Guest Post: A visit to the Chelmsford Central parkrun... by Tom Scriven

Tom Scriven at the 650th edition of the Chelmsford Central 5k parkrun

Being a registered parkrun participant, a little addiction seemingly creeps into your life. Whereas many might check if a particular venue had leisure or swimming facilities, a registered person is now more likely to check if an accessible parkrun is scheduled in the locality. 

Thus, being in the Chelmsford of London area for a family wedding,  the search for a parkrun was very fruitful, an event is held in the city park each week. The course winds it's way through the park, in an approximate figure of eight. The surface is primarily on tarmac paths with a portion on grassland. The recent exceptional Summer weather ensured the grassed section was dry and firm. The attendance numbered in the hundreds, with the usual runners,  walkers, parents with children or buggies and dog owners.

The course was well signposted with the km markers. (Each kilometre equates to 20% of the total course, using this formula to harness any psychological advantage possible). The course is virtually flat, a little undulating but minimally so. 

The volunteers coped adequately with the finishing numbers, despite hundreds taking part. Volunteers were also present at the junctions, one had to resist saying 'Go raibh maith agat' in appreciation in Chelmsford! 

As usual, the customary email arrived with the details (Like the old mobile phone joke, 'how well they knew where to find me'!) Similar to all parkrun events I've experienced,  it was efficiently organised, instructions followed the usual formula. Hopefully, I'll be in Tramore Valley next Saturday, who mentioned a little addiction!

Multiple finishing chutes to handle the 738 finishers

Dublin Marathon Number Available

From Shane Mullaney in Tipperary... "I have a number available for this years Dublin Marathon, i was going to run it myself but can't. I thought you might know someone who might be interested. The closing date is tonight September 23rd at 11:59pm. I would just need their first and last name and email and they then would be sent a link and have to pay a fee of €20 to the organizers."

email - shanemullaneythatruns AT gmail DOT com

Notice: Churchtown 10-mile road race - Sat 14th Nov 2026

The Churchtown 10-mile road race in north Cork is coming up this year on Saturday 14th November 2026. The race starts at 10am. 

After a successful three years, this will be the fourth edition of this race. Please note that entries close on  Wednesday 11th November at 11:30pm.

Entries HERE

Churchtown is located just 4kms west of the N20 Cork to Limerick road so access couldn't be easier.

There will be a beanie hat and race mug for finishers as well. The 2025 versions are shown below and info on the 2026 versions will be updated soon.

All runners in the race will receive a beanie hat as shown above in time for the winter weather.

In addition to the beanie, there is also a special race mug for all finishers!

Course... The 10-mile route is shown below...

As you can see, the course is a 10-mile loop to the north-east of Churchtown. The road on the right is the N20.

I have a brief preview of the course  here... https://munsterraceroutes.blogspot.com/2013/01/cork127.html

Family day out??... It might be worth mentioning that the Donkey Sanctuary is only 4kms away near Liscarroll if anyone wants to make it a family day out.

From the organisers... "We are delighted to announce that we will also have course record prizes of €300 for male and female also.

Current 10-mile course records - Men: Karl Fitzmaurice Shannon AC 53:43 (2024) // Women: Kealey Tideswell Clonmel AC 59:57 (2024)

(Note that the times for the 2025 race don't count for the course records as two 5-mile loops were used)

Results & Photos of the Echo Women's 6km mini-marathon - 20th Sept 2026

First place finish for Niamh O'Mahony

The Echo Women's 6km mini-marathon was held on Sunday 20th of Sept 2026 on a dry and overcast day. There 3280 finishers this year which is down about 18% on last year.

As far as I know, there was no increase in entry fee this year and the weather was fine so there's no obvious reason for the large drop.

The first woman home was Niamh O'Mahony of An Ríocht AC who was clear of the rest of the field by 45-seconds. Niamh was also the first woman home in the Ballydesmond 5k on Friday evening, just two days earlier.

The next four finishers all finished with a three second window.

Top 10 women...
1 Niamh O'Mahony An Ríocht AC 20:29
2 Hannah Smith Leevale AC 21:14
3 Sinead O'Connor Leevale AC 21:16
4 Lizzie Lee Leevale AC 4. F F45 21:17
5 Orla Drumm Cork City AC 21:17
6 Evita Volginaite Glanmire AC 21:33
7 Lucy O' Sullivan Millstreet AC 22:27
8 Emma Fitzpatrick Leevale AC 22:33
9 Grainne Murphy Leevale AC 22:35
10 Linda Kelly Watergrasshill AC 10. F 23:20

Full results HERE

Photos...

