Buncrana duo lead home record field in Strabane Lifford Half
18 May 2026
Buncrana’s John Joe Doherty and Sarah Kelly completed an Inishowen double at the Strabane Lifford Half Marathon this morning as a record field of over 1,000 runners completed the event’s 11th condition.
In the men’s race Finn Valley clubman Doherty continued his fine season with a second major title after his Derry Ten Miler success in March while Kelly, who made the switch from Inishowen AC to the City of Derry Spartans last year, continued her own rich vein to claim the women’s title for the first time.
Cool and, at times damp, conditions around the course that passed through Strabane, Lifford and Clady didn’t stop a bumper crowd of thousands of spectators lining the streets for the popular event that had sold out its 1,600 places months in advance.
There was some surprise pre-race that home town favourite Ann Marie McGlynn was not at the start line to defend her title but Kelly produced an outstanding run in just under 1 hour and 20 minutes (1:19.58) followed by Finn Valley’s Leoni Cooke and Emma O’Neill.
In the men’s race Doherty held off still opposition from Foyle Valley’s David Laird to romp home in 1:11.23 with the Derry man coming in less than a minute later and Laurence O’Neill claiming third place.
At the race start runners also took a moment to remember the recent passing of Cranagh native Joe O’Kane.
The Derry and Strabane Council Services Team Member had worked behind the scenes at the Half Marathon since its inception in 2014 and had been part of the delivery team preparing the route for this year before his sudden passing last month.
Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor Ruairí, congratulated everyone involved in another successful event.
"Sincerest congratulations to everyone who completed the 2026 Strabane Lifford Half Marathon,” he said.
“There was a wonderful atmosphere in the town all morning and it was quite emotional seeing the happy faces of the runners as they crossed the finish line at the Melvin Running Track and enjoyed the fruits of all their training.
"There are a lot of logistics involved in organising an event of this scale, I want to give a special word of thanks to Council’s Festivals and Events team and all their partners for delivering a brilliant event.
“We were all thinking of the O’Kane family today following their recent loss, Joe represented everything that is great about this event, he loved the community that he served with such distinction in his role with Council and he loved the buzz of race day and all the team’s work behind the scenes coming to fruition.”
Festival and Events Officer at Derry City and Strabane District Council, Catherine Ashford, thanked all those who contributed to the event's success.
"We are so grateful to all our partners and volunteers who helped create an unforgettable race day experience for everyone who attended the Strabane Lifford Half,” she said.
“Thanks to the PSNI, the Gardai, the Department for Infrastructure and Donegal County Council for their guidance and expertise.
“Most of all thanks to the spectators and runners who created an unbelievable atmosphere around the route, seeing the joy this event brings to them makes the preparation all worthwhile.”
Full race results are available at http://www.myrunresults.com/.
Places remain for the Waterside Half Marathon on Sunday September 6th, register now at www.derrystrabane.com/whm.