50th Cavan Park Run
Cavan Park Run will host its 50th weekly event this Saturday, August 20, at Con Smith Park in Cavan Town.
Volunteer Kim McCafferty is inviting people of all ages and capabilities to come along for the run’s momentous day.
“We’re inviting everybody to come and take part in our 50th event this Saturday at 9.30am at our starting point beside Cavan Institute. It’s really not just for runners. It is a place where you can walk, run, jog, push the pram, wheel your wheelchair, take your dog, or volunteer.”
Organisers will provide some refreshments and entertainment following the event to celebrate the milestone.
“There will be cake and tea and coffee afterwards for everyone who takes part. We’ll have some music and it will be an even more special event than the average Saturday morning.”
Park Run is a global event with runs taking place simultaneously all over the world every Saturday morning.
“Everybody is welcome, it’s really not just for runners and you don’t have to be fit. Your average person can walk 5km in a short space of time. It’s not a huge distance, you could surprise yourself,” says Kim. “It’s so supportive, you have people cheering you on at every turn and at the end line.”
Each entrant is timed and the results are emailed to you, allowing you to track your times in a non competitive way. “It’s very sociable, it’s all volunteer led and there’s never any money involved.
“It’s part of a global movement so once you go online to the website and register - which only takes three minutes, you’re registered for any Park Run across the globe forever,” explains Kim.
The first event in Con Smith Park was in January 2020. “We started the event in Cavan mainly to combat loneliness and social isolation and it’s really a wonderful way to start your weekend. We had over 250 people taking park, walking, jogging and running in our very first event, which was amazing.”
There are also weekly park runs at Deerpark, Virginia; in Mullagh and Cootehill.
“We have four park runs in the county so we’re really very lucky in that regard.”
For more information on the Con Smith Park Run, follow them on Facebook @consmithparkrun