1) Derek Costello has the following galleries...

part 1   https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1658371959625269&type=3
part 2   https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1658379599624505&type=3
part 3   https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1658386342957164&type=3
part 4   https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1658392889623176&type=3
part 5   https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1658398372955961&type=3
part 6    https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1658406062955192&type=3
part 7    https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1658414129621052&type=3
part 8    https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1658421619620303&type=3
part 9    https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1658427452953053&type=3
part 10  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1658432649619200&type=3

2) Joe Murphy has the following...

a) Pre-race b) Start 1 c) 

Guest Post: Running ...by Pat Walsh

* Running *

' That is no country for old men '

I realised this week I have been posting under the PWR banner and writing weekly posts for 11 years. Is this enough pain and suffering to inflict on the general running population about slow running?

When do we become irrelevant, repetitive or just boring and I don’t want to do that. I used to be writing at this time of year when I was training for Dublin Marathon about strategies and tips to help performance. I was in that zone and had some perspective.

That life is gone, the ship has sailed and now my life is a few easy runs and parkrun family on Saturday mornings. It is good to be still moving and I do miss those long 20 mile runs early on a Saturday when everything seemed a possibility. 

I am still a runner but a greatly modified version of a previous self. But I am still a runner. Beautiful run this morning in Midleton and just met so many nice people.  There was visitors from Scotland, Bere Island and a few Norries from Cork. Actually the less you run the more time you have to engage, mix, talk, learn about all the people who present themselves at a start line. Maybe a late career as a running journalist talking about butterflies and blackberries is my calling.

Story… 

Last week as I walking in Midleton town a car beeped at me to call me over. It was my friend Billy ( who has been previously mentioned in my posts as a daily 5k man ) . 

He had a book for me about the life of Emil Zatopek. 1952 Olympic champion in 5k, 10k and Marathon. A remarkable life and the story is fascinating account of adversity and resilience. If it was good enough for Billy it was good enough for me. He said to me he found it useful for training tips and he thought I might get something from it to help me. 

Just as I’m easing into a life of old age and easy running this tale of heroic achievement drops into my lap. Will it inspire me or finish me? My friend Billy is 88 and I’m 63. We are both runners but am I a journalist or a bluffer? 

'Whatever is begotten, born, and dies.
Caught in that sensual music all neglect
Monuments of unageing intellect.' Yeats. 

#pwr

Results of the 5k parkruns in Cork - Sat 19th Sep 2026

Results of the 5k parkruns around the county on Saturday 19th September 2026. Approximately 1164  runners and walkers took part in the 10 events in Co Cork.

Windy but dry was the order of business for the parkruns this Saturday.

Youghal... There is no parkrun in Youghal for the foreseeable future so we're back to ten parkruns in Co Cork every week going forward. See this previous post.

If I missed anyone who passed a notable milestone like 100, 200, 250 or above parkruns then let me know.

Upcoming milestones....

Macroom is the oldest parkrun in Co Cork and they will be holding their 600th event on the 24th of October 2026.

***

Ballincollig results... https://www.parkrun.ie/ballincollig/results/442/

Tramore Valley Park results... https://www.parkrun.ie/tramorevalley/results/220/

Glen River results... https://www.parkrun.ie/glenriver/results/329/

Midleton Greenway... https://www.parkrun.ie/midletongreenway/results/83/

Mallow results... https://www.parkrun.ie/mallowcastle/results/247/

Macroom results... https://www.parkrun.ie/macroomcastledemesne/results/595/

Clonakilty results... https://www.parkrun.ie/clonakilty/results/549/

Glengarriff results... https://www.parkrun.ie/glengarriff/results/472/

Bere Island results... https://www.parkrun.ie/bereisland/results/563/

Castlehaven results... https://www.parkrun.ie/castlehaven/results/483/

For more information about the weekly 5k parkruns in Co Cork, go to this page HERE.

Results of the Ballydesmond 5k - Fri 18th Sep 2026

The inaugural Ballydesmond 5k in NW Cork was held on Friday evening the 18th of Sept 2026. This was the last evening race on the calendar in Cork and 344 runners took part.

Top 3 men & women...

1 Kane COLLINS #69 15:22 M MS
2 Killian LYNCH #220 16:19 M MS
3 Daniel MURPHY #276 16:37 M MJ
5 Niamh O'MAHONY #340 16:50 F FS
9 Carol FINN #109 18:15 F FS
12 Martina KIELY #194 18:34 F F40

Full results HERE

Notice: Ballydesmond 5k - Fri 18th Sep 2026

 The inaugural Ballydesmond 5km road race organised by Duhallow AC in north-west Cork is coming up on Friday the 18th of September 2026 at 7pm. This is one of the last evening races on the calendar as the evenings are rapidly getting darker.

Notice: Elevate Credit Union Charity 5k in Tramore Valley Park - Sun 4th Oct 2026

The seventh Elevate Credit Union Charity 5k is coming up in Tramore Valley Park in Cork City on Sunday the 4th of October 2026 at 11am.

