Derry man to run Barcelona marathon and fundraise in memory of his grandmother

A Derry man is set to run the Barcelona marathon in memory of his grandmother.

Conor O’Neill has decided to run 26.2 miles to raise money for the Foyle Hospice, who cared ‘incredibly well’ for his grandmother in her final moments.

He said: “The hospice did such a great job for our family and for many families across the city.

“They had her really well looked after and very comfortable in the last moments of her life.

“It is for a great cause, and you see the amount of money that has been raised in this short amount of time demonstrates how important it is; it is amazing.”

The 20-year-old will fly to the Catalan capital the weekend before Saint Patrick’s Day, as he embarks on his challenge to run the streets of Barcelona while admiring the sights.

Conor will have the pleasure of running past 15 of Barcelona’s historic landmarks, taking his start point at the Passeig de Gràcia before running past Antoni Gaudí’s Sagrada Família and the Mirador de Colom (Columbus Monument), and as he nears the finish line, he will take in a beautiful view of the Mediterranean Sea as the cool breeze hits his skin.

He said: “I have been reading up on it recently, and it seems quite a scenic route.

“I don’t think I will be out there too long, so the marathon gives me the perfect chance to get a look around the city as I run.”

“I will head out on Friday, get a look about Saturday, and get geared up for Sunday, the 16th of March.

“I am buzzing for it; it can’t come soon enough.”

The quantity surveying student is not a novice to marathons, having completed the Oslo marathon in September, and he has caught the running bug since.

Conor was inspired by his father after he completed the London marathon last April, because within a week he had signed up to run one with a friend in the Norwegian capital.

He said: “I had seen my dad do it, and I thought if he can do it, I can give it a wee go as well.

“I went there also to get fit again as I wasn’t really doing much, and I got into the running to get a bit of fitness back, and we trained for it and got it done.”

Over £2,700 has already been fundraised by Conor, and he is incredibly thankful for all the donations to this point and for all the kind messages of support. 

You can donate to his fundraiser here through this link.