On Your Marks: Con Smith’s 250th Parkrun

Eshaal Zia

Only two weeks after celebrating their 10,000th finisher, Con Smith Parkrun has reached another major milestone, commemorating their 250th event, with 61 participants having braved the rain of an “incredible washout” to take part.

“It was really lovely,” reminisces organiser Kim McCafferty. Despite the challenging weather, Kim expressed praise for all the volunteers and participants who came despite the rain.

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

Kim first got the idea for the Con Smith parkrun following a visit to some of her family in Tralee, where they went on a parkrun at Tralee Town Park. She remembers being in awe of the experience, thinking: “Oh my God this is amazing.”

Shortly afterwards, Kim’s dad sadly passed away. While thinking of a way to honour his memory, she realised he would probably say that “it was better to do something for the living than the dead.” From there, she began the process of arranging the parkrun in Cavan town.

280 people turned out on a frosty winter morning to join the very first Con Smith parkrun on the first Saturday in January 2020. The run clearly had potential from the beginning, only for it to be unfortunately interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic and forced to shut down indefinitely. However, they soon got back on their feet, and the Con Smith Parkrun began to prosper once more.

For Kim, parkrun was never simply about running - it was a way of connecting the community and bringing people closer together.

“The main reason I wanted to set it up was to tackle social isolation or potential feelings of loneliness, which I feel have crept their insipid ways into our societies in really awful ways,” Kim explains.

Around 60-70 people take part each week, and with everyone from five to 80-year-olds taking part, and people travelling from as far as Fermanagh, Con Smith Parkrun aims to make sure that no one will feel excluded.

A designated sweeper crosses the line last, ensuring that nobody feels rushed or pressured, and volunteers help those who are visually impaired so they too can enjoy the tranquillity of Con Smith Park. People can even bring their dogs, and Kim herself has done the run while pushing a pram “many times.”

Entirely organised by volunteers, and with the support of Cavan County Council and Cavan Institute, the Con Smith 5k parkrun is held each Saturday at 9.30am. Registration is free, and once you have signed up to parkrun, you can join any other parkrun in Ireland or across the world.

Participants are advised to bring the barcode they will receive once they have registered, which can be accessed on your phone, smartwatch or can be printed out. Kim encourages others to come along, as participants or volunteers, assuring that “you could not leave without a smile on your face.” For more information, visit www.parkrun.ie/consmith/.