The entry fee is €13 (€12 + €1 online fee) and all proceeds from this event go to two charities. 

ENTER HERE

(€7 for U16's... must be accompanied by an adult)(€6 + €1 online fee) 

Anyone who pre-enters online will be entered into a draw for a pair of running shoes from John Buckley Sports.

From the organisers... Elevate Credit Union are delighted to bring you their annual charity 5k

This is our 7th charity 5k in aid of our partner charities, Blackwater Sub Aqua (search & Rescue) and Down Syndrome Cork. It promises to be a fantastic day for all the family.

Date: Oct 4th, 2026
Location: Tramore Valley Park
Cost: €12 (Adult) €6 (Under 16’s)*
Prizes for top 3 men and top 3 women finishers
Prizes for top 3 boys and top 3 girls under 16 finishers
€100 bonus if our course record is broken

Chip Timing by Pop-Up Races
Goody bag & medal for all participants**
Race Time: 11am

 *All under 16’s must be accompanied by an adult

For those who want to push their limits, there’s an extra challenge! Break the current course records – 15:49 for men and 17:36 for women – and you’ll take home a €100 bonus. Think you’ve got what it takes?

The Course: This is a chip-timed race (courtesy of popupraces.ie) and covers two loops of a smooth, tarmac-surfaced 2.5km route. While there’s a small hill near the recycling centre, we promise it’s no big deal! Runners, joggers, walkers, and even buggies are welcome, so bring the whole family along.

Make a Difference While Having Fun

Don’t miss out on the chance to be part of this amazing community event. Whether you’re racing for a personal best, walking to support loved ones, or just want to give back to a worthy cause – this 5K is for you!

Register Now and Be Part of Something Special!

[ENTER HERE]

See you at the starting line!

Runners, joggers, walkers and buggies are all welcome.

Elevate is the new name for Douglas Credit Union. After merging with Passage West & Monkstown Credit Union back in 2016, they joined with Glanmire Credit Union in February of 2024.

Additional info... Access by car is via the South Link Road. There is a pedestrian entrance from near the Douglas Shopping Centre and via Half Moon Lane off the South Douglas Road.

The 5k course itself is basically two 2.5km loops...

There is a small hill near the recycling centre but it really doesn't amount to much. The course is a smooth tarmac surface.

Proceeds from this event goes to these charities...

1. Blackwater Sub Aqua (Search & Rescue)

2. Down Syndrome Cork

Parkrun introduce seven new milestones!

 

Up to now, parkrun had seven milestones that participants could target...  10 (for under 18s), 25, 50, 100, 250, 500 and 1,000 Saturday 5k parkruns.

During the week of parkrun’s 22nd anniversary... the start of October 2026, seven official new milestones will go live across the website, app, results pages, and profile pages!

They are 200, 300, 400, 600, 700, 800 & 900. The colours are shown above.

The same milestones are available for the volunteer credits as well.

While milestones may not be of interest to some, a lot of people like having a target to reach. Up to now, there was a nice progression from 25 to 50 to 100 but there is a gap of 150 to reach the next milestone of 250. 

With one parkrun a week, that's about three years for someone doing a parkrun every week. For someone doing say 30 parkruns a year, it would take about five years to get from 100 to 250.

They are keeping the 250 milestone for now but it may look like an oddball milestone in years to come. It wouldn't be a surprise to see it discontinued at some future date.

While the new milestone t-shirts will be put on sale in the parkrun shop, the most obvious change is that all the new milestones will make an appearance in the weekly results.

British PM Andy Burnham completes Great North Run

The Great North Run in NE England is the largest half-marathon in the world with 63,000 runners taking part.

The 2026 edition was held over the weekend and a surprise finisher was Andy Burnham, the new British prime minister. He finished the 21.1km course in a time of 1h 57m 34s.

Results of the Charleville Half-Marathon - Sun 13th Sep 2026

The 2026 edition of the Charleville Half-Marathon was held on Sun 13th of Sept and there were 1771 finishers, up 12% on last year.

Top 5 men & women...

1 1 John TRAVERS Donore Harriers A.C. 1. M M 1:05:05 
2222 2 Liam NAUGHTON Ennis Track A.C. 2. M M 1:06:23 
2237 3 Kane COLLINS Donore Harriers A.C. 3. M M 1:06:42 
2213 4 Julian MOYNIHAN Cambridge and Coleridge AC (UK) 4.  M M 1:06:58
846 5 David MEEHAN Tulla A.C. 5. M M 1:07:00 
2182 17 Niamh ALLEN Leevale A.C. 1. F F 1:10:47
2169 27 Sorcha NIC DHOMHNAILL West Limerick A.C. 2. F F40 1:13:04
4 46 Ide NIC DHOMHNAILL West Limerick A.C. 3. F F40 1:15:58
2181 56 Brigid DENNEHY Iveragh AC 4. F F 1:17:25
2235 65 Dee GRADY Ennis Track A.C. 5. F F 1:18:02

