PACERTRIP CITY EDITIONGB / RACE GUIDE

Antrim Coast Half Marathon

Name: MY FIRST OVERSEAS RACE! // Is the Antrim Coast REALLY Ireland’s Fastest Half Marathon?
Uploaded: 2026-08-31
Description: This is one of the fastest and flattest course in the UK and Ireland. It suits both runners chasing a personal record and those attempting their first half marathon. The course passes along the Antri

The city you want to run becomes your next trip.

Larne
GB

C LEITCH · CC BY-SA 4.0Wikimedia Commons · C Leitch, CC BY-SA 4.0Wikimedia Commons · David Dixon, CC BY-SA 2.0David Dixon, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia CommonsWilson Adams, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia CommonsAlbert Bridge, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Race date in 323 days: Aug 29, 2027 Sun
City · Distance: Larne · 21.1km
Entry fee: £48Varies by event and entry period
Status: OpenTBD ~ Sun, July 18, 2027See how to enter ↗

Official website ↗

Instagram YouTube

D-day as of Oct 10, 2026

About the race Runner stories How to enter Course Race Prep Travel

Why you dream of this race

THE DREAM

ABOUT THE RACE

A day you'll remember,
long past the finish line.

This is one of the fastest and flattest course in the UK and Ireland.

It suits both runners chasing a personal record and those attempting their first half marathon.

The course passes along the Antrim coastline and village scenery of Northern Ireland.

The road to your own record

Picture the course in advance
and find the pace that fits you.

When the city cheers

Streets lined with cheers, runners all around.
You'll be part of that scene.

The trip that follows the run

Take it slow with the finish still in you,
and meet the city all over again.

Stories from runners who've been there.

From the joy of finishing to the tough moments — read what runners wrote themselves.

Race reports: 2

djferris123Ran in 2024 · Finish time 1:26:57

“I try give it one last push hoping I've saved just enough for a half sprint finish and we cross the line in 1:26:57.”

At the Antrim Coast half marathon, the runner braved wind and rain, holding their pace with a group to achieve a personal best. They liked the coastal course but were disappointed by the pre-start wait and water provision.

Read the original on Reddit r/AdvancedRunning

Chris WorfolkRan in 2023 · Finish time 1:56:55

“There is a reason it is so crowded: the views are spectacular.”

There is a reason it is crowded: the scenery is spectacular. Chris Warpolk ran the scenic but crowded course and, even after a bathroom stop, caught up with the 2-hour pacer and finished in 1:56:55.

Read the original on Chris Worfolk's Blog

We translated a short line from each public race report and summarized the experience. Finish times are as stated by the author, and past editions may differ from this year's weather and operations.

See it on video,
feel it through their stories.

Preview the course and read what runners who went before you wrote.

Finisher vlog

MARM (Middle Aged Running Man) · Finisher vlog

View on YouTube

This may be from a past edition. Check the organizer for this year's course and operations.

The way in that fits you

YOUR ENTRY

How to reach the start line —
start with what fits you.

Here are the ways to enter and what each requires.
Check the organizer's page for whether entries are open.

General entry

Entry cost £43

International runner fee (UK and Irish runners: £39).

Organizer's page

Official race website Entry options

From the start line to the finish

RACE WEEK

Your 21.1km

Know the course and time limit, and race day comes into focus.

Runners start · local timeFrom 11:00

The start time and cutoff follow the official announcement (checked 2026-08) — re-check on the official page before entering.

Event	Start
Half21.097km	11:00

City center · not the start line

We have not confirmed the start line coordinates yet. The map shows the host city.

START

Glenarm Road, Larne Town Centre

FINISH

Chain Memorial Road, Larne

Finish · Google Maps

Cutoff
Because of the initial 7 km city loop, the start window is open for only 8 minutes. After that, the start closes and you cannot start.

Original course map · antrimcoasthalfmarathon.com

Runners start · local time — Sunday, August 23, 2026 — half marathon starts at 11:00 a.m. (the 2026 half marathon, officially the Condor Executive Antrim Coast Half Marathon, starts at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, August 23)

The race starts near Larne Town Park and Sandy Bay Stadium, beside the Chaine Memorial Tower, built in 1888.

Course runs through Larne town center and Larne Harbour before joining the Antrim Coast Road.

Designed and completed by William Bald in 1842, the road follows the coastline.

Turnaround point is near Ballygally, and the course also includes sections on Croft Road, Ballymullock Road and Cairncastle Road.

Starting at around 20m above sea level and finishing at roughly 5m, the course trends gently downhill.

