The Monster Runner Award

The Monster Runner Award is designed to celebrate the runners in our community who excel in race finishes, overcome personal challenges, run personal bests, contribute to a better life for those around them, and go far beyond their comfort zone to find something special within.

Conor recently captured the overall men's title in the Lucky Clover 10K on St. Patrick's Day at Dorris Ranch Park, covering the road and trail course in 33 minutes and 22 seconds.  Conor also knew too many answers to the Irish trivia questions at the award ceremony - yes, he's got quite the Irish background.  He followed up that victory with a first place finish at the inaugural Chase Race 5K in 15:56 on April 7 at Alton Baker Park.   Conor was born in Rhode Island and earned a bachelor's degree at Bowdoin College (yes, the same alma mater as Joan Benoit Samuelson), where he specialized at 10,000 meters with a personal best of 31:41.  He admits that he's, "very New England," but has a special connection to Oregon with grandparents from Hepner and Coos Bay.  Currently a graduate student at the University of Oregon, Conor is majoring in Evolutionary Biology, a field that asks the "why"  as opposed to the traditional "how" questions of many other biology disciplines.  When asked about his upcoming running goals, Conor simply states, "To enjoy it."   Look for Conor out on the roads and trails and wish him luck with his running pursuits - he's not hard to spot, his Irish eyes are always smiling.