Back in March of 2026, Aideen Coleman sent me a message to say that the Junior parkrun in Ballincollig for 4-14 year olds had over 300 finishers, more than the local 5k parkrun the previous day. I put up a post about it HERE.
After that, I was thinking about all the other parkruns in Co Cork. How are they getting on? What are their numbers like? Are they all growing like Ballincollig?
First off, there are eight 2km junior parkruns in Co Cork and the locations are shown on the map above. I calculated the average number of finishers per week for each event for 2023, 2024 and 2025 and I plotted them as a chart.
Ballincollig was the only event to show growth for two years in a row. Out of the eight junior parkruns, six recorded a decline in 2025. Dunmanway (Dromleena Lawn), Togher (Clashduv), Ballinlough (Nursery Drive) and Haulbowline all showed a large drop in 2025.
I asked Aideen why the Ballincollig junior parkrun is so popular compared to the rest and she said that having a 5k parkrun at the same location on a Saturday is a huge help.
There is a certain amount of synergy between the two events in that the 5k parkrun participants are much more likely to be aware that there is a junior parkrun at the same location on Sunday and might bring their kids along. The 5k parkrun can also help in terms of being a pool for potential volunteers to help out at the junior event.
It's probably no accident that Ballincollig and Mallow are the two largest junior parkruns in Co Cork and both have 5k parkuns on Saturday. Aideen gave the example of the Tralee parkrun so I looked at those numbers...
Do numbers really matter???... Some may argue that large numbers don't really matter and they'd have a point. As long as there are enough volunteers and the event goes ahead week after week then that's fine.
It is probably fair to say however that reasonable numbers do matter. The more children taking part means more parents in attendance and the larger pool of people from which to draw volunteers.
In conclusion... Looking at the stats, it's very much a mixed picture for the junior parkruns in Co Cork. While Ballincollig and Mallow seem to be doing pretty well, some of the others seem to be in decline.
Looking at some events, they have had to cancel events from time to time due to a lack of volunteers. If the decline in numbers continues then it seems likely that some events may cease in the future.
If anyone is interested in trying to boost their numbers then it might be worth contacting the team behind the Ballincollig parkrun to see what they are doing right.
2 comments:
Maybe it’s not all about numbers and it’s about the kids turning up. If one kid turns up then that is a win for a junior parkrun. People become fixated on numbers when it’s about catering for the kids who do show up. I’m sure some of the locations couldn’t handle large numbers and happy with what they have.
Also the 300+ ballincollig one is an outliner where I believe a school planned to be there and it was expected. Happens once a year.
Thanks for that data.
While I appreciate that you do not include the 2026 figures the attendance at St. Mary's has increased this year with numbers regularly in the high 20s and 30s. Last Sunday there were 51 participants and 29 volunteers when one child celebrated his 100 milestone.
Some of the smaller parkruns do not have the same scope as Ballincollig junior parkrun to accommodate a high influx due to school visits. As mentioned in previous comment if one kid turns up then that is a win for a junior parkrun.
Thanks to all the volunteers.
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