Finish is set up again near the leisure center.

The race is a World Athletics Elite Label Road Race and one of only half marathon at that level in Great Britain and Ireland.

The women’s course record is 1 hour 4 minutes 22 seconds, set by Yalemzerf Yehualaw in 2022;

the men’s mark is 58 minutes 36 seconds, set by Kenya’s Daniel Mateiko in 2023.

Both are all-comers’ records for Great Britain and Ireland.

Yehualaw ran 1 hour 3 minutes 44 seconds at the 2021 race, surpassing the world record at the time,

but the performance was not ratified after the course was later found to be 54m short.

Typical race-season temperature: around 15°C (58°F): Short sleeves or light long sleeves + arm warmers

Participant benefits

Finisher medal

Finisher T-shirt

From the most recent edition

Event T-shirt 2026

Finisher medal 2026

This may change for the next edition.

To the start line,
step by step.

Pick up your bib, check your wave.
So on race morning, you can just run.

From the 2026 edition

Stations & transport near the venue

Getting to the startno train station in Larne itself — start on Glenarm Road beside Larne Town Park (BT40 1DY); nearest major…
Transit cardThere's no dedicated Larne transit card — just tap a contactless bank card or phone on the reader when boarding Translink buses, or use the mLink app; this covers Larne's local bus routes and the train link to Belfast.
Getting to the finishChaine Memorial Tower, Larne Harbour

Source · checked Aug 22, 2026 · Source · checked Aug 17, 2026

More details

Getting to the start

no train station in Larne itself — start on Glenarm Road beside Larne Town Park (BT40 1DY); nearest major transit hub Belfast (~30km, under 30 min via A8)

Half marathon starts 11:00am Sun 23 Aug 2026. A previously-offered race-day coach from Belfast to Larne is shown CLOSED for booking on the 2026 official site — do not assume it will run. Only Nelson Place (Belfast) partner-accommodation guests get a free shuttle.

Map

Getting to the finish

Chaine Memorial Tower, Larne Harbour

Map

Start shuttle

Prior-year Belfast<->Larne coach (8 Nelson Street, ~08:15am, £15) marked CLOSED for 2026 booking. Translink public bus runs regularly Belfast-Larne — check journey planner given race-day closures.

Road closures ~7:00am rolling: Curran Road, Coastguard Road, Fleet Street, Olderfleet Road (08:30-10:00); Victoria Road, Agnew Street (08:00-10:30); A2 Coast Road Black Arch to Ballygally (08:00-12:30); Glenarm Road (08:00-14:30). Six designated parking zones around Larne.

Transit card

Larne is served by Translink (Northern Ireland's public operator), not a separate local card scheme. Translink rolled out contactless payment across all Ulsterbus/Goldliner bus and NI Railways train services, so a foreign contactless card or phone wallet works directly at the reader.

Cash and the mLink app are also accepted.

Where to buy

Source · checked Aug 22, 2026 Source · checked Aug 17, 2026

READY TO RUN

From race morning to after the finish.

Your start time, fuel and bag drop.
Know them ahead and the run feels easier.

Half marathon starts at 11 a.m., following a 5km race at 9 a.m. the same day.

Pacer are assigned to groups ranging from 1 hour 30 minutes to 3 hours,

allowing both time-focused runners and those aiming simply to finish to find an appropriate group.

Organizers describe this course as a world-class, “flat and fast” course that passes UNESCO World Heritage landmarks and coastal villages.

The Antrim Coast Road, the defining feature of course, was completed in 1842 and remains central to the course.

Course follows a gentle overall descent from the start, at around 20m above sea level, to the finish, at roughly 5m.

As a World Athletics Elite Label course, it is measured to a high degree of accuracy.

The 2021 race, however, produced a world-record-level women’s performance that was later disallowed after course was found to be 54m short.

The field for the 2026 race is already full.

Race-day procedures and assembly times for confirmed entrants are listed on the official website’s Participant Instructions page.

Times are local to Larne. Check the latest official information before the race.

A trip built around the race

STAY A LITTLE

MAKE IT A RUNTRIP

The race is one day,
the trip can be longer.

From a hotel that makes race morning easy,
to the meals and views you'll enjoy with the medal on.

Curran Court Hotel

Hotel · 889m

8.9/10(385)

View on Booking.com

Belfast｜Private Airport Pickup/Drop-off Service at George Best Belfast City Airport

£51

Antrim Coast Half Marathon

About Antrim Coast Half Marathon — what makes it special

A day you'll remember,long past the finish line.

The road to your own record

When the city cheers

The trip that follows the run