to 60 m
Time limit: Six hours; not stated whether from the 09:00 gun or your own crossing of the start
Cut-offs: None published; tail runners at limit pace and a tail vehicle collect anyone behind
Entry: Open, first come, until 16 April 2027; 73 pounds affiliated, 75 unaffiliated. 2026 general entry sold out
Bib pickup: ICC Belfast Expo, Friday 30 April or Saturday 1 May (09:00 to 17:00 in 2026); no race-day pickup
Aid stations: Water along the route; energy drinks near miles 13, 17.5, 24.5, gels near 9.5, 20.5 (2026)

Checked against the organizer's pages on 23 September 2026. Facts for the next edition can still change; the organizer's page is the final word.

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Belfast City Marathon course map and elevation

Point to point, AIMS-certified: down to the river by km 10, then roads, park paths and towpath (2026 route). Map, elevation profile and 3D flyover.

Loading topographic map…

running direction two lines: out and back on the same road race kilometresCourse: TrailSplits reconstruction; map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

Flat (<5%)

Route drawn by TrailSplits from published race information; approximate. For illustration, not navigation.

What to expect on the course

Over the Lagan on the Ormeau Bridge around km 12 and back over it around km 38 (2026)
Out to Andersonstown and back along the Falls Road, then Cupar Way and Lanark Way to the Shankill (2026)
The main climb, about 30 m up Hillview Road and Oldpark Road between km 28 and 30 (2026)
Clockwise through the Waterworks, then past the Big Fish on Donegall Quay (2026)
The Lagan towpath, then a rise of about 15 m on the Ormeau and Ravenhill Roads near km 40 (2026)

The map follows the 2026 course matched to the streets and checked against the organizer's 2026 map; the 2027 route is not yet published.

Read the full course description

A single point-to-point route through all four quarters of Belfast on an AIMS-certified course, from Prince of Wales Avenue in the Stormont Estate to Ormeau Park, and the only marathon in Northern Ireland with a World Athletics Label. The 2026 route, the latest one published, ran west down the Upper Newtownards Road, south by Beersbridge Road to the Castlereagh Road, across Montgomery Road and north again by the Cregagh and Woodstock Roads, then down the Ravenhill Road and through Ormeau Park before crossing the Lagan on the Ormeau Bridge around km 12. From the City Hall area it went west by Donegall Road and Boucher Road, out the Lisburn Road and Finaghy Road North to Andersonstown and back in along the Falls Road, then by North Howard Street, Cupar Way and Lanark Way to the Shankill, across the Crumlin Road by Tennent Street and Hillview Road, up Oldpark Road to a sharp turn near Alliance Avenue and clockwise through the Waterworks, before Antrim Road and Duncairn Gardens led back past the Big Fish on Donegall Quay to Lanyon Place. The last stretch follows the Lagan towpath south, recrosses at the Ormeau Bridge around km 38, runs out the Ormeau Road to the Rosetta junction and back up the Ravenhill Road to finish inside Ormeau Park. On our terrain-model line the start sits at about 27 m and the course drops to river level by km 10, rises gently through West Belfast, then climbs about 30 m between km 28 and 30 to its high point near 60 m on Oldpark Road before falling back to the river by km 34, with a smaller rise of about 15 m near km 40; the whole line gathers about 150 m of climb, and the organizer profile likewise peaks around mile 19. Park paths in Ormeau Park and the Waterworks and the towpath interrupt the roads. The 2026 map marked water stations along the whole route, energy drinks near miles 13, 17.5 and 24.5, gels near miles 9.5 and 20.5, and first aid and toilets at intervals, all flagged by the organizer as approximate positions.

Source, licence and file

TrailSplits reconstruction of the published route. Course: TrailSplits reconstruction; map data © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL · original source · Download reference GPX (42.5 km in the file). Approximate terrain-model heights added by TrailSplits, sampled and smoothed at roughly 100 m intervals. Buildings, bridges and small road gradients are not surveyed road elevations.Produced using Copernicus WorldDEM-30 © DLR e.V. 2010-2014 and © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH 2014-2018 provided under COPERNICUS by the European Union and ESA; all rights reserved.

