Its that time of year again, as darkness sweeps the globe, thousands of people from over 50 cities will pull on their running shoes and flashing armbands and hit the streets to Run in the Dark on November 14.
The 5k wheelchair accessible run or walk will start from 8pm at the Amharclann, Ard na gCeapairí, Derrybeg, before circuiting the Gweedore industrial estate twice and returning to the Amharclann for refreshments.
The Run in the Dark started as an idea on a notepad and has grown from several hundred people running around Trinity College Dublin (Ireland) in 2011 to a global event of 25,000 people.
Donegal champion is Sonia McGarvey, mother of Noirin who sustained a spinal cord injury at the age of 4, is hoping for an even bigger attendance at this year’s event – moving the event closer to home so Noirin can participate.
A total of €12,567 has been raised through the years and the events first pop-up in Glenveagh National Park was the largest pop-up Run in the Dark event worldwide with 400 participants.
The annual affair fuels the Mark Pollock Trust whose mission is to cure paralysis. Pollock suffered a catastrophic spinal cord injury in 2010 when he fell from a second-storey window that left him paralysed.
Prior to the accident, Pollock had competed in ultra-endurance races across deserts, mountains, and the polar ice caps and was the first blind person to race to the South Pole.
Pollock recently told his story in a joint TED talk with his fiancée Simone George.
Every donation, every step, every study brings the Mark Pollock Trust closer to a cure for paralysis and enabling people to walk again.
The Trust funds an exoskeleton in UCD for public use and this year the No Barriers Foundation in Letterkenny secured enough funding to purchase their very own exoskeleton for the North West – the only one available in Donegal.
The equipment will be present for people to see the state of the art rehabilitation equipment on the night. There are currently 14 people in Donegal making use of it to date, with a total of 56,000 steps taken.
Registration is from 7.15pm in the Amharclann on the night. An entry fee of €10 per adult, €5 per child and €15 for families has been set.
The organisers are looking forward to a good turn out on the night and more information can be sought on Facebook, the Run in the Dark website or you can contact Sonia McGarvey on 0833064381.
You can view the full information flyer here.
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