Mount Vernon firefighter set to run 24 hours for Relay for Life

MOUNT VERNON - By the time the Relay for Life event at Cornell College kicks off Saturday morning, Casey O'Connor plans to have warmed up with a few extra miles.

At least 60 miles, if not more. In full firefighting gear.

O'Connor, 43, a firefighter with the Mount Vernon Fire Department and ultra runner, plans to begin his run the day before the Relay for Life event and run for 24 hours straight. Then, when the Relay for Life 5-kilometer run through Mount Vernon kicks off at 9 a.m. on Saturday, he'll join in that, too.

'My goal is to do at least 100 kilometers,” Casey said, which comes out to just more than 62 miles. 'Basically, I want to invite people to come out and participate with me. ... People can come out and walk with me and run with me if they want to do that during the 24 hours.”

O'Connor, a productivity supervisor at GoDaddy, is an accomplished ultra runner, having completed races of 50k, 100k, 50 miles and 100 miles in the last decade. Last year, he ran most of the RAGBRAI route while others rode their bikes across the state.

O'Connor said he got involved with Relay for Life after losing his father to cancer three years ago. Two years ago, he ran about 53 miles during the traditional 12-hour relay, which sees participants form teams and have one team member on the track for the duration of the event.

'Last year, they reduced it from 12 hours to a 6-hour event,” O'Connor said. 'I ran the full six hours in firefighter gear.”

Casey said that came out to running a marathon over the six hours.

This year, with Relay for Life switching to a 5K event, O'Connor said he wanted to do more. He's done 24-hour events before, but never wearing his firefighter gear.

'Six hours with full gear was a pretty big challenge,” he said.

But, supporting Relay for Life means a great deal to O'Connor and he said he wants to recognize the symbolism that comes with running from darkness into the light.

O'Connor said his firefighting gear - which will include everything except boots, he'll be in running shoes - starts off weighing about 60 pounds. By the time his gear absorbs all of his sweat, it will be closer to 100 pounds, he said.

O'Connor will be running on the track at Cornell College and have support from Cornell students as well as representatives from the American Cancer Society, which organizes Relay for Life events across the county.

Jodi Federspiel, senior community manager with the American Cancer Society, said this is the first year the event features a 5K race.

'That's our new and different and exciting thing,” she said.

The event includes an awards ceremony for the 5k, recognition of cancer survivors, lighting of luminarias and entertainment such as a DJ, corn hole tournament and games for kids.

'We're going to do stuff like Jenga and Plinko for the kids,” Federspiel said.

About 12 teams have signed up so far and more can sign up at relayforlife.org/cornell. Not all teams will be participating in the 5K and people can still walk around the track if they wish, Federspiel said.

O'Connor said anyone can come participate in his 24-hour run and he is also accepting pledges for miles. Anyone interested in donating can go to x.co/relay4life, which is the page for the fire department's Relay for Life team called 'Bring the Heat.”

l Comments: (319) 398-8238; lee.hermiston@thegazette.com