Elderly Irish couple run marathon side by side to celebrate 57 years of marriage
The pair isn't letting age stop them. They celebrated 57 years of marriage with a marathon in Ireland.
Kay and Joe O’Regan are certainly one running couple to envy.
The pair of Irish runners are both in their eighties and refuse to let age limit their running. Despite being in their senior years, the married runners both ran the Cork City Marathon earlier this month in a race which they have decided is going to be their last. They ran it to mark their 57th year of marriage.
The couple ran the full 42.2-kilometre course on June 6 to cross the finish line side by side and both finishing with a time of 5:25:29.
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Between the two of them, they have run nearly 150 marathons. In fact, Kay, who has done 120 marathons in her lifetime, holds the Irish women’s record for the 60, 65, 70 and 75 age categories according the The Irish Examiner. After the June 6 marathon, she told the paper that like anyone else, getting out for the run can be a struggle. She often asks herself why she is still running into her eight decade of life but getting out puts her in a good mood.
The O’Regan pair are not the only ones celebrating their senior years with setting running records. Not too long ago, Ontario runner Ed Whitlock set the record for fastest mile for men over 85 after running a 7:18.55.
The Cork City Marathon is a Boston qualifier event which runs in Cork in the south of Ireland. The race describes itself as a “city marathon” meaning that the directors have set a route to take runners into and around the key parts of the city center.
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