Name: The Marriage Course (online)
Start: 2026-01-06T00:00:00+01:00
End: 2026-01-06T23:59:59+01:00
Location: Online

‘Way beyond my expectations’ – marathon man Stephen McLoughlin

Thursday April 17th 2025

A rainbow in the sky as the runners approach Bushmills on day 2.

On Tuesday evening, April 15, Stephen McLoughlin, musical director at Lisburn Cathedral, and his running partner Greg McClure completed an epic run around the perimeter of Connor Diocese.

They had covered almost 170 miles over just four days and raised more than £8,000 to fund much-needed repairs to Lisburn Cathedral’s hall.

En route, they were supported by a great team, with others joining them for sections of the run.

Stephen McLoughlin.

Here Stephen, who took up running just three years ago when problems with his eyesight meant he could no longer drive, reflects on his four-day multi-marathon experience.

“At the outset we had a good team of people helping us choose the safest route around the diocese, preparing to support us during the run with a stocked motorhome ready with lunches, snacks, first aid (thankfully not needed) and somewhere to have a rest. The whole team spirit of the event was evident from an early stage – however, what unfolded was way beyond my expectations.

“Despite the early start (7am) on April 12, we had a good crowd to cheer us off from Lisburn Cathedral and about eight runners joined us on the initial stage to Belfast. Just on the outskirts of Lisburn we enjoyed a special rendition of Chariots of Fire by members of Lisburn Community Orchestra [both Stephen and Greg are members] – quite a delightful surprise at 7.15am!

“After a short coffee boost, Greg and I got our heads down and ran from Belfast to Whiteabbey and followed trails to Straid and later Mounthill. We picked up a few runners after Larne and pushed on towards our first stop and the end of Day 1 (44.5 miles) in Glenarm.

RAINBOW

“Day 2 took us from Glenarm up the coast to Bushmills (41.5 miles). The weather again was fabulous – not too hot but with blue skies and the sun gleaming off the sea. A few showers hit us, with one particularly heavy shower as we approached Bushmills. Earlier in the day we had discussed the saying ‘when it’s raining look for the rainbow,’ and sure enough, a magical rainbow opened up as we descended into Bushmills.

“We were thankful for friends in the Cathedral, who had just flown home from Malaga to open their house in Bushmills for us to stay in. They had their open fire roaring for our arrival, but we quickly learned that the heavy rainshower not only brought a lovely rainbow, but also lightening which had stuck a transformer and we had no electricity as a result!

“Upwards and onwards, and we warmed ourselves by the fire while dinner was served from the local chippy and we told stories and laughed. Not long after power was restored and showers were taken and we slept well.

“Day 3, Monday April 13, took us from Bushmills, through Portrush, Portstewart, Coleraine, Loughan, Grange and eventually Randalstown (48 miles). We started early, again with good company, but Greg and I knew this was going to be a long day – and it was the toughest.

“I had a sore knee from the end of day 1 – I have never suffered from sore knees before, but made the classic mistake of buying new shoes for the run which I suspect were the culprit.

TIREDNESS

“Accumulated tiredness made the end of day 3 tough. We had talked about stopping day 3 early and adding those miles into day 4, but we were both determined to keep going. Our pace had slowed to a crawl between Grange and Randalstown, and after sweating, the sun had gone and we were freezing, still in shorts and teeshirts! The motorhome was heavenly when we got to it, and before long we were being fed and warmed by our fabulous crew.

“Day 4 was all about bringing it home for the final 35 miles. Although straighter routes could be found between Randalstown and Lisburn we wanted to be as accurate to the diocesan border as we could, so we lengthened the route to include places such as Gotnagallon and approach Ballinderry through endless back roads!

“After a good start and getting ahead of schedule for the first 13 miles of the day, my knee started to take a turn for the worse and the next 15 miles were a painful mixture of hopping and walking, eventually with the aid of a walking stick made from a tree branch!

“Our last stretch of road was from the Moira roundabout home, and a few of the runners who had previously ran with us had they would like to join us again. However, we did not expect to see an army of runners!

CHURCH FAMILY

“After a quick prayer, my Moses-like walking stick was discarded and lo and behold my knee was fine. We had our fastest stretch of the whole run from Moira to Lisburn with car horns blasting, groups of people shouting and holding posters. Like the scene from Rocky, the number of runners seemed to increase as we got closer to Lisburn once again. Almost exactly on time we arrived at the gates of Lisburn Cathedral to be met by our lovely church family pulling streamers, holding banners and cheering!

“What I learned from this whole journey is that I will most likely never win a marathon and the same for the people who ran with Greg and I through the 168 miles. But that’s ok – it was about being together – Mr Nesbitt lending us his van; Martin spending four days making us sandwiches; Raymond and Donna sharing their house; Doug directing the traffic; Andrew telling us about fish; Julie never stopping with stories for 30 miles; Victor Victorious, the spaniel whose owner shared with us in Coleraine; Sammy who walks four miles three times a week and is having treatment for cancer at the moment; Louise who can’t tell the difference between a sheep and a cow sign; Emily who will never be employed as a sign maker but shines; and Greg, who is the most humble physical machine I know. God is love and that’s the reason all this matters.

“And as a parting thought, the financial contributions stand beyond £8,000 for which we thank every contributor, but this run turned into something much more real than a fundraiser. And my knee has not recovered yet, but as the saying goes ‘If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.’ (Martin Luther King Jnr). God is good!!!

You can still donate to Stephen’s fundraiser at JustGiving.