Large crowd expected this August for the Donegal Half Marathon

The organisers of the 2024 Donegal Half Marathon are expecting a large entry for this year’s event that takes place on Sunday, August 25.

Looking ahead to the Letterkenny-based race, which is being held in association with the Kernan Retail Group, Donegal Half Marathon race director, Brendan McDaid, said: “We are just over 12 weeks out from the 2024 event, and we are gearing up for another big crowd.

"This race was first held in 2014 and is now well-established on the racing calendar. It’s great to be celebrating 10 years of the Donegal Half Marathon. Even during Covid, we managed to keep the race going – we had 220 who did it virtually in 2020.”

“Last year, the Donegal Half Marathon was established as a Donegal Athletics Board County championship race, and this is generating a big interest among clubs. The organising committee is always looking at ways to improve the race. In 2022 we made a few changes to the route which resulted in a flatter and faster course and that was well received by the runners and walkers.

"Our aim is to pull together an event that will give the participants a good experience. We’ve had people travel from all over and we are looking forward to welcoming runners from near and far to Letterkenny on the last Sunday in August,” he added.

Pointing out that it’s a busy time on the local road racing circuit, Brendan continued: “There are plenty of races taking place around the region. For those planning to take on the challenge of the Donegal Half Marathon in three months, now is the ideal time to start preparing. Almost 400 completed the Donegal Half Marathon in 2023 and we are planning for a similar field this year. We have the signs up around Letterkenny and the entries are coming in at steady rate.”

The Donegal Half Marathon is headquartered at the Aura Leisure Centre in Letterkenny and has a 9.20am start.