Con Smith parkrunners complete 250th run

Róisín McManus

Each Saturday morning, thousands of people across Ireland lace up their runners and make their way to their local park. As the clock strikes 9:30am, they set off in unison on designated 5km routes around towns and villages nationwide.

In Con Smith Park last Saturday, 61 parkrunners turned out to complete the group’s 250th run in the midst of an “incredible washout”.

“It shows the power of something when the weather is not great and people still show up,” says Con Smith parkrun organiser Kim McCafferty.

“We’re really over the moon that the community like and enjoy it, and that we have so many amazing volunteers.”

The Cavan Town parkrun began on the first “frosty” Saturday in January 2020, when 280 people stepped out to support the inaugural event.

After taking part in the “buzz” of the Tralee parkrun, Kim was inspired to do something to tackle social isolation or potential feelings of loneliness, which she feels have “crept their insipid ways into our societies in really awful ways”.

Her dad sadly passed away shortly after, and thinking about ways she could mark his life, she realised he would probably say: “It was better to do something for the living than the dead.”

From there, she looked into arranging a parkrun in Cavan Town.The parkrun is “really inclusive” and facilitate people who are visually impaired with a volunteer guide.

Around 60 to 70 people take part each week, and there’s a “huge” age range, with everyone “from five year olds to 80 year olds” taking part.

Participants can choose to walk or run in groups or on their own, and they can bring their dogs. Kim herself has pushed a pram “many times” and her toddler occasionally “takes a stab” at cycling it.

Up to ten volunteers organise and co-ordinate the event each week, and a volunteer is always the last person to cross the line.

“There’s certainly a big cheer when you cross the finish line, whether that takes you 15 minutes or an hour and a half, it doesn’t matter,” Kim says.

“You literally could not leave without a smile on your face on Saturday morning.”

Taking part is always free and never competitive. Once registered for parkrun, you will receive a barcode, which you can keep on your phone, smartwatch or printed out, that will allow you to take part in any parkrun in Ireland or worldwide. As of April, one in ten people in Ireland were registered.

With support from Cavan County Council and Cavan Institute, Con Smith parkrun takes place each Saturday at 9:30am. There are also parkruns in Cootehill, Virginia and Mullagh.

Organisers encourage anyone who may be interested to take part or volunteer. For more information, visit www.parkrun.ie/consmith/