Strabane Lifford Half Marathon set for intriguing battle at front of the field
13 May 2026
Over 1,000 pairs of feet will take to the streets of Tyrone and Donegal this Sunday morning for the 11th edition of the Strabane Lifford Half Marathon.
While every runner will have their individual goals when taking on the 13.1 mile cross border course, there will be an intriguing battle for honours at the top of the field.
A number of elite competitors are coming into the event in strong form and with favourable weather conditions and a flat course some fast times are expected.
Last year’s men’s winner Stephen McCauley is not taking part so there will be a new name at the top of the podium with a number of potential suitors coming into the race in strong form.
Buncrana man John Joe Doherty is coming into the race as one of the favourites following his Walled City Ten Miler win in Derry in February and the Finn Valley Clubman will be hoping to add to that victory in Sunday.
Foyle Valley’s David Laird, fresh from his Ballyshannon 5k win in April, will also have high hopes of adding to that win however Coralstown Kinnegad runner Andy Nevin has the ability to bring the title back to his native Mullingar if he can repeat his 1.10 times of recent years in Half Marathons in Berlin, Charleville and Paris.
Letterkenny AC’s Philip McHugh, Danny Bradley of Orangegrove AC, and Foyle Valley’s Chris McGuinness are also expected to be at the top of the field while Strabane man Gerard Gallagher will be hoping to put apply local knowledge with a strong showing.
In the women’s race Strabane AC’s Ann Marie McGlynn is bidding to retain her title and looks to be in the form to do it having run 1:14:08 in winning the Omagh Half Marathon.
While McGlynn’s clubmate and running partner Claire McGuigan will not be taking part after her sixth place finish in the Belfast Marathon, McGlynn will be tested by former winner Catherine Whoriskey who ran 2:49:32 in the Seville Marathon in February.
Helen McCready of Rosses AC, who won this event two years ago, will also be expected to make a podium finish as will Finn Valley’s Leoni Cooke and Kathryn Gibbons of Crusaders AC.
All through the field there will be plenty of individual battles and it could be a day for PBs if the temperature remains in the low teens as forecast.
Festival and Events Officer at Derry City and Strabane District Council, Catherine Ashford, wished runners well ahead of Sunday’s race.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming everyone to Strabane on Sunday and creating a memorable experience for runners and spectators,” she said.
“We have retained most of last year’s revised course, with a few tweaks, after the feedback we received was that people enjoyed the atmosphere in Strabane town centre at the start and end of the race and that runners were happy to avoid the challenge of the climb up the Strabane by-pass at mile 12.
“We’ve e mailed all participants their race day instructions which has advice about race park collections, toilets, water stations and timings and we’d appreciate if runners familiarise themselves with those to ensure an enjoyable experience for everyone on race day.
“There will be some unavoidable traffic delays in and around Strabane town centre, particularly between 9am and 12.30pm so we would urge anyone travelling at these times to familiarise themselves with the Traffic and Travel advice on the event website and social media pages.
“Good luck to everyone and we’ll see you on Sunday.”
Race pack collection will take place at the Melvin Sports Complex on Friday 15th May from 4pm to 8pm, Saturday 16th May from 10am – 2pm and on the morning of the race from 7.30am – 8.30am.
A full breakdown of road closures, timings, and a course video is available at www.derrystrabane.com/slhm
For further information, contact [email protected] or the Council’s Festivals and Events Team on 028 71 253253.