'It's really special': Longford parkrun gearing up for 'pure fun' 10th anniversary celebrations
The Longford parkrun is turning 10 and inviting everyone to join in the celebrations
The Longford parkrun community will celebrate its 10th anniversary by hosting an event with a coffee cart, music, and local exercise groups this weekend.
Set up by Kevin Kane in 2016, the parkrun will turn 10 and is inviting everyone to join in the celebrations on Saturday, May 16th.
"It's really special, I'm pretty proud of it...It's just it's going to be a great day," Kevin, the Director of the local parkrun, told us.
MEP Ciaran Mullooly will be there for the day, along with a number of local running and gym groups.
Kevin set the Longford parkrun up after moving home from England and missing the sense of community from taking part in the weekly run/walk over there.
Since then, it has happened every Saturday at The Mall Park, except during extreme weather events and when Covid hit, building a strong connection between the group.
With an emphasis on fun rather than competition, people can walk or run, and they all meet for breakfast afterwards.
"We have people that finish the 5K sometimes in 17 minutes, and then sometimes we have people that finish it in an hour, and either is absolutely brilliant in our eyes. It's just excellent to get people out exercising in any way and getting community spirit built up," Kevin said.
"It's absolutely brilliant. It's just pure fun," he added.
Some people take part purely for the volunteering, creating "another community aspect" and a sense of "pride" in the Longford parkrun.
The group celebrate each other's small wins like a 50th or 500th run or walk with a free parkrun t-shirt and some coffee and cake.
"Everybody wishes them well, they're given a shout-out and clap on the morning, and there's a big post put up about them on social media," Kevin shared.
The 10th anniversary of the Longford parkrun will be similar, featuring a coffee cart because caffeine and exercise "always go together."
Despite the positivity surrounding the event, there is a sadness over the group at the moment after it lost a dedicated parkrunner, Phillip Doyle, who had completed 123 5ks.
Some other former members, including Joseph Doran, Kevin Doyle, and Mary McCormack, are also sadly missed every Saturday.
"It's not easy because you're used to seeing them there every week... You do feel that genuine bond with them because you see them every Saturday," Kevin explained.
He hopes that the people of Longford and the surrounding areas will support the upcoming event, even if it is their first time attending.