Belfast City Marathon announced as lead sponsor for British and Irish Masters Cross Country International
Northern Ireland Masters Athletics Association are set to host the 35th Annual British and Irish Masters Cross Country International at Billy Neil Country Park, with Belfast City Marathon announced as a lead sponsor for the prestigious event.
Belfast City Marathon are looking forward to what will be a busy sporting weekend, with the British and Irish Masters Cross Country International taking place this Saturday (November 16), closely followed by the NEW Moy Park Belfast City 5K Fun Run on Sunday, November 17 in Belfast City Centre.
This international cross country held at Billy Neill County Park in Belfast is an event for both men and women athletes, all 35 years of age and over. There are teams from Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales. All competitors are grouped together in five year age bands, with the oldest category being men 80 years of age and over.
The competitors taking part in this event have gone through a selection process involving a trial race, and every place on each team has been hard won. The standard of competition is very high and will make for a most entertaining day of athletics.
One notable member of the Northern Ireland team is Stephen Scullion in the M35 category. He ran in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and is Northern Ireland record holder for the marathon. Another outstanding Northern Ireland representative is Mary Slocum who recently became F60 World Masters Athletics Marathon Champion in a time of 03:09:50. Mary's marathon PB is 03:06:29 set at the Berlin Marathon in 2024.
Nigel Quinn, Northern Ireland Masters Athletics Association Chairman, said; “Once upon a time sport was regarded as something to be enjoyed only by the young. All that has changed and in the present era people have come to understand the physical and mental benefits of keeping fit throughout middle age, and much beyond, even into the later years of life.
“We want to thank Belfast City Marathon, who share a similar synergy through their event schedule, for their generous support. We’re looking forward to working with them to make this prestigious event a success.”
Competition on the day starts at 11am with a total of four international events, and the programme concludes with an open race for any men and women athletes not involved in the international, but who want to test themselves over the same course. Details can be viewed at www.masterscrosscountry2024.co.uk and NI Masters Facebook page.