Clann na nGael runners using Waterside Half Marathon for double charity effort!
The Waterside Half Marathon on Sunday, September 1st will again feature a gang of smiling green and yellow vested runners from Dunamanagh / Aughabrack raising funds for local charities and reaping the benefits of physical activity.
Clann na nGael Walk, Jog, Run Club have been a familiar sight at local athletics events for the last eight years and have introduced hundreds of club members to the sport while raising tens of thousands of pounds for charities. The club, who place a firm emphasis on the participation and social aspect of running, are taking part in the 41st edition in aid of the Foyle Hospice and MacMillan Cancer Support.
“These are two charities who have directly helped club members living with a cancer diagnosis. We’ve seen first hand the critical service they provide,” explained founder member, Brian Kelly, “Both charities depend on fundraising to survive. Macmillan support many people in our local area and the Foyle Hospice have provided palliative care to many family members of the club.
“Between five relay teams and over 20 individual runners, we’ll have almost 40 people taking part and we can’t wait for it. The Waterside and the Strabane Lifford ‘Halfs’ are the two biggest events every year for the club; we’re blessed to have two great events on our doorstep.”
Brian has been running since 2008, forming the running group within the GAA club in 2016
“The ‘Craic in the Brack’ Festival was running for over 20 years and I was asked to help organise a 5k road race and walk,” he recalls. “We decided to run a Couch to 5k programme to prepare club members. We could see an appetite was there and it grew from there. It became a way for people to get fitter and raise funds for charities that were important to our rural community.
“Early on we had a fundraising campaign for the Altnagelvin Children’s Ward that proved very successful and we started training towards events such as the Dublin Marathon and the local half marathons.”
Race organisers Derry City and Strabane District Council are planning a festival village area in Ebrington Square where where the various running clubs can set up tents to gather and mix together afterwards. Clann Na NGael have sourced a tent and Brian is looking forward to the post race experience.
“As well as the obvious fitness benefits, socially the club has been a brilliant way to bring people together,” he acknowledged. “Not everyone plays Gaelic football so it’s another way to get active through the club.
"We’ve a lot retired footballers who still want to be active but we have people who’ve never played any sports taking up running and realising that anything is possible with a bit of training and belief. There’s also parents of underage players who run while their youngsters are at training.
“We’re looking forward to having our tent, mixing with the other clubs afterwards and we’ll all meet in Donemana to celebrate later that day.”
The Clann na nGael runners have set up Just Giving page and you can donate at: www.justgiving.com/clann-na-ngael-walk-jog
The 2024 WHM is set to be the biggest ever with an exciting new route taking in all four of the city’s bridges. Now sold out, race day information is available at derrystrabane.com/