Ethiopian athlete Tilahun Nigussie completed the Belfast Marathon in a time of 2 hours, 13 minutes, and 37 seconds.
This performance not only secured him first place but also set a new course record for the event. With this result, Nigussie improved upon the previous record — held by fellow Ethiopian Negewo Ararisa since 2012 — by four seconds.
Nigussie started the race strongly, building a significant lead over his competitors early on. He passed the halfway mark in 1:08.40.
However, a mishap occurred in the final kilometre when he took a wrong turn. Despite this error, he was quickly redirected onto the correct route and still managed to break the record.
Aaron Hanlon finished second with a time of 2:27.06, while Stephen Connolly came third, clocking in at 2:29.30.
In the women’s race, Kenyan runner Millicent Kibet claimed victory with a time of 2:38.30.
Although her time was more than three minutes slower than the course record set last year, it was enough to secure first place. Moroccan athlete Lalla Aziza followed closely behind, finishing just 21 seconds later to take second place.
The third spot on the women’s podium went to 48-year-old Gladys Ganiel, who completed the race in 2:45.46.
This year’s event saw a record number of participants, with 6,500 runners taking part in the full marathon.