The Belfast Marathon delivered a photo finish for the ages as Abay Alemu outkicked Tadesse Mamo by literally one-hundredth of a second to claim the men's title on Sunday. In a race that came down to a dramatic sprint finish, the Ethiopian duo pulled away from the pack in the closing kilometers before Alemu broke the tape in 2:16:23. "I'm very happy—the people were very nice," Alemu said. "The weather was very cold and the pace was not good, but the feeling is nice." The Ethiopian sweep was completed by Abera Ketema in third place at 2:17:38, with Josh Griffiths (2:18:01) and Jonathan Cornish (2:19:28) rounding out the top five.

In the women's race, it was third time lucky for Lala Aziza Selsouli as the Moroccan finally claimed victory after two previous runner-up finishes. Selsouli cruised to the win in 2:38:00, followed by City of Derry's Judith Storm, who clocked a personal best of 2:39:09. "This is my third time—I always wish to win and finally I did it," said Selsouli. "I like this race, I like to run in Belfast, and I'm very happy to win." Melissa Gibson of Ealing completed the podium in 2:42:44, while Dearbhla Cox (2:44:31) and Pamela Kirk (2:44:48) took fourth and fifth.

The wheelchair title stayed local as Aghadowey's Jayne Bleakley successfully defended her crown in 2:32:39. Bleakley, who also competed in the London Marathon just last weekend, won her first ever marathon at age 44 in this very race a year ago—proving that sometimes the best gear and grit come from experience.