Belfast man is on Baxters Loch Ness Marathon trail Nessie hunt after penguins in Antarctica and reindeer in the Arctic Circle
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
He has run past penguins in Antarctica, in the shadow of Sydney Opera House and past remnants of the Berlin Wall.
There have been midnight glimpses of reindeer within the Arctic circle and cityscapes from Tokyo to Chicago, Tokyo, and New York to native Belfast.
Gary Bell has completed 26 mile and 385 yard challenges on seven continents but reckons nothing will compare to this weekend’s Baxters Loch Ness Marathon & Festival of Running – especially if he catches a glimpse of the elusive monster.
The Northern Irishman is embarking on his first marathon in Scotland but is no stranger to the distance. Sunday’s run, if completed, will be his 69th marathon feat.
A member of the prestigious 7 Continents Marathon Club after completing a marathon on a ship in the Antarctic, 58-year-old Gary is working towards his lifetime goal of completing 100 marathons.
“I’m an average runner,” he insisted. “I enjoy going out running, meeting new people and visiting new places, so I’ve combined them all and travelled to every continent to take part in marathons.”
Gary took part in his first marathon aged 17, having been turned down aged 16 when as too young to take part in the first Belfast Marathon in 1982.
“I’ve certainly made up for missing the first Belfast Marathon and have completed every one since – that’s 40 Belfast Marathons,” he said.
Gary has completed all six World Marathon Majors: Tokyo, London, Berlin, Chicago, New York and the 100th Boston Marathon, as well as the Polar Circle Marathon in Greenland in the Arctic.
In the early 2000s, Gary set off for the Antarctic to complete his biggest challenge yet.
As part of his bid to join the 7 Continents Marathon Club, he was due to take part in the Antarctica Marathon but bad weather scuppered the plans of competitors who had travelled there by ship from all over the world.
“On the morning of the Antarctica Marathon, 120 of us were ready to go but high winds made it unsafe for us to go onshore. We tried again the next day, but conditions were just as bad. The crew scrambled and came up with a plan – to run the marathon on the ship!” he revealed.
“The tour organiser and the captain did some sums and worked out that the 26.2 miles would be 324 laps of the lower deck of the ship or 422 laps of the upper deck.
“Friends and family members who had come along acted as markers and counted down our laps. It was the most bizarre race as we ran half inside and half outside where we saw
icebergs, sea lions and penguins.”
And now Gary will be looking out for a different type of beast as he runs along the shores of Loch Ness.
“A family member recently looked into our family tree and found some Scottish ancestry so I thought it would be great to head to the Highlands for the first time and tick off the Loch Ness Marathon as my 69th,” he said.
“It looks like a fantastic route so I can’t wait to get going and maybe even spot Nessie along the way!”
