Derry’s Waterside Half Marathon sold out for 6 September

Name: Waterside Half Marathon
Start: 2026-09-06T09:30:00+01:00
Location: Ebrington Square

demoduck.co.uk editorial team 2026-08-26 18:22 3 min read

Three women in teal t-shirts run hand-in-hand through heavy rain at a marathon race.

Derry’s Waterside Half Marathon will start at 9.30am on Sunday, 6 September 2026, with its 13.1-mile course beginning and ending at Ebrington Square. Entry is sold out: more than 4,300 individual places and all 125 three-person relay team places were claimed three months before race day.

The event, organised by Derry City and Strabane District Council, is for registered individual and relay runners. The council notice does not state an entry price, and no further places are available.

Race detail	Confirmed information
Date and time	Sunday, 6 September, at 9.30am
Start and finish	Ebrington Square, Derry
Distance	13.1 miles
Entry status	Sold out

The figure-of-eight route crosses Derry’s three bridges

Runners will leave Ebrington Square and follow a figure-of-eight course around the banks of the Foyle. The first section passes beneath Craigavon Bridge before crossing the Peace Bridge and continuing towards Strathfoyle.

The route then turns back towards Caw Roundabout, crosses the Foyle Bridge and descends through Bay Park. Its final section follows the quay before taking runners over the Peace Bridge again and back to the finish line at Ebrington Square.

This layout places three of Derry’s best-known bridges within the race route, with the Peace Bridge appearing on both the outward and finishing sections. A full course map is included in the council’s published race-day information.

Mums on the Run step up from 5K to 13.1 miles

Among the thousands taking part will be Mums on the Run, a local group that developed through the Minding Mum perinatal mental health project delivered by Waterside Neighbourhood Partnership.

The group began in 2023 after health visitor assistant and coach Laura Mitchell suggested offering mothers involved in the project a Couch to 5K programme. Project manager Christine McBride said seven programmes have since been completed, with participants marking their graduation at Derry City Parkrun while running with their prams.

Some members continued training together under the Mums on the Run name and progressed to longer local events, including Jog in the Bog and the Walled City Ten Miler. Their next challenge is the Waterside Half Marathon.

McBride said the group has provided friendship, encouragement and a support network alongside physical activity. Members continue to train with their prams, allowing their children to share in the experience as they work towards new distances.

The group’s involvement also reflects the wider purpose of the Minding Mum project. McBride described their progress as an example of how connection, peer support and exercise can contribute to positive perinatal mental health.

Chip timing, medals and race-day information

The Waterside Half Marathon will be chip-timed. Every finisher is due to receive a commemorative medal and T-shirt after completing the course.

Friends and families are expected to support Mums on the Run along the route, although the council notice does not publish designated spectator areas. It also provides no specific transport, parking or accessibility arrangements in the supplied event details.

New mothers interested in joining Mums on the Run can contact Minding Mum on 07719 532034 or find the project through its Minding Mum Waterside Facebook page and the Instagram account mindingmum_wnp. Registered runners should use the council’s Waterside Half Marathon race-day information page, where the full route map is published.

Source: Derry City and Strabane Council News

Context & actions About this article

Source check How this preview was checked

The race date, starting point, route, entry status and participant details were checked against the organiser’s published notice.

Checks

Confirmed the race starts at Ebrington Square at 9.30am on 6 September 2026.
Confirmed that individual and three-person relay entries are sold out.
Matched the route description with the named bridges and finishing point.
Kept transport, accessibility and pricing details unstated where the source provided none.

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