Spartans duo Kyle Doherty and Catherine Whoriskey lead home record 40th Waterside Half Marathon field

The City of Derry Spartans pair led home a record field of close to 2,000 runners who took on a revised route in warm conditions.

It was a record fifth title for Whoriskey while clubmate Doherty claimed his first win at the event after claiming the Strabane Lifford Half Marathon in 2022.

He led the field home in an excellent time of one hour, 11 minutes and 26 seconds followed by Noel McNally of Road Runners AC and City of Derry Spartans’ Gavin McGlinchey.

Reigning champion Whoriskey finished in a time of one hour, 18 minutes and 56 seconds and was joined on the podium by Road Runners AC’s Elaine Harvey and Elaine McGuckin from Keep Er Lit.

The race was started by Mayor of Derry and Strabane, Councillor Patricia Logue, along with the founding committee who organised the race back in 1981 who were reunited for the event’s anniversary.

“Congratulations to everyone who completed the Waterside Half Marathon on Sunday and, in particular, the category winners who I was delighted to welcome home at the finish line,” said Mayor Logue.

“The amendments to the course and the high temperatures made it a challenging day for many but it was a wonderful sight to see them emerging from the Peace Bridge and through the mall at Ebrington to complete the course.

“I was delighted to meet with the founding committee of the event in this its 40th year, the legacy they have created for thousands of runners is insurmountable and I’m sure the event will continue for decades to come.

“I would like to acknowledge the dedicated work of Council’s Festival and Events team and all their partners in successfully delivering a race of this magnitude and the hard work, much of it unseen, they put in behind the scenes.”

Festival and Events Manager at Derry City and Strabane District Council, Jacqueline Whoriskey, thanked everyone who contributed to another successful event.

“The 2023 Waterside Half Marathon has proved the most popular yet and we could have sold hundreds more places before we had to close registrations last month,” she said. “The scenes of joy at the finish line make all the dedicated work of our team and the many clubs and community groups that helped worthwhile.

“There were a number of enforced changes to the route this year that made it more challenging but the feedback we received after the race is that runners enjoyed the challenge and the opportunity to run through the new Strathfoyle Greenway.

“I would like to thank all our partners who helped deliver a successful event and the public for backing us in huge numbers by running and supporting on Sunday.

“We are always striving to improve the event and we look forward to working in partnership with the local athletics fraternity to make the event even bigger and better in the future.”

A link to the full results from the Waterside Half Marathon are available on the Waterside Half Marathon Facebook page and at Derrystrabane.com/whm