Staff at The LYCRA Company’s Maydown site are looking forward to celebrating their continued sponsorship of the Waterside Half Marathon by having a significant presence on race day on Sunday September 7th.
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 exciting plans to do things bigger and better with almost 60 staff taking part this year.
The LYCRA Company are the industry leading manufacturer of fiber and technology solutions for the apparel and personal care industries and the Plant Manager, James McMonagle, is delighted to continue their sponsorship for 2025.
“The staff really bought into our event sponsorship last year and turned out in large numbers to take part and support the runners,” he said.
“The partnership with the Waterside Half Marathon has been a great fit for us, LYCRA® fiber is in the clothing that a lot of runners wear on race day and as a company we wanted to support an event that is embedded in the community and promotes healthy choices.
“We want to build on the success of last year by having an even bigger involvement on September 7th and having a presence in the event village in Ebrington Square where our runners and supporters can gather before and after the race.”
Out on the course, staff will volunteer at the penultimate water station on the lay-by at the bottom of the Foyle Bridge where runners will appreciate some refreshment after completing the toughest climb of the course and head towards the 10mile mark of their 13.1mile run.
“A lot of people commented on how good the atmosphere was at The LYCRA Company water station last year, where staff made a lot of noise to support and cheer the runners home,” he added.
“Preparing for and taking part in the event has been great for morale among the staff, the supporters got just as much out of the race day experience as the runners which shows there’s a great togetherness among our team.
“There’s a bit of friendly rivalry to be the first individual and first relay team from the group to cross the line but the main emphasis for everyone is that it gets people out running together, supporting each other and having fun both in the build-up and on race day.”
Festival and Events Manager at Council, Jacqueline Whoriskey, said the organising team for the Half Marathon are delighted to have The LYCRA Company back on board for 2025.
“The staff at the LYCRA Company have shown genuine enthusiasm and support for the event since they came on board and we are delighted that they enjoyed the experience and will be working with us again this year.
“The Half Marathon has a tradition of creating an unforgettable race day experience for runners and supporters and the support of The LYCRA Company will allow us to continue to deliver that.
“We sold out in record time again this year and we will have our largest ever field taking part and that growth is only possible with the support of our sponsors and partners.”
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.
If you or your company are interested in getting involved in the Waterside Half Marathon, you can contact Council’s Events Team at [email protected].
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