The Mary Peters Track plays host to one of the biggest early season meets on the Irish athletics calendar today as the Belfast Classic returns as part of the World Athletics Continental Tour Challenger series. The meeting, formerly known as the Belfast Irish Milers Meet, has steadily grown into a serious international fixture and the 2026 edition looks to showcase high quality running.
A huge contingent of Irish internationals are set to compete across the sprints, middle distance races and relays, with many athletes fresh off last weekend’s World Relays in Botswana.
Event Schedule
The action spans from late morning through the early evening, highlights include:
- 12:10: Women's 3000m International
- 13:00: Men's 3000m International
- 13:38: Women's 400m International
- 14:00: Men's 400m International
- 14:30: Men's 1500m International
- 14:38: Women's 1500m International
- 17:12: Mixed 4x400m Relay
- 17:24: Women's 800m International
- 17:32: Men's 800m International
Athletes to Watch
The meet features a strong contingent of Irish stars, including several members of the women's relay squad that competed in Botswana last weekend.
Sprints & 400m
- Sophie Becker, Cliodhna Manning, and Rachel McCann are among the high-profile names in the women's 400m.
- Jack Raftery leads the entries for the men's 400m.
- Anna McCauley and Erin Friel are set to compete in the 200m.
Middle Distance
- The 800m features Cillian Kirwan, Andrew Thompson, and Saoirse Fitzgerald.
- In the 1500m, keep an eye on Amy O’Donoghue, Pia Langton, and Cathal O’Reilly.
Long Distance
- Fiona Everard (3000m) and Jack O'Leary (3000m) are notable Irish entries in the longer track events.
