Growing popularity of the Cheetah Run 5k in recent years...

It's always interesting to look at the numbers taking part in local races and seeing if they show any trends. The one question is if we're near the peak of a running boom or if there are still signs of growth?

The Cheetah Run in Fota Wildlife Park is different from other 5k races in that it takes place in a unique location. Because of the narrow paths in the park, the numbers are limited to about 900 every year.

The chart above shows how long it takes for the 900 entries to sell out every year. In 2022 and 2023, it took over a month to sell out. Contrast that to 2025 when it took just one day.

If the above numbers are anything to go by then it suggests that we are still in a growth phase.

RunMyAge 50k for Charity - Fri 11th Apr 2025

Cork runner Seán Crowley will be doing a charity 50k on Friday 11th April 2025 to raise funds for Marymount Hospice.

If you would like to support Seán then you can find the details here... https://www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/runmyage

Notice: Cork BHAA PwC Anthony Reidy Memorial 5k in Cork City - Wed 9th Apr 2025

The Cork BHAA PwC 5k in Cork City is coming up on Wednesday the 9th of April 2025 at 7:30pm.

This is always a very popular race and should get a good crowd again as it's centrally located in the heart of Cork City and about as flat a 5k course as you can get. It's also the first evening race of 2025 in Cork!

First off, the race HQ is the PwC building at One Albert Quay. You can enter there on the evening of the race from 6pm. As always, it's €5 for registered BHAA runners and €10 for non-registered.

Cork runners who have completed 250 or more 5k parkruns - Q1 2025

The parkrun organisation have a number of milestones from 25 to 500 parkruns. The thing about milestones is that they are open to everyone and anyone can aspire to reach a certain level.

A number of people have recently passed the 250 mark and it's a significant achievement as it takes at least five years to complete. Thanks to all those who sent on updates and corrections.

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Cork 250 Rules... As with any list, there must be some sort of guideline or rules. The criteria I went with are simple...

1. At least 100 of the 5k parkruns must be in Co Cork
2. Only the information on the parkrun website counts

I'm sure there are plenty of people in Dublin and elsewhere who over 250 but this post is about the parkruns in Cork.

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Cork runners who have completed 250 or more 5k parkruns Club - Q1 2025... The following runners have joined the list in the last three months...

260 Michael Wilson - Castlehaven

256 Felicity Dawson - Macroom

255 Michael Coyms - Ballincollig

254 Diarmuid Ó Súilleabháin - Clonakilty

253 Derry Keane - Macroom

252 Donal Fennessy - Ballincollig

250 Liz O'Donovan - Ballincollig

Here is the updated list of people who have done 250 or more parkruns in Cork as of the end of March 2025...

Back at the end of Dec 2024, the list went from 33 to 41 and now at the end of Q1 2025, it has increased to 48 names.

The number of people at 300 or above has gone from 23 to 26 and a few have passed the 300 mark under the radar.

This is the list of volunteers who have 250 or more credits... 

Volunteers are literally the glue that keep the parkruns going week after week... no volunteers - no parkruns.

Errors & Omissions... If you know of any runner of volunteer missing who might at 250 or more at the end of March 2025, leave a comment with their name and parkrun.

Link... More information about the 5k parkruns in Co Cork can be found HERE

Results of the Run the Line on the Crosshaven Greenway - Sat 29th March 2025

There were 28 finishers in the March edition of the Run the Line 5k on the Crosshaven Greenway.

Notice: The Cheetah Run 5k in Fota Wildlife Park - Thurs 15th May 2025

The Cheetah Run 5k in Fota Wildlife Park organised by Eagle AC is coming up on Thursday the 15th of May 2025 at 8pm. As well as there being the usual 5k race, there is also a one-mile race for juveniles (11-15 year olds).

ENTRIES OPEN 1ST APRIL

Update Tues 1st Apr 10am: Very busy start and the same amount of entries have been sold in the first hour as all of day 1 in 2024. Roughly half the 1-mile and half the 5k places are now gone.

Update Tues 1st Apr 7:30pm: One-mile race sold out. Just 200 places left for the 5k.

Update Wed 2nd Apr 12 noon: Both races are now sold out!

Update Thurs 3rd Apr: From Eagle AC... "We are sorry we cannot add additional places, as we are limited to 1000 runners total. To be fair to all those who missed out we will offer any refunded or returned entries on general sale again on May 1st. That will be the final allocation of tickets on that day."

Enter HERE

From Eagle AC... "We’re excited to announce that this year’s Cheetah Run will take place on May 15th, 2025!

Mark your calendars, as entries for our super popular Eagle AC Cheetah Run at Fota Wildlife Park open on April 1st at 9 AM - and they sell out quickly! Make sure to grab your spot and avoid any disappointment!

Get your tickets here:  https://eventmaster.ie/event/Kl7ntpnHGx

Thank you for your incredible support for both Fota Wildlife Park and Eagle A.C.

Olympian Marian Heffernan, along with her daughters Regan and Tara Heffernan, launch the annual Eagle AC Cheetah Run which will take place on Thursday, May 15th, 2025, and is a major fundraising event for Fota Wildlife Park, which operates as a conservation charity.