Letterkenny Parkrun to celebrate sixth birthday on Saturday

Letterkenny Parkrun will hold its sixth birthday this Saturday, February 5th, and organisers are inviting all past participants and volunteers, regulars, and newcomers to come along and join then for the celebrations.

The parkrun is part of a global parkrun community, with parkruns taking place in every continent. Because of the pandemic, Letterkenny Parkrun was suspended from March 2020 until September 2011.

Margaret O'Donnell is a volunteer who has been involved with Letterkenny Parkrun since its first staging in 2016.

"Following the lockdown, we were delighted to get back up and running and walking again on September 11th 2021. It’s fantastic to see so many of our regulars back and also to welcome all the new faces," Margaret said.

"We have got regular feedback since we came back on the social element of parkrun which many people missed. We heard how much people missed being able to meet up and chat with members from across the community, and indeed visitors from other parkruns in Ireland and abroad," she added.

It’s entirely organised by volunteers every week, and those who don't want to walk or run are welcome to come along and volunteer.

"Everyone takes part at their own pace, so there's no pressure to complete the distance in a particular time. We also have tail walkers who always finish at the end every week. It’s a free, fun, and friendly weekly 5k event. It’s run by the community for the community, and everyone is welcome to come along to walk, run, jog, volunteer, or spectate.

"If you haven’t tried parkrun yet, come along and give it a try. We asking people to mark the sixth birthday by coming along and wearing as colourful gear as possible," Margaret commented.

How to take part

You will need to register on https://www.parkrun.ie/register/ and you will then be given a unique barcode number which you can use every time you take part. You only need to register once and then bring along your scannable barcode very week - if you don’t bring it, you won’t get a time. The same barcode is used when you volunteer.