Irish Olympic Legend Danny McDaid has been confirmed as the Special Guest who will officially fire the starting gun to send the runners and walkers off on the 26th North West 10k which takes place on Monday week, May 1, in Letterkenny.
The charity event has raised €903,000 over the past 25 years for 38 charities and this year the beneficiaries will be St. Bernadette’s Special School Letterkenny, Multiple Sclerosis Donegal Branch and the Letterkenny Community Development Project.
Danny McDaid has been a big supporter of the North West 10k since it began in 1997 and has another very special connection with the event through his involvement with the Donegal Diabetes Association who have benefitted from the fundraiser on a couple of occasions including last year when it received €22,000.
He said: “I have many great memories of the 10k over the years, first when it was the Rockhill 10k and then North West. Because I was competing internationally I didn’t get a chance to take part that much. I do remember a Rockhill 10k in the mid-90s when I was 57. Shaun Doherty of Highland Radio was out broadcasting. He asked me before the race what time was I hoping to do. I said I hoped to break 34 minutes. I did it in 33.50.”
The course record of 29 minutes and 14 seconds was set by Noel Berkeley in 1998.
