My 10th And Final Marathon

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The Belfast Marathon, which I was training for, was unfortunately cancelled this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. But they offered a virtual alternative which you could run any time in May or June. I hadn’t really trained for it but went for it this morning with a target of anything under 4:30:00 in mind. I ran 10 loops of the village and, although I struggled near the end, finished in a time of 4:16:09.

My family provided great support throughout the run. Adam cycled three of the loops with me and Rebecca kept me fuelled with drinks and sweets. Fionnuala filmed the finish where they applauded me through the finish line, made out of toilet roll. Rebecca then presented me with a plastic trophy, medal and goodie bag. The organisers also provide a medal and t shirt when you e mail them evidence of your run.

This was my tenth and final marathon. I’m getting no younger and have been having a few problems with my right knee. I also can’t commit to the time required to seriously train for such events. It’s a massive undertaking and I have too much else going on to justify signing up for another event. I’m content with my last one which I got to finish in front of my loved ones. It was a fitting end to my marathon running career.

I’m hobbling about the house at present like the old man I am but inside I’m very pleased. These are tough times and it was nice today to forget for a morning what is going on in the outside world. The only news at the minute seems to be bad news. I hope you are safe wherever you are and my marathon running exploits have done a little to brighten up your day. When we have our family around us, we have much to be grateful for.

Published by Fractured Faith Blog

We are Stephen and Fionnuala and this is our story. We live in Northern Ireland, have been married for 17 years and have three kids - Adam, Hannah and Rebecca. We hope that our story will inspire and encourage others. We have walked a rocky road yet here we are today, together and stronger than ever. We are far from perfect and our faith has been battered and bruised. But an untested faith is a pointless faith. Just as a fractured faith is better than none at all. We hope you enjoy the blog.

29 thoughts on “My 10th And Final Marathon”

  4. I have never run a marathon. I can barely chase the grandkids and there is nothing wrong with my knees. Good for you. I enjoyed your story Stephen!

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  12. Congratulations! Very Impressive! 10 years is no small feat! I am sure you are savoring your moment:-) Your note on “finish line made with toilet roll”, just caught my attention 🙂 2 months ago in the US, a roll of toilet paper was lot more expensive than a gallon of gasoline 🙂 You touching the finish line is no small order!!!!

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