By Joe McCann
THE weather looked like it was going to cause problems for Castlewellan parkrun number 300 on Saturday past, with many local parkruns being cancelled due to icy conditions, but thankfully the trees in Castlewellan Forest Park act as a blanket, which meant after a pre check of the course, all was good to go.
However, there was a slight change to the course, with that extra “sting in the tail” up the Crow Road to make up for the short fall of the frosted tarmac path. So, whilst the runners had more to climb, they also had a longer descent.
Despite the slight change in course, 241 people ran, jogged, and walked the course, 20 people recorded PBs and we welcomed 26 first timers to Castlewellan parkrun.
Representatives from 27 different clubs took part.
The top three male finishers were as follows:
1 – Jared Martin (16.23), 2 – Ryan Stewart (16.51), 3 – Patrick Mc Daid (17.58).
The top three female finishers were as follows:
1 – Martsje Hell (20.16), 2 – Ashlene Mussen (21.56) 3 – Kate Moffet (22.05).
The origins of parkrun are humble to say the least. It all began on 2 October 2004 when 13 people and a handful of volunteers turned up in Bushy Park, in London to complete a trial. These trailblazing pioneers were at the vanguard of what would become a local, national and international phenomena that has grown exponentially over time and continues to bring communities together across the world.
Read the full report in the current issue of the Mourne Observer.