Liam’s powerhouse donation
Over €5,000 raised for three charities after crossover challenge at Integral
DROGHEDA’S strongman showed he has a big heart too after a supreme test of strength yielded over €5,000 for local charities.
Liam O’Keeffe marked his 64th birthday by taking on a crossover chest challenge, setting himself the goal of making 2,017 reps in under an hour at Integral gym.
Not only did he complete the task in 30 minutes, but he added 134 for good measure inside the hour mark.
He did it for three charities close to his big heart, namely the Boomerang Youth Cafe and service, SOSAD and the 5th Floor at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital.
Last week, representatives came along to Integral to share in the €5,100 fund.
‘My record was 2,000 reps in 50 minutes but I managed to beat that,’ he stated.
He went on to do the extra ones to give a grand total inside an hour, with the top prize, a hamper, which was won by Paul Assoua, who happens to be part of the SOSAD team!
‘ The support I received was incredible,’ he stated. The likes of Glanbia supplied products, Integral Gym, Eurospar, Anglo Printers (who printed posters and cards free of charge), and Dublin Meats on the North Road were all backers.
‘My family, including Suzanne, friends and the public who helped raise the money were all key to this,’ he continued.
In the past, he’s taken part in a number of events, including a truck pull across West Street and roller skating from Tralee to Limerick, all for charity.
He began his gym work in 1980, at a time when he was serving in the army, based in Cork, Sarsfield Barracks in Limerick, and then Tralee.