Donegal Half Marathon

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.