New route announced for 10th edition of Strabane Lifford Half Marathon

The 10th edition of the event was formally launched this week on the steps of the venue by Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor Lilian Seenoi-Barr.

The course will again take runners through Lifford, up to Clady village and back to Strabane for a finish on the Melvin Running Track. However runners will now start at the Alley Theatre and finish with a crossing over the Strabane footbridge before entering the running track.

Significantly, the early miles around Strabane will allow spectators to see the runners on multiple occasions and additional early miles in the town mean they will avoid the challenging climb up the A5 Strabane by-pass between miles 11 and 12 which should lead to faster times.

The Half Marathon will again feature three separate races: the Half Marathon, Wheelchair Half Marathon and the Three Person Relay event which has been retained following the success of its introduction last year. Registrations have been selling fast since they were opened before Christmas and Mayor Barr encouraged runners to seal their place now to avoid disappointment.

“The Strabane Lifford Half Marathon is now firmly established as a marquee event on the local athletics calendar and I would like to congratulate Council’s Sports Development and Festival and Events Teams on reaching the landmark of its 10th edition,” explained The Mayor, “From the elite runners at the front of the field, to the fun runners and people taking part for the first time, it’s an inclusive event for all levels of athletes

“Demand for athletics events is at an all time high and I’m delighted that, as a Council, we are able to cater for that and allow people to reap the health and wellbeing benefits of training and taking part in a Half Marathon. This event is set to sell out in record time so seal your spot now and I’ll see you in Strabane of May 18th.”

Festival and Events Manager at Council, Jacqueline Whoriskey, explained more about the thinking behind the new course.

“We are always striving to meet the needs of runners and we take on board all the feedback we receive each year,” she said, “While we have retained the bulk of the out and back course from Lifford / Strabane to Clady, we wanted runners to be able to take in more of the town centre where the bulk of the spectators are.

“We also know that the uphill run up the A5 by-pass and downhill run through Ballycolman were particularly challenging for some runners so we have tweaked the course to take those out and also incorporate the Strabane footbridge in the final mile.”

The Strabane Lifford Half Marathon is hosted by Derry City and Strabane District Council’s Events team. All entrants must be 17 or over on race day and all relay entrants must be 15 or over.

Registrations for the relay, wheelchair and full Half Marathon are open now at www.derrystrabane.com/slhm and close on Saturday 26th April or when it sells out. Queries on the event should be directed to [email protected] or by calling 028 71 253 253.