Greg O’Shea has raised over €12,000 for Alzheimer’s Research after running London’s Marathon for Alzheimer’s Research in honour of his grandmother, Monica.
The former rugby star took part in the race yesterday, sharing his joy at reaching the finish line, and raising so much money for a good cause.
Sharing some snaps from the big day he wrote: “It’s difficult to put into words what today was like… A lot of agony of course but mostly pride running the marathon for my Nana and seeing all your donations.”
Finishing the marathon with a time of 04:08:08, the Love Island star wrote: “I finished slightly over my target of 4hours (with a badly needed toilet stop and cramping)”
“But the most important thing is we absolutely smashed our donations target and those funds are going to help Alzheimer’s Research so much. I wanna thank you for all the support, genuinely it dragged me to that finish line.”
The Olympian was also honest about how challenging his first ever marathon was. Saying in a video after reaching the finish line: “Just finished guys, oh my god, that was the hardest physical challenge, I’ve ever done.”
Greg’s grandmother, Monica, tragically passed away in 2019, and he has been open about how hard it was for his family to cope with her Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
He recalls Monica as a strong and wonderful woman, who made every effort to keep her independence until she sadly passed away in 2019.
“There’s probably no family in Ireland really that hasn’t been touched by Alzheimer’s in some shape or form,” he said on The Six O’Clock Show.
“My own grandmother had Alzheimer’s dementia. She’s a really strong independent woman and there was just a little delay here and there where she might forget your face.
“She was a strong woman. It just kind of gets their mentality and it’s quite sad to see but sure, that’s just the way it happens.”
You can still donated to Greg’s Alzheimer’s Research fund here
