Local athlete Keith Shields has emerged as a contender to win this morning’s Waterside Half Marathon.
While Belfast runner Stephen Scullion is the favourite to capture the senior men’s event, all eyes will be on Shields who has been in sparkling form this year.
The Creggan man, who is making a rare appearance in a half marathon, is enjoying the best form of his life and his successes to date this year include the Danny McDaid 15k and North West 10k.
His good form continued last week when came home ahead of the field in Dessie’s 10k Run, clocking a time of 30.51 – only three seconds behind the time Scullion recorded in when winning the Laganside 10k in Belfast last week – turning in a time of 14.43 for the second 5k of that event..
Scullion, whose personal best time for a half marathon is 64.46, came third in the Derry race in 2011 when he posted a time of 69.31.
Local City Spartan runner Ann Paul and North Down’s Julie Balmer are expected to fight it out for the women’s title.
Among the local athletes who will be out to impress are City Spartans and Foyle Valley runners Greg Roberts, Emmet McGinty, Scot Rankin, Chris McGuinness and Declan Reid.
This year’s Waterside Half Marathon – promoted by Derry City Council and City of Derry Spartans with help from Autobar, Seagate and O2 – will see 2,000 competitors at the starting line in Gransha Park with thousands more expected to cheer on the runners along the route.
See Derry Daily’s sports section for full details of parking restrictions for the event which sets off at 10.00am
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