KENYAN FREDDY SITTUK has won this year’s Belfast Marathon after coming home three minutes ahead of last year’s winner – and compatriot – Joel Kipsang in a time of 2:18:30.
Another Kenyan, Hilary Kipsang, took third while Joe McAlister of St.Malachy’s AC, Belfast was the first local finisher, clocking 2:33.09.
Ethiopian Bayrush Shiferaw took the women’s event in 2:41.20, 12 minutes ahead of Scotland’s Shona Crombie-Hicks, despite missing her scheduled start time by around a minute. Northern Ireland’s Karen Alexander took third in 2:58:00.
Kildare man Patrick Monahan won the wheelchair race in a time of 2:06.21, over 32 minutes ahead of the mark he set in finishing third in Dublin last autumn.
In total, over 19,000 people took part in today’s race.