Kay and Joe O’Regan, both of whom are now in their 80s, just celebrated their 57th wedding anniversary this June. Their celebration, though, was a bit less than conventional.
Instead of celebrating with a nice dinner, they honored their time together by crossing the finish line of the Cork City Marathon in Ireland, holding hands.
Both Kay and Joe completed the race in 5 hours and 25 minutes, coming in first place for their age group.
This couple has been running marathons together for almost 30 years. The tradition began in 1986, when Kay registered them both in a London marathon in honor of both their 50th birthdays. That was the first year they crossed a finish line together while holding hands, and the tradition simply continued from there.
Since retiring in the 1990s, Kay and Joe have been traveling from their home in Enniscorthy, Ireland, to participate in races around the world. And even though Kay has placed first in the Irish national marathon championships in the 60-, 65-, 70-, and 75-year-old divisions, neither of them think their story is worth the hype.
Upon completing their most recent Cork City Marathon, Joe commented, “We aren't special or extraordinary, as far as we are concerned running is just something we do.”
