Belfast City Marathon organisers will adjust finishing positions and prize allocations after Josh Griffiths, who finished fourth in this year’s race, was disqualified following a doping rule violation.
The Welsh runner received a three month suspension after a sample collected following the marathon on 3 May tested positive for benzoylecgonine, a substance produced when the body breaks down cocaine.
Griffiths denied knowingly taking cocaine. The Athletics Integrity Unit accepted that any ingestion occurred outside competition and was unrelated to sport, but he could not establish how the substance entered his system.
His suspension has already been served.
Belfast Confirms Changes To Results
In a statement published on 11 November, Belfast City Marathon confirmed it had received official notification of Griffiths’ disqualification.
“The disqualification will be reflected in the official race results, with finishing positions and prize allocations adjusted accordingly,” organisers said.
The statement described the news as disappointing and reaffirmed the event’s support for testing and fair competition.
It did not name the athletes who would receive revised positions or specify the amounts involved in any prize adjustments.
For Belfast, the decision therefore affects both the race standings and the distribution of awards from an event held more than six months ago.
What The Investigation Found
According to BBC Sport’s account of the ruling, benzoylecgonine was detected in both samples provided following the Belfast race.
Griffiths initially challenged the finding and maintained that he had never knowingly consumed cocaine. He supplied information about his movements before the marathon, including his stay at the official race hotel, and said he had attended no social events or consumed alcohol during that period.
He also submitted scientific evidence supporting his position that any ingestion occurred outside competition. The AIU accepted that point, along with the finding that it was unrelated to sport.
Griffiths subsequently accepted the rule violation and the sanction. That acceptance did not amount to an admission that he had deliberately taken cocaine.
Suspension Already Completed
The three month ban began on 19 June and ended in September. Its public announcement in November therefore concerns a sanction that had already run its course.
The distinction matters: Griffiths is not beginning a new suspension, while the consequences for his Belfast result remain. Triathlon Magazine
Belfast organisers have
