A Belfast pastor says his normal Sunday morning service has been cancelled this weekend as their road has been closed for the Belfast Marathon.
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Belfast Marathon News
Belfast Marathon is due to get underway later this morning, with a record number of entrants aiming to complete the 26.2-mile course.
There will be numerous road closures and traffic disruption as the route makes it way across the city.
There are more than 5,000 marathon participants as well as 12,500 relay runners who each complete one of five legs of the route.
More than 1,000 participants will take part in an eight-mile walk.
On Friday organisers appealed to runners not to sell or swap race numbers if they cannot take part.
It is a “massive problem”, according to the marathon’s executive manager.
In a message to competitors, Claire O’Neill said: “You might think ‘it’s okay I’m not fit to do it, take my number, they’ve sold out’… but it does have issues for us.
“We don’t know who you are. If you have taken a number off somebody, we don’t know your medical history, we don’t know your age.
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“That affects insurance and it also affects you if something were to happen to you physically, and you took ill, and couldn’t continue. We would have no way of contacting your family so it is important to update the information.”
The age-category results of a race can also be affected.
“We need to make sure people are in the right categories and it can mess up the results, especially if males exchange with females,” Ms O’Neill said.
Can I follow the Belfast Marathon from the comfort of my living room?
Yes – you can, we will have coverage on BBC iPlayer from 08:45 BST on Sunday and after the races have finished.
You can also listen on Radio Ulster from 08:45.
You can get in touch BBC Ireland their Social Channel if you’re running and would like a shout out from presenter Mark Simpson and the team.
“We have also stood against opposition that would have seen us shut down, but have always managed to rise above that opposition and have remained open to everyone within our community.
“However, this coming Sunday, the doors will be closed and the lights will be off, because the Marathon organisers have chosen to run the Marathon past our front doors and have marked our street for ‘full closure’.
He confirms that he did have a “quite amicable” meeting with the marathon organisers but said that “nothing of substance was agreed”. They are, however, holding an evening service at 7pm.
The marathon had been held on the May Bank Holiday Monday until 2019 when it was pulled back 24 hours, without consideration for their human rights to practise their religion “without hindrance”, he said.
A spokeswoman for the Belfast Marathon gave assurances they would consult Mr McKee fully after this year’s race.
She said: “The Belfast City Marathon had an amicable meeting with Pastor McKee at New Life Church on Tuesday 9th April, and left feeling our respective positions were mutually understood, so we are disappointed at this news.”
“Belfast City Marathon officials agreed to look at access routes for the church, and both parties agreed to revisit the problem after this year’s marathon.”
Mr McKee said he would hold his service in the evening this year, she added.
The 26.2 mile challenge begins off at Stormont Estate, passes through North, South, East and West of the City, and finishes in Ormeau Park. As a result motorists can expect some disruption throughout the morning and early afternoon, although every attempt will be made to ensure that this is kept to a minimum.
Roads will start to close wholly or partially from around 6am until 4pm approximately. Once all runners have passed points on the route, reopening of the roads will be managed as quickly as possible.
Belfast Marathon Route
The team relay consists of five legs, of varying distance, with changeover points across the route:
- Leg 1: Stormont Estate to Montgomery Road, 4 miles
- Leg 2: Montgomery Road to Boucher Road, 7.8 miles
- Leg 3: Boucher Road to Falls Road, 4.2 miles
- Leg 4: Falls Road to North Queen Street, 5 miles
- Leg 5: Duncairn Gardens to Ormeau Park 5.5 miles