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SALT LAKE CITY — After racing 23,000 miles around the world, a father and son from Salt Lake City have become the Season 24 winners of "The Amazing Race."
On Dec. 6, Dave and Connor O'Leary became the first parent-child duo to win the "Amazing Race", according to the CBS series. However, the cancer survivors had to keep the results quiet until the season premiere aired May 18.
At 58 years old, Dave also became the oldest contestant to win and 22-year-old Connor tied for the youngest contestant to win. The O'Learys also made "The Amazing Race" history by becoming the first Utahns and LDS contestants to win the race.
The O'Learys had previously competed on "The Amazing Race" during Season 22 where they finished prematurely after Dave tore his Achilles tendon during a challenge on the second leg.
"Running up a little sand hill, I felt a little pop and then the next step another pop and I knew that I'd ruptured my Achilles," Dave said during an interview on the "Amazing Race."
Dave and Connor continued to race for two more legs, winning both with Dave on crutches, before calling it quits and going home for a required surgery.
My old man and
I pulled it off! We just won the @AmazingRace_CBS
! #AmazingRace
— Connor O'Leary (@Coleary00) May 19, 2014Less than a year later, the pair were chosen to compete again on "The Amazing Race" during a special "All Stars" series.
"We are going to show them what an old man and a young kid can do," Dave said during an "Amazing Race" episode.
The O'Learys won three legs of the race in a row before making it to the final three where they raced from London to Las Vegas. In Las Vegas, the father and son dug in the desert, did illusions with David Copperfield and then jumped from a helicopter before arriving at victory.
Connor and his father were also featured on KSL when Connor was first diagnosed with testicular cancer at 19. Connor had competed on the U-23 U.S. National Team and had ridden in cycling races all over the world. However, in June 2010, he learned he had cancer the day he was supposed to leave for the nationals competition.
News of Connor's diagnosis spread throughout the cycling community and one day, Connor opened his email to find a message from Lance Armstrong. It was a message of support from Armstrong himself, three days before the 2010 Tour de France. Their correspondence continued and Armstrong set Connor up with his doctor in Indiana.
Now Connor and his father are both cancer free and $1 million richer.
Contributing: Sarah Dallof
