History made at record breaking Waterside Half-Marathon!

Stephen McAuley enjoyed another day to remember in the Derry City and Strabane District Council area as he added the Waterside Half Marathon to his recent Strabane Lifford Half Marathon victory in blustery conditions at Ebrington this morning.

The Letterkenny AC clubman completed the challenging course around the banks of the River Foyle in an outstanding time of 1 hour 8 minutes and 46 seconds as Strabane native Claire McGuigan claimed the women’s title in 1 hour 20 minutes and 55 seconds. 

Within the record field of over 3,000 runners were hundreds of athletes raising money and awareness for their chosen causes with many recording personal bests around the figure of eight route that took in the city’s greenway network and bridges.

Mayor of Derry and Strabane, Councillor Ruairí McHugh, officially started the race and was there to greet the finishers at the Ebrington Clock Tower where a heavy downpour as the bulk of the field finished couldn’t dampen the spirits of runners and spectators.

“Congratulations to all the winners and everyone who completed the Waterside Half Marathon this morning,” said Mayor McHugh. “It was a fantastic sight to see thousands of runners weaving their way around the city’s bridges and giving their all to reach their personal goals.

“It was quite emotional at the finish line as all the runners’ hard work over the summer months came to fruition.Congratulations to everyone who completed the event, in particular, the category winners who I was privileged to present with their awards at the finish.“I’d like to commend Council’s Festival and Events team and all their partners who had to make some changes this year to accommodate the larger field and to continue their ambition to grow this event to meet the high demand for athletics events across our City and District.

“The initial feedback from runners was that it was a well co-ordinated event with an unmatched atmosphere around the course and at the Ebrington finish where thousands of spectators greeted them.”

Jacqueline Whoriskey, Festival and Events Manager at Council, thanked everyone who helped deliver another successful event.“Thank you to all our partners, volunteers and most importantly the runners for their cooperation in helping us manage a Half Marathon of this scale.“We know it is a challenging course with a number of steep ascents but there were still some brilliant individual performances and we’d like to congratulate every single runner who took part.“A lot of runners remarked on the size of the crowds out on the course this year and we are delighted that we are hosting an event that runners and spectators want to be part of.

“The successful coordination of the waved start this year means we can further grow the event next year and we will sit down in the coming weeks and months to work together to meet the high demand for places that clearly exists.“For now we want to congratulate everyone for taking part and we hope you enjoy your celebrations!”

Full results from the Waterside Half Marathon can be accessed at: https://www.myrunresults.com/events/waterside_half_marathon_2025/5550/results