Belfast

THE TWO THINGS Belfast is famous for, unfortunately, are the Titanic (which was built here) and the Troubles (which tormented people for 30 years). But the city is safer now, and while we have the usual mob of headmelters, people here are generally good craic [fun].

- Nell McShane Wulfhart

Running is a neutral sport in Belfast, devoid of sectarianism. Some sports here, like Gaelic Athletic Association football, rugby, or field hockey, are probably played more by Catholic or Protestant schools. If you’re playing football, for example, you might be on a team from a certain area, wearing colours that identify you as such. But running’s never really been associated with any one group, and people have been very protective of that. This being Belfast, club runners are more likely to fight between themselves than with members of other clubs. But really, we just want to run, and we don’t want any bollocks.

It’s a small city. In fact, you can see a lot of Belfast by running a 10-K circuit. So even a short run will take you through different neighbourhoods, many of which will always be Catholic or Protestant. If you’re interested in the political aspect, you could go through four different areas and see flags and murals and ‘peace lines’, which are walls built between neighbourhoods to help keep the peace.