Donegal Half Marathon
The Lowdown
The Donegal Half Marathon is an annual road race held in Letterkenny, County Donegal, first run in 2014 and organised with the support of Letterkenny Athletic Club. Now one of the most popular running events in Ireland's northwest, the race draws close to 1,200 entrants each August, with sponsorship from the Kernan Retail Group. Runners can compete solo over the full 21.1 km or as part of a three-person relay team, each leg roughly 7 km. The course starts on the Conwal straight near the Aura Leisure Centre and opens with a flat four miles through the town before heading out over the Oldtown Bridge and through the rural townlands of Bomany, New Mills and Rashedog. The route returns to Letterkenny along the Glenties Road via Tullygay and Conwal, finishing on the Danny McDaid Track at the Aura Leisure Centre. The women's course record of 1:16:33 has stood since 2015, set by Letterkenny AC's Natasha Adams. For 2026, the race moves to a 9 am start and expects entries to reach around 1,200. Every finisher receives a medal featuring a raised image of the Grianan of Aileach, the ancient stone ringfort overlooking nearby Inishowen, along with a long-sleeved three-quarter-zip top. Online entry for 2026 ran from mid-January through August 27; the organisers also take walk-in entries at the Aura Leisure Centre in race week.
Race Day
Weather Forecast
Elevation
Terrain Profile
Relatively flat course
Participants
Field Size
Medium-sized race
Crowd Rating
Spectator Support
Good crowd energy
Aura Leisure Centre and the Danny McDaid Track -- race start/finish.
Oldtown Bridge -- crossing point over the River Swilly on the outbound loop.
Conwal -- parish on the town straight where the race starts and finishes its loop.
Grianan of Aileach -- ancient stone ringfort near Burt, depicted on the finisher's medal.
Other distances available during the event weekend:
Letterkenny, County Donegal, Ireland
IE
Average rate for 3-star accommodations near the start line
Eligibility
- Minimum age 16 for the half marathon (estimate, consistent with Athletics Ireland convention for half-marathon-distance road races; not separately confirmed on an official FAQ page).
Required Documents
- Photo ID for race-week bib collection (estimate, standard practice for Irish AAI-permitted road races; not separately confirmed on an official FAQ page).
Entry Methods
- Online (eventmaster.ie)
- Walk-in entry at the Aura Leisure Centre in race week
Cancellation & Refund Policy
No published refund or deferral policy found; based on comparable small AAI-permitted Irish road races, transfers/refunds are typically not offered once entered. Estimate, not separately confirmed on an official FAQ page.
First run in 2014; has grown into one of the most popular road races in Ireland's northwest.
Sponsored by the Kernan Retail Group ('Kernans').
The women's course record, 1:16:33, was set by Letterkenny AC's Natasha Adams in 2015 and still stands.
2026 finisher's medal features a raised image of the Grianan of Aileach in Burt; finishers also receive a long-sleeved three-quarter-zip top.
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