A DATE has been set for the 2021 Donegal Half Marathon on Sunday, August 29th 2021.
The Donegal Half Marathon organising committee met over the weekend and in keeping with previous years, they have scheduled the event for the last Sunday in August.
Race director, Brendan McDaid, said he is hopeful that he and his team will be in a position to organise an actual race in Letterkenny this year.
“While there is still a lot of uncertainty regarding what way the Covid-19 restriction levels will change as the year progresses, we think it’s important to set a date for an actual race now and work towards that,” Brendan said.
“We are optimistic that near the end of the summer, the restriction levels will allow us to hold a race in some format. We managed to stage a number of road races last year and they went off hitch-free. Even if it means running the event on a staggered basis, with a certain number of runners starting at different times, we are willing to do whatever is need to stage an actual race while fully complying with whatever guidelines are in place at that time,” he added.
“With plans to give out one million vaccines per month over April, May and June, the hope would be that this will allow a return to organised competition as we head in to the summer months. We will, of course, be guided at all times by Athletics Ireland who are liaising with Sport Ireland and relevant government authorities in relation to what the specific implications of the restrictions to athletic clubs and athletes will be as we get closer to race day.”
Online entries for the 2021 Donegal Half Marathon will open in May.
The Donegal Half Marathon was first held in 2014. Last year it was held virtually and attracted an entry of 240.
The €6,000 raised through the 2020 Virtual Donegal Half Marathon went towards the purchase of equipment for the Acute Stroke Unit at Letterkenny University Hospital. In a huge act of generosity, the event’s main sponsors, the Kernan Retail Group, covered the full cost of the purchase of a life-saving defibrillator at Kernan’s, Tullygay, through its partnership with Community Recycling Initiative.
