Antrim Coast Half Marathon: Who to look out for in this year’s race

BBC coverage is set to start at 8.55am on Sunday, August 28 and is available on the red button or via the BBC website online with the elite race starting at 9am and the mass race at 11am.

The RNLI lifeboat moored at the Chaine Memorial Tower will send up a flare to start this year’s race.

Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Ald Noel Williams and RNLI mascot Stormy Stan will also be on hand with airhorns to start the runners.

The women’s race is set to be one of the global half marathon highlights of the year with Ethiopian sensation Yalemzerf Yehualaw set to return for this year’s race. She will be faced with world class opposition with Ethiopian pair Tsehay Gemechu and Gete Alemayheu also making their debut over the super quick route.

The women’s elite field will have international teams from Northern Ireland, Scotland, Ireland, and England with strong Internationals also coming from USA, Kenya and France.

The men’s elite race will see one of the biggest elite fields ever assembled in the UK with 78 elite runners taking their place on the start with a total of 18 nations.

With the top six in last year’s race all set to return and seven men currently having run under the 60-minute barrier.

This year’s race will look to become the first race ever in Ireland to break the 60-minute barrier with the UK all comers record of 59 min 10 seconds set in Cardiff at the World Half Marathon Championships in 2016 also under threat.

Headline men’s runners include last year’s winner and Ethiopian Record holder Jemal Yimer. Jemal previously posted the fastest debut half marathon of all time and has a personal best time of 58 mins 33 seconds.