AN Armagh man has completed the mammoth charity challenge of running 60 marathons in 60 days across Ireland.
Stevey McGeown (37), who lives outside Armagh but is originally from Ballymacnab, set off from his home on June 1 and on Saturday returned to his home county to a hero's welcome after covering a distance of well over 2,000 miles through each of the 32 counties of Ireland.
Through his efforts he hopes to raise £300,000 for the Keith Duffy Foundation, promoting awareness of autism.
It has pledged to support three charities - Fighting Blindness, Buddy Bench Ireland and the Paddy Wallace Fund for Autism - with the proceeds of the runs.
For the past 60 days Stevey has ran almost 40 miles a day - or what is called an ultra marathon and has smashed the world record for such a feat, a mark of 21 consecutive ultra marathons set in 2014.
In the past two months he has been joined by amateur runners in each county who have helped push him on to finish the challenge.
It has been an arduous task as the Armagh runner has had to battle through sunstroke, swollen ankles, a bout of food poisoning and the death of his grandmother along the way. With the delays he was forced to run through the night to make up lost time and one occasion ran 79 miles in just 25 hours.
Speaking to the Irish News he said he was delighted to have finished what has been the "toughest thing" he has done in his life.
"It's been a great journey and people have been very supportive of me and I'm very thankful," he said.
:: To donate to the charity challenge see steveysepicadventure.com, or text Buddy to 50300 to donate €2.
