12th Virtual West of Ireland Womens Mini Marathon Launched
Date: 09-03-2021
To mark International Women’s Day, as well as Women in Sport Week, which runs from March 8 to March 12, the Western People, Mayo.ie and the Mayo Sports Partnership are proud to formally launch the 2021 Women’s 10k Your Way, the twelfth annual staging of the West of Ireland Mini-Marathon which will be held in a virtual setting for the second year running on the May Bank Holiday Sunday (May 2).
Following on from the resounding success of last year’s virtual 10k, which saw over 1,000 participants around Mayo, Ireland and the world run together to raise over €40,000 for charity, this year’s 10k will again be open to women from the four corners of the globe. Whether you’re a Mayo woman in Swinford or in Sydney, you are encouraged to get involved and get active.
The theme of this year’s Mini-Marathon is ‘Your Way, Your Hero, Your Say.’ You can run the 10k any way you see fit, whether on your own or as part of a group, against the clock to improve your personal best or as a leisurely afternoon stroll. Younger runners are once again encouraged to take part in the ever-popular Mini-Mini while pupils in secondary schools around Mayo will once again be participating in the ‘It’s For Girls’ initiative, which aims to increase participation in sport amongst girls.
The ‘Your Hero’ element of the race is a new addition for 2021 and has been introduced as a way of acknowledging the difficult twelve months through which we have just gone. Runners can nominate their own hero, in whose honour to run, whether that be a frontline worker fighting the pandemic, someone in your community who has stepped up to the mark to help others during lockdown, or a loved one who has passed away over the last year in whose honour you wish to run.
The Mini-Marathon has long been an important fundraiser for numerous local charities and this year will be no different. The ‘Your Say’ element of this year’s event means runners will have the choice of which charity their donation will go to, from an extensive list on the registration website. Registration is €20 and €10 from each entry will go directly to a charity of your choice.
The official event website will also have helpful tips and advice on training for the 10k.
Organisers are particularly keen to reach out to the Mayo diaspora for this year’s event. We are conscious that travel restrictions have prevented some Mayo natives from returning home to see family and friends in over a year but we hope that by coming together to take part in the Mini-Marathon, Mayo people in Australia, the US, Canada, Dubai and all over the world can feel a little bit closer to home.
To find out more about the 2021 West of Ireland Mini-Marathon visit www.westofirelandwomensminimarathon.com.