Ballymount parkrun

This weeks run report thanks to Nikita saw Jason makes his RD debut and our first finisher being a female for the first time….

Ballymount parkrun #8 Event Report – August 22nd 2026:
By Nikita Masterson

What a fantastic morning at Ballymount parkrun #8! We were greeted with a lovely dry and sunny morning perfect weather for running, jogging and walking.

We were joined by 91 participants. 49 male, 40 female and 2 unknown who ran, jogged and walked the course.

Parkrun #8 also marked a special moment for Ballymount, with Aoife Hyland becoming our first female first finisher, crossing the line in a fantastic time of 19:07! 👏🏻

Thank you to everyone who showed up!
● Total Finishers: 91
● First Timers at Ballymount: 52
● New Personal Bests: 16
● Hi-Vis Heroes: 24 volunteers

First Finishers
● First Female Finisher: Aoife Hyland — 19:07
● First Male Finisher: Sean Bailey— 19:38
Fantastic running from both Aoife and Sean!

A special congratulations to Jamie Shaughnessy, Dillon Quinn Byrne, Amanda Esposito and Darcie Braham, who completed their very first parkrun with us at Ballymount.

Congratulations to all 16 participants who achieved a new PB: Paul Cryan, Derek Woodfull, Mel Lynam, Rob Farrell, Stephen Kavanagh, Robert Mullen, Kevin Kiely, Liam Byrne, Pat O’Sullivan, Padraig Gibbons, William Murphy, Nemone Van Der Blaike, Sue Woodfull, Austin O’Sullivan, Samantha Dunne and Eileen Hawe.
Fantastic running congratulations everyone!

Huge Thanks to Our 24 Hi-Vis Heroes! As always, Ballymount parkrun simply couldn’t happen without our brilliant volunteers.

A massive thank you to: Jason Shalloe (Run Director) Max Keogh, Grainne Byrne, Brenda Burleigh, Gerald Ferris, Alan Flanagan, Celine Mackessy, Noel Maguire, Rachel Maguire, June Peggs, Nigel Boucher, Rebecca Barron, Jade Kavanagh, Fiona McGrath, Michelle Demiri, Conor Kelly, Richard Cronin, Mary Whelan, Samantha Dunne, Eileen Hawe, Nemone Van Der Blaike, Gareth Mitchell, Darren Bracken and Nikita Masterson.

Thank you for giving up your Saturday morning and helping everything run smoothly.

Another sunny Saturday morning at Ballymount. Thank you to everyone who ran, jogged, walked, volunteered or supported event #8. We hope to see you all again next Saturday for another Ballymount parkrun! 🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏼🚶🏻‍♀️🚶🏼

See you at the start line!
Nikita Masterson

Getting a new parkrun started is a huge team effort & we are blessed with the best. But we do need leaders to take on an extra bit of work and this week Jason Shalloe stepped up as run director. We had no doubt he’d nail it & indeed he did. With some backing from Darren , Grainne. , Nikita & our youngest and most consistent volunteer Max Jason flawlessly guided 91 runners home with the help of 24 volunteers . Full run report to follow later but well done Jason 🙌. Fancy seeing what all the fuss is about ? Join us next week to run or volunteer & dm us for deets. We still need volunteers & lots of them and are keen to train up more run directors & all other roles

Irelands newest parkrun has a new RD this morning. Jason Shalloe has everything in hand and is ably supported by trainee RDs Darren Bracken & Grainne Byrne and all the hi vis heroes this morning. Thanks to all our volunteers who ensure Ballymount parkrun #8 goes ahead this morning

Ballymount parkrun #8 is tomorrow at 9.30- are you joining us? Ireland’s newest parkrun is seeing a lot of people claim pbs but more importantly people are enjoying the atmosphere & experiencing the joy of our gorgeous park. Hope to see you tomorrow 🙌

Ready to go from Couch to parkrun? 👟🌳

Whether you’re getting back into exercise, completely new to running, or simply looking for a little extra motivation, the new Vhi Couch to parkrun programme is here to help you get moving and discover parkrun at your own pace 👟

Over six weeks, you’ll receive:
👟 A weekly training plan
🥗 Recipes to help fuel your progress
💜 Practical advice from Vhi experts
🌳 Support from the parkrun community along the way

Olympian, broadcaster and Vhi parkrun ambassador David Gillick will be joined by presenter and content creator Fionnuala Jones, who’ll be taking on her own Vhi Couch to parkrun journey and sharing her progress along the way 🙌

