‘We’ll take the bragging rights!’

Cloughjordan parkrun is named third toughest in the world

The organisers of Knockanacree Woods Parkrun might be somewhat bemused by the naming of their event as one of the world's toughest, but it certainly has put them on the map.

BBC Countryfile recently published a list of the “10 hardest Parkrun routes in the UK - and the world”. Knockanacree Woods was listed third in the world after Dunedin in New Zealand and Thousand Hills in South Africa.

“If you enjoy trail running, you'll love this forest 5k in County Tipperary, Ireland,” the BBC publication said of Knockanacree. “It's an undulating course on narrow, wooded trails that can get wet and muddy. Post storms the event can be cancelled because of downed branches and debris.”

The only other parkruns mentioned on the world list were two in Australia.

“We can extrapolate from that and claim that we're the toughest in the Northern Hemisphere!” joked Run Director Gearóid Ó Foighil, one of the organisers of Knockanacree Woods Parkrun. He and his fellow volunteers admitted that they don't really know why their parkrun attracted such vaunted publicity but, as Gearóid said, “we'll take the bragging rights!”

“We don't think our course is really that tough but it probably is the toughest course in Ireland overall because of its undulating nature. Most parkruns take place in park lands or city parks that are flat and it might be just multiple circles of the same route, whereas this a bit more unique in terms of the topography of the woodland. It's constantly up and down and around corners.”

The Knockanacree volunteers got in touch with Countryfile to see if they could find out how and why their parkrun was rated so highly. Gearóid speculates that the author may have attended a wedding in the area and gone for a parkrun, something he said happens quite regularly.

PARKRUN CRAZE

The parkrun phenomenon has made great strides since the first one was held at Teddington in the UK in 2004. A volunteer-led, free-for-all 5k or 2k run or walk, there are now more than 2,300 parkruns across the world and over nine million registered parkrunners.

Parkrun came to Ireland in 2012 and this country is now home to more than 110 5k events, as well as around 40 junior parkruns.

Located just outside the village of Cloughjordan, Knockanacree Woods Parkrun was set up six years ago. It is one of five in the local area, including Ballina-Killaloe (Clarisford), Borrisokane, Portumna and Templemore.

People come from all over the country to run it, as evidenced last Saturday week by a couple from Cloghan, Co Offaly and Cork. They arrived in Knockanacree having heard about its tough reputation and, having done parkruns throughout Ireland and several other countries, they agreed that it was the most challenging they had ever done.

Gearóid said people attending weddings at nearby Cloughjordan House often come out to Knockanacree Woods the next day for the parkrun. Some visitors come to tick another letter off the alphabet of parkruns, K in this case.

NUMBERS GAME

There have been 222 parkruns in the six-year history of the Cloughjordan event. It was obviously curtailed during the pandemic but participation numbers have remained steady throughout. There have been more than 80 runners at a time but the weekly entry is generally around 25-30 with a core group of local regulars.

Parkruns are not necessarily competitive, though registered participants do try to emulate their personal best, with all finishing times uploaded to a database for comparative analysis.

The 5k course record at Knockanacree, incidentally, is 17-odd minutes. It was set by a man who ran to Cloughjordan from Templemore, did the parkrun, and ran back to Templemore again.

But Gearóid is keen to point out that the event is more about participation than it is about competition. “For some people, their personal best timing is important. At that level, people are competing against themselves.

“For other people, they just like to walk and exercise - run, jog or stroll, the timing is less important... Some people are very competitive but more are just happy to be out. It's very mixed.”

He wanted to put the message out that “parkwalk” is very much a feature of Knockanacree Woods and not everyone goes there to run. Gearóid pointed to the social and mental health benefits of walking in the scenic woods.

DEDICATED VOLUNTEERS

Addressing those gathered for the sixth anniversary parkrun last Saturday week, Gearóid thanked the volunteers present and also Coillte for clearing the trails after Storm Éoywn, which - in keeping with the Countryfile description - brought a lot of trees down in Knockanacree, leaving the trails closed for several weeks. There was applause for Greg Whelan, for whom this was his 100th parkrun as a volunteer.

Speaking afterwards, Gearóid mentioned how the well-defined parkrun trails were developed between the local community and Coillte. He had particular praise for Forest Manager Kevin Keogh for maintaining the route.

Like every parkrun around Ireland, Knockanacree Woods starts at 9.30 every Saturday morning. The volunteers are all first responder-trained with an emergency plan in place, and they ensure that someone with a medical qualification is present for every run. Visit the Knockanacree Woods parkrun Facebook page for further information.