Three decisions to make before race day

Be in Belfast for pack collection on Friday 30 April or Saturday 1 May

Packs are handed out only at the ICC Belfast Expo on Friday 30 April or Saturday 1 May, never posted or issued on race day. 2027 hours are not out (09:00 to 17:00 in 2026). A nominee with your printed QR confirmation may collect up to three packs.

More detail
Race packs are handed out only at the Expo at ICC Belfast on the two days before the race: nothing is posted and nothing is issued on race morning. The 2027 opening hours are not out yet (in 2026 both days ran 09:00 to 17:00), so plan travel that has you in the city by Saturday afternoon, or send someone with your printed QR confirmation; one person may carry up to three packs.
Six hours from a single start, with tail runners behind you

The limit is six hours, with tail runners at that pace and a tail vehicle; refusing it ends your race. Whether it runs from the 09:00 gun or your own crossing is not stated, so beyond about 5 h 30 plan on 15:00 on the clock: about 8:32 per km including stops.

More detail
The organizer sets a six-hour limit and sends tail runners at that pace plus a tail vehicle that picks up anyone falling behind; refusing it takes you out of the race. The rules do not say whether the six hours run from the 09:00 gun or your own crossing and there are no published waves, so if your realistic finish is beyond about 5 h 30, plan against 15:00 on the clock, which means averaging about 8:32 per km including drinks and toilet stops.
Keep something for the climb between miles 17 and 20

The first half runs down from Stormont and is then almost flat. The 2026 course climbed about 30 m between km 28 and 30 and rose again near km 40, so run the first 25 km by effort, not by the watch.

More detail
The first half runs downhill from Stormont to the Lagan and is then almost flat, which invites a fast start. The organizer profile peaks around mile 19: on our line the course climbs about 30 m from Tennent Street up Hillview Road and Oldpark Road between km 28 and 30, turns sharply near Alliance Avenue and then winds through the Waterworks, and after the flat towpath there is one more rise on the Ormeau and Ravenhill Roads near km 40. Run the first 25 km by effort rather than by the watch so the climb does not cost you the last ten kilometres.

Your race-day sheet

Even elapsed splits for 42.195 km. All clocks are local to Belfast.

Target finish time, including stops

HoursMinutes

Total stopped minutes Your start time (local)

The initial value is the first published start, not your assigned wave. Europe/London.

Time limit: Six hours; not stated whether from the 09:00 gun or your own crossing of the start

How this sheet applies the limit

The FAQ and the entry terms give six hours for the marathon and the team relay, with tail runners at the limit pace and a tail vehicle that collects anyone falling behind. Neither says whether the six hours count from the 09:00 gun or from your own crossing of the start line, and no start waves or intermediate cut-offs are published, so this sheet counts from the single 09:00 start: 15:00 on the clock, an average of about 8:32 per km including every stop.

A timing comparison, not a fitness assessment. Intermediate cutoffs, queues, weather and terrain are not modelled. Stops are spread evenly in the illustration; actual checkpoint times will differ.

ESTIMATED FINISH

13:00:00

MOVING PACE BUDGET

5:34/ km

ELAPSED PACE

5:41/ km

120 min below the modelled finish limit

Distance markers, not aid stations or guaranteed arrival times.
Distance	Elapsed	Local clock
5 km	00:28:26	09:28:26
10 km	00:56:53	09:56:53
15 km	01:25:19	10:25:19
20 km	01:53:45	10:53:45
Halfway	02:00:00	11:00:00
25 km	02:22:12	11:22:12
30 km	02:50:38	11:50:38
35 km	03:19:05	12:19:05
40 km	03:47:31	12:47:31
Finish	04:00:00	13:00:00

Training plan for Belfast City Marathon 2027

A free week-by-week plan dated to this race. It starts from a stated default (weekly distance, longest recent run, days a week) that you can change; nothing is read from your watch or training history. It does not use the finish-time target above.

