Rapist held after return to Belfast
A CO Down man has completed the ultimate challenge in endurance by running the equivalent of 10 marathons in five days to raise money for charity.
Brian McGeown, originally from Castlewellan but now living in Belfast, started the epic challenge in Cork on Sunday, finishing at Belfast City Hall last night after running 262 miles.
The 38-year-old hopes to raise £10,000, to be split between the Public Initiative for Prevention of Suicide and Self Harm (PIPS), Mencap, Makaton, the Children’s Heartbeat Trust and Barretstown.
The marathon runner said each of his chosen charities had helped people close to him. He took on the challenge in a bid to raise awareness about the work they do.
Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph during the last leg of his journey, Brian said: “I am doing this to let people know that I am thinking about them and what they have been through or if they are continuing to go through a tough time.
“My personal belief is that if you are going through a tough time, even the mere thought that someone else has you in their thoughts can help you through that difficult time. You are not completely alone.
“I can’t cure illnesses or perform surgery of anything like that, but I am trying to raise awareness about the charities that offer those services and do help families through difficult times.
“They all do amazing jobs. Me running is just running — there is nothing I am doing that is special compared to what they do.”
Mr McGeown, who works in the Shu and Home restaurants in Belfast, said completing two marathons a day had taken a massive toll on his body.
“I can’t wait to get finished... my body is in bits,” he added. “I am rundown because I have not taken enough nutrients. I have blisters all over my feet, my hips are on fire, I have got mouth ulcers and I think I left my nipples somewhere around Kilkenny, but I will recover.
“My pain is for a few days. I can go get physio and get the pain rubbed out. People who have got pain in their hearts or their minds, that takes longer to recover from. If you have lost a child or a friend or a member of your family has taken their own life, that leaves scars for a long time. My pain is only temporary.”
Brian McGeown ran 262 miles, starting in Cork and finishing in Belfast A CONVICTED rapist has been remanded in custody for allegedly failing to notify police of his return to Northern Ireland.
Michael McMoran (38) was arrested at a location in Belfast on Wednesday, allegedly with a small quantity of heroin on him.
McMoran, of Plunkett Court in the city, is charged with failing to notify police of a change of address within a three-day period.
He also faces a second count of possessing class A drugs.
He was jailed for 11 years in May 1998 after being convicted of raping and indecently assaulting a disabled teenager.
He attacked the 19-year-old while burgling her home in March 1997.
Following his release from prison he is understood to have lived in Scotland before returning to the city.
At Belfast Magistrates Court yesterday, McMoran was remanded in custody to appear again by video-link next week.