The LYCRA Company’s Brendan set to return to Waterside Half Marathon field 44 years after first part
29 July 2025
Derry man Brendan Grimes will lay claim to the biggest running comeback in the history of the Waterside Half Marathon this September when he takes part in the race 44 years after his previous participation.His employers at the LYCRA Company will once again sponsor the event and Brendan is one of close to 60 members of staff from their Maydown plant who will be taking part in the race and manning their water station on the Foyle Bridge on race day.
A keen triathlete and two time marathon finisher, he has taken part in the Liam Ball Triathlon ten times over the years but the inaugural Waterside event in 1981 was his first introduction to running.
The 42nd Waterside Half Marathon, hosted by Derry City and Strabane District Council, will start and finish in Ebrington Square on Sunday September 7th with a record field of over 3,000 set to take part.
It remains the only Half Marathon Brendan has completed but his motivation wasn’t solely athletic when he took to the start line on the Limavady Road all those year ago.
“I was 18 in 1981 and had no real background in running but I was going out with race organiser Denis McGowan’s daughter at the time and I thought it would impress him if I signed up,” he laughed.
“It was before running became huge in Derry, there was a field of a couple of hundred people and it was a very straightforward out and back course to Campsie.
“Back then there weren’t a lot of sports events locally and Derry City weren’t playing senior football so people really got into running and the event grew very quickly in the 80s.
“It has been great to see another surge in the number of people taking part in athletics events in recent years with record numbers running the Waterside Half.
“You would have rarely seen people out running in the early 80’s but now, when you are down on the quay, Derry has the feeling of a fit city with so many people out running, skating and cycling.”
It’s not just the number of people taking part that has changed since 1981, the science of running has evolved significantly with nutrition, equipment and split times all to the fore now.
“There was no strava or fitbits in those days,” he continued. “I remember there was a car with a clock on top for the lead runners but most of them didn’t wear a watch, you had water stations but there was no such thing as energy drinks or gels,” Brendan noted.
“The footwear was very different too, I’d done most of my training in an old pair of leather football shoes and I bought a new pair of Adidas SL80s with a gold trim for the race but there wasn’t the cushion support and carbon plates you would have now.
“You had your small group of people who took running seriously and the other runners were people who would have been considered sports people like soccer and GAA players but it is much more inclusive now with all levels of fitness taking part.”
Brendan’s interest in athletics dropped off in the late 90s and he focused more on playing golf at Foyle Golf Club where he served as Captain of the Ballyarnett Club in 2019.
But just like back in 1981, when he took part to impress event organiser Denis McGowan, his motivation to get involved this time is to stay on the good side of his Plant Manager at LYCRA James McMonagle.
“It’s a good way to suck up to James,” he laughed. “To be fair he has really bought into the event and his enthusiasm has rubbed off on the rest of us.
“It’s been a great way to bring the staff together with a collective goal and the craic has been good comparing training schedules and times.
“I’m not too worried about my own time, I would have been more competitive when I was younger but now I’m just happy to do something that keeps me healthy and gets me outdoors.”
The LYCRA Company are the industry leading manufacturer of fiber and technology solutions for the apparel and personal care industries.
Last year 28 runners from their Maydown site took part in the event and a further 10 volunteers manned their LYCRA water station on the Bay Road - and they have plans to do things bigger and better with this year.
The route for the 2025 Waterside Half Marathon will start and end in Ebrington Square and cross the Craigavon Bridge, the Peace Bridge (twice), the Foyle Bridge and the Pennyburn Footbridge.
Athletics NI have also confirmed that the 2025 Half Marathon will also be the Northern Ireland and Ulster Half Marathon Championships race.
The event is chip-timed and every finisher receives a commemorative medal and t shirt.
A waiting list for the 2025 Waterside Half Marathon has been opened at www.derrystrabane.com/whm where there is a full route map and race day details.