Ten out of ten for Mullingar parkrun

Parkrun is a whole group effort, said Tom Griffith as he addressed the large number who had gathered to take part in Saturday’s 10-year anniversary event in Mullingar. Anyone who has experienced the parkrun would agree with that, but Tom, one of the many regulars at the local parkrun, wanted to acknowledge the exceptional contribution of one particular volunteer, Blánaid Adamson.

He said a group of those regulars had decided a few weeks ago that they would organise “a small token of all of our appreciation and congratulations on reaching this milestone” for Blánaid.

“This is to recognise the extraordinary work of one hugely committed Mullingar parkrun volunteer here this morning, someone who, I think we’d all agree, over the last 10 years, has gone about her business quietly and behind the scenes. I know she’s absolutely cringing here, that all this is being said about her – and it’s not to say either that parkrun is not a whole group effort. There’s a load of people who go to great rounds all the time to make it the weekly success story that it has now become.”

Tom handed over a gift, including framed photos to Blánaid and added: “While you do fly mostly under the radar, that does not mean that people don’t notice the huge rounds that you go to, week in, week out.”

Responding, Blánaid said: “I’m mortified. I do appreciate it, you know I do. I’m happy to go underneath the radar and you will see me underneath the radar for the next 10 years! Thank you.”

Before the normal business of the parkrun – the welcomes to visiting participants and acknowledging those reaching milestones – Blánaid mentioned her son and her brother, who have recently started doing the parkrun, and paid tribute to the core group of volunteers who have been there for the 10 years. “You all know that parkrun wouldn’t be as good as it is in Mullingar without the core group, it’s them that keep it going, they’re the force behind it all.

“And you’re the force behind it all,” she told the participants. “You’re here every week. Without the support, and without you volunteering, we can’t run this. This isn’t a running club; this is a community event, you check in on each other as you’re going by, you see if everyone’s okay. We’re not here… well, some of you are here for a time, I suppose… but the bigger picture is we’re a community event.”

A notable development in the decade long history of the Mullingar parkrun is the installation of the hut, something that makes running the event so much easier.

Ray Smyth, a regular participant and volunteer and Eoghan Regan, who was also a regular at the time, were both working for Shay Murtagh, and it was a combination of circumstances that came together to make it happen, Ray explained to the Examiner on Saturday morning.

Not a race, but friendly rivalries endure over the years

Michelle Bohan is one of the people who did the first Mullingar parkrun, on April 23, 2016, and she has now completed the 5k course 109 times. She did the first one with her children in a buggy; on Saturday her children finished ahead of her.

Michelle was happy with that outcome though she couldn’t catch the younger ones. She also didn’t manage to catch Robin Jackson, who has “been my nemesis for a lot of them (parkruns). I was trying to catch him today, and I couldn’t.”

Like Michelle Robin has been a regular since the beginning (event number three in his case), and he has done 127 parkruns in total, 97 at Mullingar, and a number in his home county, Antrim.

Talking about her experience of doing the parkrun, Michelle said: “It’s great for the community to have it, so many different groups get out. You’re competing with yourself. You can pretend to compete with others, but it’s not a race. We pushed our kids in strollers for the first few years because we didn’t get much chance to get out, I suppose, without them.

“And now they’re here running and beating me. The volunteers are great, all the different run directors – Mel Leahy has a 250 T-shirt on him there – the community spirit has been unbelievable. It’s just good to get out and meet people. It’s a social event, it’s fitness and social, a good start to the weekend.

“And thank you to all the volunteers for all their work.”

Robin agreed, and on their ‘battle’, pointed out that Michelle used to be faster than him, and now he’s faster “but she doesn’t run as much”.

Tom Griffith is also on board with the community spirit and socialising message. He says he has met people from different parts of the country, whose paths wouldn’t otherwise have crossed, through the parkrun. For him, as for many runners, there are also the mental health benefits, and the Saturday morning commitment forms a foundation for his exercise week.

Remember – it’s Mullingar parkrun, parkwalk and it’s for all abilities

As one of the volunteers who has shown up over the full decade of the Mullingar parkrun, Blánaid Adamson, was delighted with the turnout for the 10-year anniversary event on Saturday.

“It’s about getting out and moving, getting out walking, getting out talking – come and meet people on a Saturday morning, start your Saturday and your weekend off socially. Don’t think of coming and running for a time, just come and enjoy yourself.”

That is how Blánaid encourages more people to join in. She says the parkrun is a great way of meeting people, particularly if you’ve moved to the town. It’s a community event, and you can see the way that everyone has pulled together, she said.

“That’s the important thing about the parkrun. It’s just about being here, just turning up on a Saturday morning. Walk, jog, run, and it’s good for your mental health. We’re as interested in the person that’s coming in with the tail walkers as the person that’s coming in first. They’re the ones that I want to be pushing to come – I really want the walkers to join us. Our name is ‘parkrun/parkwalk’. We just want people not to be intimidated to come, we encourage the walkers to come.”

An interesting spinoff from the Mullingar event is a new subgroup of participants who meet on Tuesday evenings for a run, and Blánaid would encourage parkwalkers to do the same.

The local businesses who sponsored the food and drinks for the 10th birthday party on Saturday morning are: SuperValu, Dunnes Stores, Lidl, and Fox’s Fruit and Veg.