From Gracehill to Ben Nevis and back home for a shift at the MOT centre, Jonny Steede has built a life around running up and down hills for fun. Now he is lending that same energy to the NI Running Show, aiming to bring more folk into the sport he loves.
The Ballymena start
“I am a Ballymena man,” Jonny says, matter of fact. He grew up in Gracehill and still lives just outside the town. By day he works in his local MOT centre. Most days he runs to and from work. It is four and a half to five miles each way. Shower there, jog home later. No drama. Just miles.
Running was not his first love. “It was motorbike racing. My dad took me to races all over the North.” The turn came in a pub. He told a local runner from Ballymena Runners that he fancied a marathon. The reply was blunt. You will never run a marathon. That did the trick. “Something switched. I went out the next day, ran a mile or two, blowing out of me, but I kept at it.”
Mentors followed. Sandy McDermott took him under his wing and brought him into Ballymena Runners. Then Mark Alexander and others nudged him into the hills. “Mountain running is my passion now. My whole world exists around it.”
Peaks, Records and the Irish Vest
Jonny’s golden spell arrived around 2014. He won domestic titles and finished thirteenth overall in the British Championship. Momentum carried into 2015. At the Maurice Mullins 50K he went under four hours and set a course record. Ian Keith had a quiet word and told him to put his name in for the Irish team. He did. “Annecy in 2015. Eighty six kilometres round the mountains. Ten hours on the go. Brutal heat. You could see the finish the whole way down the final switchbacks. That was a test.”
There have been big days closer to home too. A hundred kilometre off road race on the Causeway Coast in about eight and a half hours. Countless slogs in the Mournes. Fifteen trips to Ben Nevis with a couple of top ten finishes. The competitive itch is still there. He laughs about a recent beach race with the dog that stopped to do its business mid race. “Race over.”
Jonny trains to race. He likes the cut and thrust. Bad days never bothered him much. “Take the positive out of a poor result. Get on with it.”
How he Keeps the Wheels Turning
There is no mystique. “Eat about four hours before a race and nothing else before the start. For long stuff I eat every half hour and drink every fifteen minutes. The watch beeps and keeps you honest. On recovery runs the watch can stay quiet.”
Shift work helps. He has three days off in a block which is perfect for big hill days. There are regular trips to the Mournes and plenty of rolling miles in the Glens when he is down with family. He brings pals along and keeps the social side front and centre. “If you want to do it, you will do it.”
Like the rest of us he has had niggles. A grumbly foot this year. He knows the gym matters more with age. “I keep popping in for half an hour. Must do better,” he jokes.
Why the NI Running Show Matters
Jonny’s route into the Show is as Irish as it gets. His wife grew up next door to Oonagh Cattigan, the organiser. Word spread through Glens Runners. “She told me she was thinking of putting on the NI Running Show. I said it was a great idea. There's never been anything like it here.”
A few months later the ambassador ask arrived. “I try to promote it wherever I can, always have the tee on and chat to people. I am on the NI Mountain Running Association committee as well, so I am bringing the mountain and trail side in through contacts.”
What sold him is simple. Timing and community. “Running is booming here. People need a place to meet, try gear, listen, ask questions and leave with ideas they can actually use. If someone walks in thinking about running and walks out ready to give it a go, that is a win. If a club runner picks up one tip on recovery, that is a win too.”
The Value of Talking in Person
Jonny points to a moment in a tent after the Ben Nevis race. “Finlay Wild had just won again. He stood chatting away to the lad who finished last. Proper advice, no fuss. That is why in person matters. The chat after a talk. The quick word that sends you off with a plan.”
That same spirit drives the Show. “You can order shoes off a screen. You cannot replace a five minute chat with someone who has done the thing you want to do.”
What Visitors Can Expect
Expect a proper mix. Talks, workshops, clubs, brands, and a good few familiar faces. Expect mountain and trail voices in the room as well as road and track. Expect a bit of craic. “It is a small scene here. People help each other. The Show will feel like that.”
Jonny will be around for chats, tips on first steps into the hills, and the odd yarn. If you see a Ballymena man in a NI Running Show tee, say hello.
Parting Shots
Proudest memories. Top tens at Ben Nevis. A charity run from the Children’s Hospice in Belfast to the Sunshine Home in Dublin. The Dublin Marathon the next day. Steak and a pint each evening on the way. “A great team. Great craic.”
From Gracehill to Ben Nevis and back home for a shift at the MOT centre, Jonny Steede has built a life around running up and down hills for fun. Now he is lending that same energy to the NI Running Show, aiming to bring more folk into the sport he loves.