Full results HERE

Photos... (Updated 15th Sep)

1) Joe Murphy has the following photos... a) Finish 1 b) Finish 2 c) Finish 3 d) Finish 4 e) Finish 5 f) Finish 6 g) Finish 7 

2) Graham Meikle has the following... a) Finish 1 b) Finish 2 c) Finish 3 d) Finish 4 e) Finish 5 f) Finish 6 g) Finish 7 h) Finish 8 i) Finish 9 j) Finish 10 k) Finish 11 

3) Derek Costello has the following... a) Start part 1 b) Start part 2 c) Start part 3
d) Finish part 1 e) Finish part 2 f) Finish part 3 g) Finish part 4 h) Finish part 5 
i) Finish part 6 j) Finish part 7 k) Finish part 8 l) Finish part 9 m) Finish part 10 n) Finish part 11 

Results of the 5k parkruns in Cork - Sat 12th Sep 2026

Results of the 5k parkruns around the county on Saturday 12th September 2026. Approximately 765  runners and walkers took part in the 10 events in Co Cork.

A bit of a damp morning this week.

Glen River... The one and only Mick Dooley reached the 250 milestone! 163 of these were at the Glen.

Ballincollig... Kay Birch completed her 200th parkrun. 

Mallow... Coleman Cronin reaches the 200 mark.

Youghal... There is no parkrun in Youghal for the foreseeable future so we're back to ten parkruns in Co Cork every week going forward. See this previous post.

If I missed anyone who passed a notable milestone like 100, 200, 250 or above parkruns then let me know.

Upcoming milestones....

Macroom is the oldest parkrun in Co Cork and they will be holding their 600th event on the 24th of October 2026.

***

Ballincollig results... https://www.parkrun.ie/ballincollig/results/441/

Tramore Valley Park results... https://www.parkrun.ie/tramorevalley/results/219/

Glen River results... https://www.parkrun.ie/glenriver/results/328/

Midleton Greenway... https://www.parkrun.ie/midletongreenway/results/82/

Mallow results... https://www.parkrun.ie/mallowcastle/results/246/

Macroom results... https://www.parkrun.ie/macroomcastledemesne/results/594/

Clonakilty results... https://www.parkrun.ie/clonakilty/results/548/

Glengarriff results... https://www.parkrun.ie/glengarriff/results/471/

Bere Island results... https://www.parkrun.ie/bereisland/results/562/

Castlehaven results... https://www.parkrun.ie/castlehaven/results/482/

For more information about the weekly 5k parkruns in Co Cork, go to this page HERE.

A look at the 2026 Dingle marathon numbers

The big running event in Munster last weekend was the Dingle marathon with just over 2770 participants between the marathon and half marathon events.

In the half-marathon, there were 2022 finishers which is up 11% on last year. As the chart shows below, the last time there were over 2000 finishers was back in 2018 and 2019.

In 2025, Dingle was the 13th largest half-marathon in Ireland and it looks likely it will close to the top 10 again in 2026.

There were 751 finishers in the full 42.2km marathon and as can be seen from the chart below, it was a record year.

It's not hard to imagine what impact all of these runners have on the local economy in terms of accommodation, food and refreshments at a time when the tourist season is effectively over.

Results... These are the top 3 in each event...

Marathon...

1 Ben MATHEWSON #467 2:47:14 M MS
2 Gary CANTWELL #84 2:47:51 M MS West Waterford A.C.
4 Daniil MIASOEDOV #524 2:49:35 M MS
3 Lillian BRADLEY #938 2:48:37 F FS
11 Gillian CLYNE #105 3:06:43 F F45 Clane A.C.
42 Katy EVANS #1012 3:23:09 F FS

What really stands out here was that the first woman was the 3rd finisher overall with a time of 2h 48m 37s and just 83s behind the first man.

Half-Marathon...
1 Shane COLLINS #4286 1:11:53 M M40 Leevale A.C.
2 Matthew DOHERTY #4018 1:12:23 M MS
3 Karol CRONIN #2297 1:12:46 M M40 Sportsworld A.C.
15 Jette BEERMANN #3922 1:23:32 F FS
27 Leanne BUTLER #2126 1:27:38 F FS Kilkenny City Harriers A.C.
31 Helen MUSSEN #4256 1:29:04 F F50

Full results HERE

Shane Collins of Leevale AC was the first man in the half

Mid-week Jigsaw: Mick Dooley on 249 parkruns

The one and only Mick Dooley completed his 249th 5k parkrun in Ballincollig last weekend. You can put Mick & Co back together in this 180-piece jigsaw HERE

Mick will be doing his 250th parkrun at the Glen River event next Saturday 12th of Sept 2026.