O’Connor family donate cups to Cork marathon

Two new cups have been donated to Cork City Marathon by the family of a runner who died climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.

James O'Connor was a dedicated and much loved family man living in Limerick and a chef at the family-run Tony's Bistro on North Main Street. He passed away due to altitude sickness at the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro on his 40th birthday in December.

To celebrate his life and his passion for running, James’ wife Grace and children Christopher (16), Lilly (12) and James (8) who attend Mungret Community College and St Paul’s National School in Limerick wanted to do something special.

They have donated the James O’Connor Perpetual Cups, which will be presented to the male and female winners of the Cork City Marathon 10K from this year onwards.

James' wife Grace and son Christopher along with many more family members and friends are also currently training to partake in the marathon, half-marathon and 10k race in Cork this year.

James completed many marathons and was always excited to participate in his home city of Cork. He trained regularly with his friends from both Cork and Limerick and inspired many others to take up running and to have a healthy active lifestyle.

Race Director Eamon Hayes said: “We are really moved by the generosity of the O’Connor family, especially as it is such a short time since their devastating loss of James. It is a fitting tribute to his passion for running and his place both in the Cork running and wider community.

“We are delighted that this year’s 10k participants will be the first to be awarded these cups. We hope it will provide an added incentive to all those training for the event and we know that it will be deeply appreciated by the athletes who receive the cups on 2 June.”