Sean McGinley wins North West 10k, Nakita Burke the leading woman

Sean McGinley won the 2025 North West 10k, holding off Danny Mooney in an intense race on Bank Holiday Monday.

Finn Valley AC’s McGinley had six seconds to spare after a battle that had little to nothing between its lead protagonists for the most part.

Nakita Burke of Letterkenny AC was the winner of the women’s race on a day when 1219 went under starter’s orders in Letterkenny.

McGinley - racing over 10k on the road or the first time - and Mooney appeared to be stride-for-stride for much of the way in the 28th staging of the annual event.

By the end, at the Letterkenny Community Centre, it was McGinley who was in front. Rounding onto Pearse Road at Gleneany House, Glenswilly native pushed the gas and finished in 30 minutes and 51 seconds.

“A lovely race to win,” McGinley said. “There is a big buzz about for this race. It’s something I’ve always wanted to target, but it just never fitted in the calendar.”

McGinley, the national novice cross country champion in 2024, is just back from an injury that curbed his springtime work. 

Mooney finished second in 30:57 with Rosses AC’s Declan Ferry coming home third in 32:35.

McGinley said: “It was a tight race. I figured it would be like that. 

“I was delighted to see Danny there. You want to race against lads like him. I did let Danny do a bit of the work and I was happy to do that. I didn’t want to mess it up by going too hard too early.”

Burke also claimed her first win in this event, finishing in 35:27 - just over two minutes ahead of her club-mate Noeleen Scanlon, who was chasing a three-in-a-row.

“It’s a race I’ve always wanted to win,” Burke, just back from warm weather training in Spain, said. “I am absolutely buzzing.”

She, too, has just shaken off an injury. An achilles strain surfaced at the European Champion Clubs Cross Country in Portugal in January, but there were little ill effects here as Burke - emulating her coach and former winner Maria McCambridge - took victory.

Rosses AC’s Helen McCready was the third woman to finish, clocking 38:20.

On a sun-kissed day, John McCarter, the Donegal Person of the Year, acted as the official starter, setting off the participants at 11am from Pearse Road.

Over 30 members of the Irish Defence Forces from the 28th Infantry Battalion at Finner Camp competed in military uniform. 

The presence of the soldiers was also something of a pointer to the past as the Rockhill 10k was based out of the old army barracks.

Until this year, some €984,000 was raised for 40 charities with Donegal Horizons CLG and Multiple Sclerosis Donegal Branch to benefit from the 2025 race and the event’s total fundraising set to go north of €1million now.

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This year’s was the 28th staging of an event that has been running since 1996 and was sponsored by Brian McCormick Intersport, Century Complex, Donegal Daily, the Mount Errigal Hotel and the Value Centre.