Omagh parkrun closing in on 5,000 participants

ALMOST 5,000 people have taken part in the weekly Omagh parkrun since it was launched nine years ago.

The first run set off from Omagh Leisure Centre on October 8, 2016.

Since then, a total of 4,931 runners have taken part in the event – one of hundreds of parkruns held across the UK every Saturday.

There were 58 new participants at the run last weekend.

Among them were 15 first timers, while seven individuals achieved new personal bests for the 5km distance.

Visitors from Guildford, Brighton and Belfast, and representatives of four clubs took part, were among those who took part in the Omagh run.

The event was made possible thanks to the support of nine volunteers, Helen Farrell, Brian Moore, Dolores Moore, Anne McGarvey, Conor Loughrey, Oonagh Given, Brenda Mullan, Stewart Hall and Sinead Loughrey.

Since its first run on October 8, 2016, Omagh parkrun participants have complete 37,268 parkruns, covering a combined distance of 186,340 km.

During that time, 6,154 personal bests have been recorded, with 267 individuals contributing as volunteers on 4,710 occasions.

Full results and event history can be found online on the Omagh parkrun results page.