Marathon effort to honour late husband

GRACE O'Connor, and her sister Liz Madden, will run in the 2024 Cook Medical Mini Marathon in Limerick on October 6 in memory of her late husband James O'Connor who passed away last December while climbing Mount Kilmanjaro.

James died tragically as a result of suffering from High-Altitude Pulmonary Edema which is a potentially fatal condition in which lung capillaries leak and fluid accumulates in the lungs. HAPE is uncommon but can occur in people who rapidly ascend to altitudes above 8200 feet.

Grace from Dooradoyle completes the marathon with her sister every year, normally running 5km but this year she has decided to challenge herself by running 10km. James passed away on his 40th birthday and Grace said he was very fit and healthy. “He loved running and he loved hiking and he really encouraged me to get out running.

Grace explained: “James is encouraging me to keep going, get running and I just really want to do it for him and keep his memory alive.” She said it will make her feel more connected to him.

She feels that a lot of people are of the view that it's quite dangerous to climb Mount Kilimanjaro and pointed out that the youngest person in the world to have climbed the mountain was a six year old. “It's not the most dangerous thing in the world to do - he was super prepared, super fit and healthy.”

Grace is planning to do the mini marathon every year in memory of James and she said the Cork marathon will be run by James' friends and family because they give out the James O'Connor Cup in his memory. Grace said she knows James would be honoured that there's a trophy in his honour.

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She decided not to raise money for charity from doing the marathon as over €38,000 was raised last year to repatriate James to his family in Limerick and Cork and Grace donated some money to the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust.

The Limerick woman is grateful to local people who gave her “massive support” following her husband's death last year. Grace said when she was waiting for James' body to be brought home her children's schools were very helpful and some teachers and principals visited the family home.

She added that the family meets as much as they can and take part in hikes and runs in memory of James who was also in a running club in Limerick.

Grace doesn't have a major goal in terms of the marathon but will be happy if she completes it. She remarked: “I haven't been exercising. I've gained a lot of weight since my husband died. I haven't been my normal self I suppose like I was when he was here so it's just something really personal that me and my sister are doing together.”

Grace concluded that if her husband was alive she wouldn't be taking on the challenge of the 10km marathon and that she gets her motivation to get out of bed every morning from James and her children. All adult participants in the Cook Mini Marathon will receive a quarter zip top and finishers medal.