Ballincollig Parkrun to add a junior leg to run

THE hugely popular Ballincollig Parkrun is looking to set up a junior run for kids and is asking enthusiastic people to help organise it.

The Ballincollig Parkrun is a free, weekly, timed run every Saturday morning in the town’s Regional Park.

It was set up in June 2016 and has been going strength to strength ever since.

According to organiser Maretta Brennan, 5,815 people have taken part in 124 events at Ballincollig, with an average of 266 finishers per week.

The largest attendance was 448 participants.

Maretta said: “None of this would have taken place without the 518 different volunteers who freely give their time each week to keep the show on the road these last two and a half years and our sponsors VHI, Cork Sports Partnership and Cork County Council.”

Now, the Parkrun organisers, Suzi Quirke and Maretta Brennan, have said they are looking for a group of volunteers to come forward that they will support in organising a Junior Parkrun.

Suzi said: “To start a Junior Parkrun in Ballincollig requires some enthusiastic people to come forward. An Event Director is needed to manage the event as a whole, some run directors and a core group of volunteers are also required to manage the weekly events.

“Each volunteer must complete a safeguarding course, and regular volunteers would also need to be Garda vetted.”

Ms Quirke said they were looking to run the Junior Parkrun at 9.30am on Sunday mornings and the idea is for it to be a free, timed, 2km run where parents are allowed to run with their children or grandchildren.

Anyone interested in volunteering can e-mail ballincollighelpers@parkrun.com or if anyone wants to be involved in setting up the junior parkrun e-mail ballincolligoffice@parkrun.com.