A Kenyan runner has won the 20th Belfast marathon ahead of a record number of participants. Joseph Riri (27) won in a time of two hours and 25 minutes. His countryman, Wilson Cherluyot, came second.
Gary Crossan from Letterkenny, Co Donegal, came in third. The best local competitor was fourth-placed Alan McCullough from north Belfast, a brother of boxer Wayne McCullough.
The women's race was won by Deborah Curley from Lancashire, England, in two hours and 56 minutes.
Joseph Riri recently won the Laganside 10-kilometre race in Belfast and came second in an international cross-country event at Stormont in January, but he had never before competed in a marathon. He said he was "absolutely delighted" with his victory and would return to Belfast next year.
Despite earlier concerns about the impact of the foot-and-mouth crisis, over 6,000 runners - 1,000 more than last year - competed in the main race, which started from the Mays field Leisure centre at midday.
As well as those running or walking the 26 miles, hundreds of relay teams were taking part, many for charity.
A separate fun run was being held to raise money for the Northern Ireland Cancer Fund for children.
The event's administrator, Mr Cormac McCann, said he expected the run to raise between £20,000 and £30,000 sterling.
Before the start of the race, British army technical officers were called in to examine a suspicious object on the Falls Road stretch of the marathon route in west Belfast.
The object turned out to be an elaborate hoax.