The Donegal Marathon has announced an even bigger incentive for those considering taking a part – a €5,000 pot of prizemoney!
The Donegal Marathon logo which was designed by LYIT Art and Design student Samantha McGinley from Letterkenny.
Preparations for the event continue to go from strength to strength, and targets are being reached every step of the way.
To all of you out there who are training hard for the full or half marathon in Letterkenny, keep up the good work and let’s keep pounding those pavements!
This event is about showcasing the community spirit of the people of Donegal and demonstrating the resilience and strength of character of the people of this proud county in the ultimate athletics challenge.
The 24th August will be a day of celebration and family fun in addition to the challenge that will be attempted and hopefully completed by each and every participant of this historic event.
The marathon is about friendship, community and family support for our participants but also about bringing people together in a spirit of social inclusion and camaraderie.
These are indeed exciting times for Donegal as there has never before been such interest in the sport of running and athletics in general. We have recently seen the first sub 4 minute mile completed in Donegal and huge congratulations are offered to all involved in this magnificent effort.
Our home-grown athletic stars continue to represent us fantastically on a national and international level.
Congratulations to Mark English and Brendan Boyce who have been named in the team that will represent Ireland in the upcoming European Track and Field Championships in Zurich on 12th- 17th August. Mark will compete in the 800m and 4x400m events, while Brendan will compete in the 50k Road Walk which makes our Half Marathon walk seem like a Sunday stroll!
Good luck to both and to all your team-mates. It is also interesting to note that for the first time, Ireland will be sending a seven-strong marathon team to these championships.
Hopefully, in the years to come we will see some Donegal representation on this team and who knows; we might just uncover a star of tomorrow at the first competitive marathon in Donegal for 31 years this Summer. Watch this space!
For more information on the allocation of prize money check out www.donegalmarathon.ie or facebook @donegalmarathon