We’ll be bringing the Vhi Couch to parkrun roadshow to different parkrun locations around Ireland throughout the programme, with David and Fionnuala joining the parkrun community along the way. Keep an eye on our channels for more details! 👀

Ready to join them? Sign up for free here 👉 https://couchtoparkrun.ie/

Ballymount parkrun #7 Event Report – August 15, 2026 by Brenda Burleigh

What a fantastic morning at Ballymount parkrun #7! We were greeted with pleasant, dry conditions and a light breeze, ideal running weather for a Saturday morning. We were joined by 86 participants (48 male, 37 female, and 1 unknown) who ran, jogged, and walked the course. A huge welcome to our tourists visiting from County Down, Griffeen, Marlay, Brickfield, and Bushy park - we hope you come back again soon. We were also delighted to host members of the 'Maniacs' - thanks for visiting, and be sure to let us know how the rest of us can become one too! (Editors note : the maniacs are a wonderful group of parkrun enthusiasts open to all to join as they tour parkruns around Ireland and beyond - next up is Amsterdam! A really friendly group who were on their second visit to Ballymount)

By the Numbers
● Total Finishers: 86
● First Timers at Ballymount: 48
● Brand New to parkrun: 4 (Jonathan Feighery, John Byrne, Lauren Bruce, Ela Yetis)
● New Personal Bests: 24
● Hi-Vis Heroes: 26 volunteers
Speed & Age Grade Leaders
● First Male Finisher: David Hannafin (VM35-39) – 19:56 (66.14% age grade)
● First Female Finisher: Louise English (VW45-49) – 22:34 (72.53% age grade)
● Highest Age Grade (Female): Bridget O'Brien (VW60-64) – 24:10 (81.45%)
● Highest Age Grade (Male): Alan Brady (VM60-64) – 21:42 (73.89%)
Milestones & Highlights
● 25 Milestones: Congratulations to Logan Kenny for hitting the official 25 parkruns milestone!
● First-Time Volunteers: Big thanks to Louise Poole, Celine Mackessy, Nina Breivik, and Katelyn Ryan for stepping up to volunteer for the first time.
● Most Experienced: Des Reid topped the charts with an amazing 592 parkruns, while Eleanor Kennedy led the women with 389 parkruns!
● Top Volunteer Credits: Shoutout to Matthew Tobin (295 credits), Michael Peirce (269 credits), and Philip Wardick (208 credits) for their incredible community service.
Huge Thanks to Our 26

Volunteers
Alan Feighery, Charis Feighery, Gerald Ferris, Jason Shalloe, Nigel Boucher, Sarah Maher, Robert Mockler, Austin O'Sullivan, Louise Poole, Laura Dever, Isabelle Feighery, Jade Kavanagh, Celine Mackessy, Charis Obyrne, Darren Bracken, Grainne Byrne, Alice Breivik, Louise Breivik, Angela Healy, Samantha Dunne, Eileen Hawe, Tony McDevitt, Nina Breivik, Katelyn Ryan, Mark Conlon, and Brenda Burleigh.

See you all next Saturday for the second-last Ballymount parkrun of August!

Some pics of last weekends Ballymount parkrun #6 taken by the supremely talented Sarka which featured a Kingswood running club couch to 5k grad run which was well supported by the club & visitors from many local parkruns including griffeen , Marley , bushy & corcagh and as far away as Boston. A high number of PBs again this week as our relatively flat course paired well with the favourable weather

Ballymount parkrun #6 - Run Report by Chloe Feighery
Saturday 8th August 2026

Another fantastic Saturday morning at Ballymount parkrun #6, with 141 participants crossing the finish line and another brilliant crowd of runners, walkers, volunteers and supporters coming together to enjoy their Saturday morning 5k.

The word about Ballymount continues to spread, with visitors joining us from around Ireland and even Boston, alongside runners from Jobstown Running Club and parkrun tourists from Marley parkrun, Bushy Park and plenty more.

But this week, there was one group in particular that deserves a huge shout-out…

Couch to 5K Graduation 🎓🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️
A massive congratulations to the members of Kingswood Running Club who graduated from their Couch to 5K programme this week after 8 weeks of training and completed their very first 5k!

For some, crossing that finish line was their very first 5k. From those early Couch to 5K sessions to completing the full distance, what an achievement!

