WAAR 2020 heading for a sell out with Randox Teoranta as sponsor

Entries for the 2020 Wild Atlantic Adventure Race (WAAR) have already exceeded the total number of 2019 participants, the organisers confirmed on Friday 24^th January at an event to launch the competition.

The race on 9^th May, which will once again be sponsored by Randox Teoranta, already has close to 700 entrants, including Nikki Bradley who took part in the WAAR challenge in 2016 and completed the hike section as part of a team of four.

This year Nikki is challenging herself to tackle the WAAR course on her own, where she will run/walk 5km on crutches, cycle 33km of the Wild Atlantic Way and kayak 1km on the Mullaghdearg Lake, before crossing the finish line to receive the highly sought after WAARior medal.

Many athletes and both past and future WAAR participants attended the launch where a number of speakers addressed the crowd, including Irish multi-sport adventure racer Shaun Stewart who launched the 2020 event. Mr Stewart has won the event in the past two years and is looking forward to the challenge once again in May.

Speaking at the event, WAAR organiser and spokesperson Gavin Ó Dónaill commented;

“Already at this early stage in the year we have close to 700 entries for the race, representing an increase of approximately 350 on the same date last year. In May 2019, for the race itself, we had over 600 participants, along with 200 volunteers, so in January 2020 we have already surpassed the total number of 2019 participants.

“As well as Nikki Bradley, Trailblazer Mary Nolan Hickey, who ran the entire coast of Ireland in 2018, cycled around it the following year as a fundraiser for the RNLI, and is the only woman to have run every single Dublin City Marathon since its inception in 1980, is also embarking on the WAAR 2020 adventure.

“The incredible caliber of athletes the event attracts, coupled with the much-appreciated support of global healthcare company Randox, is testament to WAAR’s status as one of the biggest annual sporting events in the North West, and we are looking forward to another sell-out year.”

Dr. Ciaran Richardson, Head of Research & Development at Randox Teoranta, said:

“It is, as always, our honour to partner with the Wild Atlantic Adventure Race here in Donegal. The ethos of the race – of physical and mental health, of camaraderie and of community – is one we share at Randox Teoranta.

 “From our biohub in Dungloe in the heart of Donegal, our revolutionary diagnostic technologies for conditions including Alzheimer’s, stroke, kidney disease and gastrointestinal disorders, make a real difference to global healthcare and we will continue this vital work long in to the future.

 “Like WAAR, Randox Teoranta has become an integral part of the landscape in Donegal and we are delighted to bring the thrilling Wild Atlantic Adventure Race once again to Donegal in 2020.”

WAAR 2020, as in 2019, will be included as a round of the National Adventure Series, a collection of adventure races across the country from which competitors can earn points to become the all-Ireland Adventure Race Champion 2019. The full WAAR route, which features a 10km run, 42.5km cycle, 2km hike and 1km kayak, starting and finishing at C.L.G. Naomh Muire in Mullaghderg, was described by organisers of the National Adventure Series as “one of the best organised events” in which they had ever taken part, and “a fantastic addition to the National Series Calendar…in one of the most picturesque courses in the country.”

Anyone interested in taking part in the WAAR can visit the website at www.waar.ie. The event is open to anyone who is 16 or over on the 9^th May 2020. If you would like to help out on the day of the event please send your name and contact number to info@waar.ie.

For further information please contact Amy Millar in the Randox PR team by emailing amy.millar@randox.com or phoning 028 9442 2413.

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