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Entry, bib pickup and rules

Entry:: Open, first come, until 16 April 2027; 73 pounds affiliated, 75 unaffiliated. 2026 general entry sold out
Bib pickup:: ICC Belfast Expo, Friday 30 April or Saturday 1 May (09:00 to 17:00 in 2026); no race-day pickup

Read the full entry and pickup rules

Entry for 2027 is first come through Eventmaster, with no ballot described; sales opened on 22 May 2026 and close at 00:15 on 16 April 2027. A runner affiliated to a UK or Irish athletics body pays 73 pounds and an unaffiliated runner 75 pounds, both including a quarter-zip top; the five-person team relay costs 155 pounds and charity places need an access code. General entry for 2026 sold out and the entry page warns of record sellouts, so do not wait for spring. There are no refunds; a place can be handed on only through Eventmaster Manage My Booking during a spring transfer window, for 8 pounds and once per ticket (the published window, 23 March to 17 April, is the 2026 one), and deferral to the next year needs a medical certificate at least two weeks before race day. Marathon runners must be over 18 (2026 terms; the 2027 page leaves the requirement blank). Packs are collected only at the Expo at ICC Belfast on Friday 30 April or Saturday 1 May 2027; the 2027 hours are not out yet (2026 ran 09:00 to 17:00 both days), nothing is posted and nothing is issued on race day, and a nominee holding your printed QR confirmation may collect up to three packs.

Sources

Checked 23 September 2026; next review due 2026-11-07. Event facts come from the organizer; the pacing sheet, decisions and plan are TrailSplits' own. Independently prepared by TrailSplits, not endorsed by the organizer.

What each source confirms

2027 marathon event page: Sunday 2 May 2027, the 09:00 start at Stormont, the Ormeau Park finish, 26.2 miles on an AIMS-certified course, and the 73 and 75 pound prices including a quarter-zip top.
2027 entry on Eventmaster: Sunday 2 May 2027 at 09:00 from Stormont Estate, the ticket types and prices including the 155 pound relay and access-code charity places, the sales window from 22 May 2026 to 16 April 2027, the record-sellout warning, the World Athletics Label, and pack collection at ICC Belfast on Friday 30 April or Saturday 1 May 2027 with no postal packs.
Event information: The Stormont to Ormeau Park route through the north, south, east and west of the city, AIMS certification and the World Athletics Label held since 2023.
Archived 2026 marathon page: The start on Prince of Wales Avenue, the over-18 and six-hour entry requirements, general entry sold out for 2026, and the organizer-embedded plotaroute course (route 3163996) and route map. 2026 facts.
Participant FAQ: The six-hour limit for marathon and relay, tail vehicle and tail runners, the no-refund policy, medical deferral, transfers through Eventmaster at 8 pounds once per ticket in a window whose published dates are the 2026 ones, the relay changeover points and the AIMS certification.
Marathon expo and pack collection page: No race-day pickup and no posting, collection by a nominee with a printed QR code up to three packs, and the 2026 hours of 09:00 to 17:00 on both days. 2026 facts, not 2027 confirmations.
Terms and conditions (2026 edition): Marathon entrants over 18 and relay entrants over 16, the six-hour limit, no refunds and the medical deferral rule. Still headed 2026.
Organizer 2026 route map with elevation profile: The 2026 route and mile markers, the profile peaking around mile 19, and the approximate water, energy-drink, gel, first-aid and toilet positions. The 2027 route is not yet published.
Organizer 2025 route narrative (archived copy): The turn-by-turn street order used to check the map line, including the Waterworks run clockwise, the towpath, the Ormeau Bridge recrossing and the Rosetta turn. A 2025 document.