Not many people knew what to expect of Relay For Life. How lucky we are that Cormac took the initiative and made a quick decision early in the year to enter a club team in this monumental event.
If anybody needed proof that there is some form of God up there in the sky, surely the weather over the 24-hour period of the event settles the argument? Temperatures were almost too high during the daytime hours but they were absolutely perfect for our night-shift walkers.
Nadine, Damien and Emily were joined by Tanya, John, Sharon, Pippa and Charlotte for the opening ceremony. With the club sign attached jauntily to the front of one of the buggies, responsible chairman Damien worried that the happy family group might cause some eyebrows to be raised about the precise nature of the club’s activities. But this was a dignified event…
The club’s Gazebo No.28 was a social hub for the 24 hours and was manned for all but two hours of the marathon. From 4am until 6am on Sunday it stood empty as Rachel and Christopher walked together for a solid 120 minutes, never stopping to take a breather. Jenny pulled off a similar feat when she arrived in the morning to cover the same shift as Paddy.
However individuals chose to manage their time, there was always a brightly clad, unmissable yellow-and-black walker on the track. So positive was the experience of participation that many members returned later in the Relay just to be part of the event for a while longer. The only minor mishap of the affair was recorded when somebody scribbled their name in Cormac’s precious show jumping book. The name was Daniel so at least Cormac knows where the search begins.
We still don’t know exactly how much money our team raised but the overall count by the end of the 24-hour relay was €282,000. When the remaining funds trickle in (and Cormac would very much like to get our team’s financial loose ends wrapped up this week please), the total may exceed €300K. What an achievement for Donegal.
A big hand for everybody who participated but a particularly big clap on the back for Cormac who invested so much effort in getting the team together and raising the funds.
Pictured below: Club shirts glowing in the Saturday evening sun. More pictures in the Gallery.
Letterkenny Riding Club 