Call for relay element of Strabane-Lifford Half Marathon to remain

Derry City and Strabane District Council members have called on council to continue to host relays at the Strabane Lifford half marathon.

Council proposed removal of the relay element due to low participant numbers and for cost reduction, but members argued that relays are often used as a gateway to full participation.

In an update report to October’s Business and Culture Committee council’s Interim Head of Culture, Jacqueline Whoriskey, said this year’s Strabane Lifford half marathon back in May achieved its highest ever number of participants with 1,465 individual runners registered alongside 35 three-person relay teams.

Of those participants, 1,293, or 83 percent, crossed the finish line, which, she said, is 'exceptionally high for a half marathon event'.

Additionally, the Waterside Half Marathon in September and recorded its highest-ever participation levels with 3,861 individual runners and 129 three-person relay teams, for an an overall total of 4,248 participants.

Due to their success council plans to increase the registrations for the 2027 Waterside half marathon on Sunday, September 5, to 4,500, while registration for the Strabane Lifford half marathon on Sunday, May 16, will be increased to 1,800.

However it was also proposed that the council scrap the relay element at Strabane Lifford due to a decline in teams.

“It will reduce costs for the overall event including buses to transport participants to the relay changeover points,” Ms Whoriskey added. “It would also allow officers to accommodate more individual runners to this race which should see an overall increase in participants.”

Sinn Féin councillor Brian Harte said he had been in contact with running clubs about a potential scrapping of the relay element and said they are ‘totally against it’.

He said the relay is a ‘valuable asset’, as it encourages people who otherwise would not participate at all.

“They get a taste of the run, they enjoy the day and they join some of the running clubs, and then maybe in the next year they'll do the full marathon, so it's a a growth factor for the various running clubs in Strabane,” Councillor Harte said.

“You have families, people from workplaces enjoying that relay element and the fun and joy of those participants is great to see, so I think it's helped in the whole atmosphere of the event.”

He asked that officers engage with local running clubs and consider promoting the relay element more.

Ms Whoriskey responded: "The thinking of it was to try and increase the number of individual runners but we definitely appreciate what you have to say, so we will consult with the running clubs as well to see how we could recruit more relays.”

Andrew Balfour, Local Democracy Reporter.