The countdown is now on in earnest to the 28th North West 10k Charity Run and Walk which takes place on Bank Holiday Monday, 5th of May in Letterkenny at 11am. Online entry numbers have been very encouraging and the organisers are asking runners and walkers to keep registering on northwest10k.com. The online entries will close on Friday.
The two benefitting charities this year are Donegal Horizons CLG and Multiple Sclerosis Ireland Donegal Branch. With the wider Donegal community’s support the committee is hoping that the North West 10k charity event can surpass the 1 million euro mark next Monday. Currently close to 984,000 has been raised over the 27 years for 40 charities.
North West 10k Chairperson Neil Martin is quietly confident that the magical million euro milestone can be achieved with the public’s support. “We’re just over €16,000 short of the 1 million now. I would be quietly confident that this North West 10k will push us over that €1 million figure which would be great for everyone involved going back to the committee that started it all in 1997 under Charlie Kelly who was Chairperson at the time and is now our Honourary President.
“The two charities have put in a huge amount of work over the past three months in terms of other fundraising initiatives so we are in a good place,” Mr Martin added.
Over 30 members of the Irish Defence Forces based at the Finner Camp are set to take part in the North West 10k Run and Walk in Letterkenny on the May Bank Holiday Monday in Letterkenny.
The army personnel will stick together for every step of the 10k in military uniform. Historically the army has had a massive association with the North West 10k going back to the 1980s when the Rockhill Barracks was the base for the charity run. It was the army that started the Rockhill 10k back then.
28th Company Sergeant Ciaran Friel and Lieutenant Colonel James O’Shea are lending their support as the North West 10k attempt to pass one million euros.
On the competitive end of the Bank Holiday Monday event the defending male and female winners from last year are set to defend their titles. Mark Grennan, fresh from helping the Letterkenny AC Masters Team to a National title last weekend will be on the start line. He also won the North West 10k in 2022. Another Letterkenny AC athlete Noleen Scanlan will be going for a three-in-a-row having won both the 2023 and 2024 events. Scanlan was a member of the Letterkenny AC team that represented Ireland at the European Club Cross Country Championships in February.
Neil Martin also acknowledged the support of the sponsors, the Gardai, the Donegal Volunteer Centre, the Civil Defence, the race day stewards and businesses like Hegarty’s Ford, Kelly’s Toyota, Hegarty’s Haulage, Glenside Hire and Crumlish Applicances who supply vehicles for the charity event.
“Without our five main sponsors the North West 10k would not be in a position to present the big cheques that the charities have been getting in recent years. So thanks again to Brian McCormick Intersport, Century Complex, Donegal Daily, the Mount Errigal Hotel and the Value Centre for their support” Mr Martin said.
The two benefitting charities this year are Multiple Sclerosis Donegal Branch and Donegal Horizons CLG.
Online entries remain open for the Bank Holiday May 5th event by going to www.northwest10k.com.
The online entries will close on Friday evening. Registrations will be taken on Saturday and Sunday (3-6pm) at the Letterkenny Community Centre. Those already entered online are asked to come along and collect their t-shirts and numbers in order to avoid queuing and delays on Monday morning. Final entries will be taken on Monday morning between 8 and 10am.
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