The Ballymena start
“I am a Ballymena man,” Jonny says, matter of fact. He grew up in Gracehill and still lives just outside the town. By day he works in his local MOT centre. Most days he runs to and from work. It is four and a half to five miles each way. Shower there, jog home later. No drama. Just miles.
Running was not his first love. “It was motorbike racing. My dad took me to races all over the North.” The turn came in a pub. He told a local runner from Ballymena Runners that he fancied a marathon. The reply was blunt. You will never run a marathon. That did the trick. “Something switched. I went out the next day, ran a mile or two, blowing out of me, but I kept at it.”
Mentors followed. Sandy McDermott took him under his wing and brought him into Ballymena Runners. Then Mark Alexander and others nudged him into the hills. “Mountain running is my passion now. My whole world exists around it.”
Peaks, Records and the Irish Vest
Jonny’s golden spell arrived around 2014. He won domestic titles and finished thirteenth overall in the British Championship. Momentum carried into 2015. At the Maurice Mullins 50K he went under four hours and set a course record. Ian Keith had a quiet word and told him to put his name in for the Irish team. He did. “Annecy in 2015. Eighty six kilometres round the mountains. Ten hours on the go. Brutal heat. You could see the finish the whole way down the final switchbacks. That was a test.”
There have been big days closer to home too. A hundred kilometre off road race on the Causeway Coast in about eight and a half hours. Countless slogs in the Mournes. Fifteen trips to Ben Nevis with a couple of top ten finishes. The competitive itch is still there. He laughs about a recent beach race with the dog that stopped to do its business mid race. “Race over.”
Jonny trains to race. He likes the cut and thrust. Bad days never bothered him much. “Take the positive out of a poor result. Get on with it.”
How he Keeps the Wheels Turning
There is no mystique. “Eat about four hours before a race and nothing else before the start. For long stuff I eat every half hour and drink every fifteen minutes. The watch beeps and keeps you honest. On recovery runs the watch can stay quiet.”
Shift work helps. He has three days off in a block which is perfect for big hill days. There are regular trips to the Mournes and plenty of rolling miles in the Glens when he is down with family. He brings pals along and keeps the social side front and centre. “If you want to do it, you will do it.”
Like the rest of us he has had niggles. A grumbly foot this year. He knows the gym matters more with age. “I keep popping in for half an hour. Must do better,” he jokes.
Why the NI Running Show Matters
Jonny’s route into the Show is as Irish as it gets. His wife grew up next door to Oonagh Cattigan, the organiser. Word spread through Glens Runners. “She told me she was thinking of putting on the NI Running Show. I said it was a great idea. There's never been anything like it here.”
A few months later the ambassador ask arrived. “I try to promote it wherever I can, always have the tee on and chat to people. I am on the NI Mountain Running Association committee as well, so I am bringing the mountain and trail side in through contacts.”
What sold him is simple. Timing and community. “Running is booming here. People need a place to meet, try gear, listen, ask questions and leave with ideas they can actually use. If someone walks in thinking about running and walks out ready to give it a go, that is a win. If a club runner picks up one tip on recovery, that is a win too.”
The Value of Talking in Person
Jonny points to a moment in a tent after the Ben Nevis race. “Finlay Wild had just won again. He stood chatting away to the lad who finished last. Proper advice, no fuss. That is why in person matters. The chat after a talk. The quick word that sends you off with a plan.”
That same spirit drives the Show. “You can order shoes off a screen. You cannot replace a five minute chat with someone who has done the thing you want to do.”
What Visitors Can Expect
Expect a proper mix. Talks, workshops, clubs, brands, and a good few familiar faces. Expect mountain and trail voices in the room as well as road and track. Expect a bit of craic. “It is a small scene here. People help each other. The Show will feel like that.”
Jonny will be around for chats, tips on first steps into the hills, and the odd yarn. If you see a Ballymena man in a NI Running Show tee, say hello.
Parting Shots
Proudest memories. Top tens at Ben Nevis. A charity run from the Children’s Hospice in Belfast to the Sunshine Home in Dublin. The Dublin Marathon the next day. Steak and a pint each evening on the way. “A great team. Great craic.”
Advice to would be mountain & trail Runners. Join in. Ask questions. Start on clear trails. Eat and drink on a schedule for the long days. Keep recovery truly easy.
Why you should buy a ticket to the NI Running Show. “Because you will come away with something useful. A tip, a plan, a club to join, or even just the spark to get going.”
Exclusive Run Republic Offer
Early-bird tickets are normally £13, but readers can use the Run Republic link here to grab a ticket for £10 (£11.55 including Eventbrite fee). You can find all the event details, full exhibitor list and the latest speaker updates on the NI Running Show website here