The organisers of the 2026 Donegal Half Marathon which takes place on Sunday, August 30th, are expecting entries to top out at around 1,200.
Last year, 1,125 took part in the annual event which is held in Letterkenny in association with Kernans, and a similar number will take the starter’s gun which will sound at the earlier time of 9 am.
Looking ahead to the weekend, race director, Brendan McDaid, said he’s expecting a late surge in entries over the coming days.
“Online entries are being taken up until Thursday evening, while walk-in entries will be accepted at the Aura Leisure Centre on Friday between 6 pm and 7 pm and on Saturday between 2 pm and 6 pm. Those still planning to take part should note that no entries will be taken on the morning of the race,” he commented.
“Last year we saw a record number taking part and we are absolutely delighted that we will have over 1,000 entries for the second year in a row. We are currently sitting at 1,100 entries and would anticipate that it will reach 1,200 when we close the registration desk on Saturday evening,” he added.
“We are asking that as many locally based participants collect their race packs on the Friday evening and Saturday afternoon. For those travelling on the morning of the race, they will be able to collect their packs at the Aura Leisure Centre between 7.30 and 8.30.”
The return of the relay section last year proved popular among many runners, with a total of 52 teams signing up.
“It appears that we will have around 50 m again this year which is fantastic. A 7K relay leg is a really good option for someone who does not want to take on the challenge of the 21.1K distance but is still keen to run and be part of the event,” Brendan said.
Turning to the business side of the event, he suggested that the men’s record of 1:07:22 set by Tared Derese from Carrick Aces AC in 2023, could be bettered on Sunday.
“Stephen McCauley of Letterkenny AC has been in good form in recent weeks. He won the Danny McDaid on Sunday week in Letterkenny in and ran 1:04:32 in Sunday’s Antrim Coast Half Marathon. If Stephen is on the start line on Sunday, he’ll certainly give the record a go.
“The women’s record of 1:16:33 was set by Letterkenny AC’s Natasha Adams and has been in place since 2015. Caitriona Jennings took the women’s title last year in a time of 1:20:47 before going on to set a new world record for the 100 miles in America a few months later.
“Once again, we are asking for the public to be mindful when on the roads on Sunday morning that the race route will be busy for up until around 12 noon. We have always had great support from the local community since the race was established in 2014,” the race director commented.
In keeping with tradition, the 1K races for children – organised by Donegal Sports Partnership and sponsored by Century Cinema – will get underway at around 9.15 am, with registrations being taken at Aura from 8.30 am.