We couldn’t be prouder of every single one of you-Hopefully we’ll be seeing plenty more of you at Ballymount over the coming weeks 💚

Event Overview
* 141 finishers
* 25 volunteers
* 78 first-time visitors to Ballymount
* 9 people completing their very first parkrun
* 30 new Personal Bests

Another brilliant set of numbers for Ballymount, with almost 80 people experiencing the course for the first time and an incredible 30 PBs recorded.

First Finishers
Leading the field home was David Valentine, who crossed the line in an impressive 17:48, also recording the highest age grading of the day at 80.90%.

Liadh Fitzmaurice was the first female finisher in 20:05, with an excellent 79.50% age grading.

Huge congratulations to both on fantastic runs.

A Very Special Welcome ❤️
This week we were incredibly proud to welcome Claire and Mark, with Claire becoming Ballymount parkrun’s first visually impaired runner.

A huge thank you to Mark for supporting Claire around the course, and to everyone who helped make sure they received the same warm Ballymount welcome as every other participant.

This is exactly what parkrun is about - making our event accessible, inclusive and welcoming to everyone.

We hope to see you both back with us again soon!

First Timers
A huge welcome to the 78 people who completed their first Ballymount parkrun this week.

And an especially big welcome to our nine first-time-ever parkrunners:
* Derek Woodfull
* Christopher McGeady
* Melissa Grainger
* Kelly Dunne
* Emma Ryan
* Gavin Sexton
* Sue Woodfull
* Fiona Norris
* Sorina Popescu

We hope Saturday was the beginning of a long parkrun journey for all nine of you!

Personal Bests
An amazing 30 runners recorded a new Personal Best around the Ballymount course this week.

Congratulations to:
David Valentine, Paul Byrne, Keith Graham, Stephen Irwin, Mel Lynam, Nina Breivik, John Goodall, Peter Brady, Georgia Tierney, Fiona McGrath, Sheena Stapleton, Rachel Maguire, Noel Maguire, Lesley Ni Bhriain, Mags Bergin, Terry Hopper, Geraldine Cullen, Iri Sms, Jamie Lyons, Linda Farrell, Elena Peggs, Sinead Byrne, Louise Breivik, Michelle Demir, Ciara Whelan, Declan Redmond, Austin O’Sullivan, Brenda Burleigh, Grainne Byrne and Sarah Maher.

Brilliant running from everyone, well done! 👏

Milestones
There was a very special milestone to celebrate this week as Lisa Fitzpatrick completed her 200th parkrun.

A huge congratulations, Lisa! 🎉

We also had some impressive parkrun totals among our visitors, with Des Husin joining us having completed an incredible 642 parkruns, while Siobhan Brennan arrived with 257 parkruns under her belt.

That’s some serious parkrun dedication!

Volunteer Thank You 💚
As always, a huge thank you to our 25 Hi-Vis Heroes who made Ballymount parkrun #6 possible.

Whether you were marshalling, timing, scanning, managing the finish funnel, welcoming first timers or simply encouraging people around the course, your contribution makes Ballymount possible every week.A special mention for our two trainee run directors shadowing yesterday - Jason Salloe & Nikita Masterson.

A special mention also goes to our volunteers completing their first ever volunteer credit this week: Claire Ryan, Adrienne Keogh, Lauren Peggs, Rebecca Barron, Jade Kavanagh, Cara Sheeran Hayes and Darren Bracken.

Welcome to the Hi-Vis Heroes!

Closing
Six events in and Ballymount parkrun is already becoming a fantastic part of the local running community.

From Couch to 5K graduates completing their first ever 5k, to welcoming our first visually impaired runner, visitors from Boston, tourists from across Dublin and beyond, 30 PBs, a 200th parkrun milestone and another 25 incredible volunteers, there was plenty to celebrate this Saturday.

A massive thank you to everyone who ran, jogged, walked, volunteered, supported or cheered from the sidelines.

And to our Kingswood Running Club Couch to 5K graduates, we hope you’re very proud of yourselves. You earned that finish line! 💚🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️

See you all next Saturday for Ballymount parkrun #7! 🌞

LOST & FOUND FOR JULY: we have a pair of unclaimed ear phones. If the owner can get in touch we will gladly post them back to the rightful owner 🎶. Aside from that the 805 runners who’ve had 922 finishes so far have been very organised !!