A man has collapsed and died during Monday’s Belfast marathon.



The runner, aged in his 50s, encountered difficulties at about the sixth mile, near Victoria park in east Belfast, and was taken to the Royal Victoria hospital in west Belfast, but later died.



The Northern Ireland ambulance service (NIAS) said: “The Northern Ireland ambulance service received a 999 call at 9.55 on Monday 7 May to report that a male runner, approx 50 years old, in the Belfast marathon had collapsed on the Sydenham Bypass.



“NIAS were on scene within four minutes having despatched a rapid response paramedic and an accident and emergency crew. The patient was assessed and, following initial treatment at the scene, he was brought by ambulance to RVH.”



Two senior members of the marathon management team visited the runner’s family in hospital, a spokeswoman for the organisers said.



About 17,000 people entered the Belfast City marathon, one of the city’s showpiece events, which was won by Eric Koech from Kenya.

In April, MasterChef finalist Matt Campbell, 29, collapsed at the London marathon and died later in hospital.