Belfast Marathon: 65-year-old embarks on endurance challenge while pair seek to honour grandmother

Since then the race has grown in stature and has been dominated by African athletes, with Kenyan runners having won 18 of the last 22 races.

On Sunday the marathon, which starts at 9am at Stormont, returns to its May bank holiday weekend slot after moving to October last year and being cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic. An international field of runners will also return with relaxed travel restrictions allowing wider participation.

Among those taking part are a Co Antrim man who will be begin an amazing feat of endurance on Sunday and a mother and daughter from Belfast who will be honouring their late grandmother.

Portstewart man Eugene Winters – known as Oggie – celebrates his 65th birthday tomorrow and is setting himself the mammoth challenge of running 600 marathons in 600 weeks, starting with Belfast Marathon.

The loyal supporter of Action Mental Health has already run 300 marathons in 300 weeks, when he was 55, finishing that challenge ahead of his deadline, at 270 weeks.

Eugene, who is a member of several elite marathon clubs around the world, said: “I hope that my efforts will maybe inspire other people to go out and do something active.

“I firmly believe exercising and keeping active can help not just our physical health but our mental health too.”

Also warming up for Sunday’s race are Patricia Loughran and her daughter Claire.

They will be running in honour of their late mother and grandmother Kathleen, who was diagnosed with an incurable sight condition in her 60s.

The pair have been training for the event since November and raising funds for leading sight loss charity the Macular Society, to fund vital research to find a cure.

Patricia said: “It was my daughter who first signed up for the marathon. I went training with her for company and to help motivate her but then we decided we would both run the marathon together.”

Claire, a 25-year-old trainee solicitor, said: “Granny had massive playing cards, a massive telephone and would often ask us to read the labels and prices of goods when out shopping. It wasn’t nice to see her struggle but she never complained. Unless you knew her like we did, you would not have known that she suffered with her eyesight.

“It’s good to raise awareness of the Macular Society and I don’t think it’s a charity which many people will be running for on the day.”

According to the Met Office tomorrow will get off to a cloudy and damp start but will brighten up as the day goes on.