Belfast gets a touch of Rick Stein as marathon whistle blows for head chef

 

By Eleanor McGillie

A MASSIVE marathon effort will kick off on Monday as Rick Stein’s Head Chef Stephane Delourme gears up for the Celtic 7 Marathon Challenge along with leading businessman, Peter McGahan from Armagh.

The pair, who both live in Cornwall and who are being trained by Olympics Team GB head physio, Gordon Bosworth, have come up with the challenge which will see them running marathons in Belfast, Brittany, Wales, the Isle of Man, Galicia in Spain and Scotland before finishing at Cornwall’s Eden Project in November.

Peter, who owns Worldwide Financial Planning and Stephane, Head Chef at The Seafood Restaurant in Padstow, decided on the challenge to raise money and awareness for Cornish based charities – Invictus Trust, which helps teenagers with mental health issues and Ellie’s Haven, which offers relief to families with children suffering long term and life limiting illnesses. They are also raising money and  Action For Children, a national charity which gives a voice to the most vulnerable, disadvantaged and neglected children and young people.

Even before running, the pair have already raised £16,000 for the challenge which will see them running around the Celtic nations of Europe.

Peter said: “This is the challenge of a lifetime. We planned the marathons to begin in Ireland and finish our running tour of the Celtic regions of Europe with one of the toughest and most scenic marathons in the UK at Eden.

“This has already been an incredible journey for Stephane, myself and all of our supporters. The training has been difficult but incredibly rewarding and we’re very proud to be raising funds and awareness for three very important charities.”

Stephane added: “It’s easy to accept that age closes in our options but with a challenge like this we push these boundaries back out and learn much more about ourselves. It’s exciting but very rewarding. We have the very best team looking after us in the head physio from Team GB athletics for the Olympics, Gordon Bosworth.

“We are very much looking forward to the Belfast marathon on Monday (May 5) as the hospitality is always fantastic. I love Belfast with all its restaurants and foodie establishments and of course we will be dying for a pint of Guinness too.”

One marathon will finish and the next beckons so recovery is everything so Jason McGahan from Setanta Fitness in Armagh and Sean McSorley, a physio in Armagh, will treat the pair for two days to prepare them for recovery. Peter and Stephane will then visit a new  community project in Milford in Armagh and a trip to Rick Stein’s oyster supplier at  Carlingford Oyster Farm before flying back to Cornwall.

The pair’s training is being documented on their Facebook (Celtic 7 Marathon Challenge) and Twitter accounts (@celtic7marathon)  and a Virgin MoneyGiving page has been set up so people can donate (Celtic 7 Marathon Challenge).

 

ENDS:

Notes To Editor:

• Stephane Delourme and Peter McGahan are both available for interview. Please contact Eleanor McGillie on 07709805379 to arrange interviews.
• For further information contact Eleanor McGillie of MGMPR Ltd  on 028 3756 9569 or 07709805379 | www.mgmpr.co.uk | PR | Public Relations Northern Ireland | Public Relations UK | Brand Journalism Northern Ireland | Brand Journalism UK | Brand Journalism Experts