WATCH: Thrilling Belfast City Marathon sprint finish in Abay Alemu victory, with Aziza Alaoui Selsouli and Aghadowey's Jayne Bleakley also winners in 23,000-plus field
The Phoenix Energy Belfast City Marathon featured a thrilling sprint finish in the elite male race plus Northern Ireland competitors on the podium as the 44th edition of the showpiece event attracted over 23,000 people to the capital streets.
Ethiopia’s Abay Alemu edged out his fellow countryman Teadese Mamo by a single second for one of the most exciting ends in Belfast City Marathon history with a winning time of 2:16:23.
Abera Ketema, also from Ethiopia, was next in line across the elite male race.
Champion Alemus told BBC Sport NI: "I’m very happy, the Belfast Marathon is very good and people very nice, I appreciate it...it was very nice.”
A winning time of 2:38:00 left Aziza Alaoui Selsouli as elite female champion following two previous runner-up placings in Belfast – with Judith Storm next home, representing City of Derry Spartans in 2:39:09 ahead of Ealing Eagles’ Melissah Gibson (2:42:44).
"First of all, I want to thank everyone and the organisers,” Selsouli told BBC Sport NI. "I like this race, I like to run in Belfast and this is the third time I’m here and I always wish to win...finally I did it.
"I’m very happy for the win.”
Aghadowey’s Jayne Bleakley won the wheelchair race in 2:32:39 despite “technical difficulties”.
"It was fun...it was tough, really tough,” said Bleakley on BBC Sport NI. "I had major technical difficulties on the way round so I can’t be disappointed with that 2.29 considering what happened on the course on the way round.
"I thought I could still get that PB...I was chasing it the whole way round.
"Today it didn’t happen but I had great fun...yeah, brilliant.
“Pretty ideal actually, there was a bit of a mizzle before we started but it didn’t come to anything and it was nice and cool.
"I couldn’t have asked for any more ideal conditions, it was class.
"Just relief for surviving it and just the cheers from everybody.
"I really struggled on the hills as I’d not grip but the cheers and roars just so class, I can’t thank them enough.”
The 26.2-mile route started at Stormont Estate and finished in Ormeau Park, covering all areas of Belfast including Boucher Road, Falls Road and the Waterworks.
The first-ever Belfast City Marathon was held on the same date in 1982 with an entry list of around 3,000 participants.