Festive races ready for the off

TWO major festive road races are ready for the off!

On Boxing Day, the 39th Oliver McCullagh Greencastle 5 will take centre stage as hundreds of runners head for the foothills of the Sperrins, keen to burn off some of the previous day’s overindulgence.

Taking the helm for the event once more are the late Oliver’s children, Olivia, Conor and Pierce who have maintained the event’s high standards since their father’s passing in February 2022.

Entries for the event are available online via greencastle5.com and they come with a high quality technical T-shirt for the first 700 entries.

And the McCullagh siblings were delighted to officially hand over their donation from the 2023 event to the Greencastle Community Association chairman Marty Conway, club development representative Marty McDermott and community association representative Una Tuohey.

“Thanks to all you good runners who turn up each year and take to the start line of our famous five mile and to all our loyal annual sponsors we handed over £5000 to our Community Redevelopment Fund and our £1000 annual donation to the Greencastle Community Association,” they beamed.

“Oliver was one of the best community men you would ever meet and he was a big believer in making our community bigger and better at all times so choosing to donate to the Greencastle Redevelopment Fund was a not a big decision to be made and the committee have decided that for this year again the 2024 Annual 5 Mile Boxing Day Road Run will be in aid of the continuous work of the Greencastle Redevelopment Fund, something that would’ve been close to Oliver’s heart and something he would’ve been delighted to see happen.”

Meanwhile, the Lough 5 is also looking for entries ahead of the increasingly popular New Year’s Eve race, which again will raise funds for two charities – Termonmaguirc Friendly Care Group and Termonmaguirc Cancer Patients Comfort Fund.

“Both these charities rely on events like the Lough 5 and other fundraising events and donations from the public to continue their work with those who require their vital services in the local community. We are delighted to be able to help them in in their efforts,” said an event spokesperson.

”We are also full of gratitude to have so many of our sponsors back on board this year and many new sponsors too.

“Without our sponsors we would not be able to put on this event on New Years Eve and have it be the huge success that it is, growing bigger with each year. So a massive thank you to each and everyone one off you.”

To enter the Lough 5, visit www.lough5.com.