A dream come true for Conor: 100 marathons

100 is the magic number for well-known Kerry runner Conor Cusack as he finally hit the big century mark for marathons run.

It’s been a long countdown, not just for Conor but for all his friends and family, but in Clonakilty over the weekend, Conor finally crossed the finish line of his 100th marathon.

Conor ran his first marathon in Tralee back in 2014, and 99 full 26.2-mile marathons later, he has not looked back since.

And, having now finally reached this milestone mark in his running career, the man of the hour is feeling a wide range of emotions.

“There was great expectation in the lead up to it and, honestly, there’s great relief and elation to have it done. It was great to get over the line. There was a bit of pain along the way, but it was all worth it in the end,” said Conor, speaking to The Kerryman on Monday.

“It [crossing the finish line] was fantastic. It was actually very emotional. It was really nice to have everyone there. I was running with Jim McNeice, who has been a great running buddy along the journey. My brother and sister were both there and a lot of ‘Born to Run’ members as well.”

“It was lovely. It felt like all the people that needed to be there at the finish line were there,” he added.

With his main running goal now accomplished, Conor – who has been running 25 marathons a year for the past few years – now plans to take a full six weeks off to recuperate and start afresh in January.

His next goal is to run the 2019 London Marathon in memory of his dad, Con Cusack, and to raise funds for the Irish Heart Foundation.

The donation page for Conor’s fundraiser can be found on ‘The Kerryman’ Facebook page.

Tralee’s Conor Cusack (right) pictured with his friend, Lucy D’Arcy, after he completed his 100th marathon in Clonakity at the weekend.