Parkrun in Glengarriff starts on Sat 2nd Jan 2016

It has been recently announced that a new 5km weekly parkrun will start in Glengarriff on Saturday the 2nd of January 2016. This will be the fifth parkrun in Co.Cork and these are the various start dates...
Macroom...18th May 2013
Clonakilty...1st February 2014
Bere Island...30th August 2014
Tramore Valley Park...26th September 2015
Glengarriff...2nd January 2016

It'll be interesting to see what kind of numbers this one gets especially once the initial novelty has worn off. Glengarriff has a population of about 800 people and obviously only a small percentage of them are running. An obvious source of runners is from the town of Bantry (pop 3,300) but will they make a round trip of 20 miles every Saturday for a parkrun?

Once the Summer arrives with the influx of tourists, the weekly parkrun should be a welcome attraction for the area.

Info from the organisers......Glengarriff parkrun off the blocks on January 2nd

Glengarriff Nature Reserve will be the venue for West Cork’s newest parkrun which is launching just in time for Operation Transformation 2016! Glengarriff will join the growing list of Cork locations where people can take part in weekly timed parkruns when its event is launched on January 2nd 2016. Runners, joggers, and walkers are all welcome to participate in the parkruns which will take place each Saturday morning at 9:30am.

The parkrun movement began in London in 2004 and has gained worldwide popularity in recent years. Almost 43,000 runners, joggers, and walkers have taken part in the weekly timed 5k events in Ireland since parkrun was launched here in November 2012. Successful events are already well-established on Bere Island, as well as in Macroom and Clonakilty, and the Glengarriff parkrun’s organisers are confident that the new route will prove attractive to locals and visitors alike.

The Glengarriff run route is located within the village’s nature reserve, and will bring people on a scenic trail through the reserve’s woodlands. “The Glengarriff parkrun will give tourists and locals alike a really fantastic way to meet people and to enjoy Beara’s spectacular scenery. We’ll be helping people to get fit too, and attracting visitors to Glengarriff throughout the year”, explains Áine O’Sullivan, Community Development Worker for the Disability Federation of Ireland.

“When a parkrun comes to a community, it inspires everyone, young and old, to get out and exercise”, explains Nuala Carey, the event director for the Glengarriff parkrun. “There are real potential health benefits that come with having a local parkrun, and there’s a great social side to it all too. Parkruns are very friendly events which quickly become a focal point in a community like ours. With Operation Transformation just around the corner, lots of people are making resolutions to improve their fitness in 2016. We’ve appointed an Operation Transformation ambassador who’s going to be on hand to give support to anyon who wants to use Glengarriff parkrun to become healthier in 2016 and beyond.”
The Glengarriff team have had great support from their Bere Island neighbours who have made a huge success of their run since its launch in August 2014, and the creation of the new parkrun is a sign of the growing interest in running and fitness across West Cork.

Recent meeting between organisers of the Bere Island & Glengarriff parkruns

To participate or to volunteer, register for the parkrun at http://parkrun.ie/glengarriff .  For further information, contact Nuala Carey at 027 63744.