Parkrun five years strong at Omagh Leisure Complex

DOZENS of park runners and walkers are expected to converge upon Omagh this weekend for the fifth birthday of the popular Saturday morning event.

Established in October 2016, the 5k starts at Omagh Leisure Complex and takes in the nearby Arleston Park.

Race director, Peter Dolan, described the parkrun as a “fantastic concept.”

“Parkruns are now enjoyed by people across the world,” he said. “In addition to local people, we have had many so-called ‘parkrun tourists’ completing our course here at Omagh Leisure Complex over the past five years.

“Our weekly attendances have been fairly consistent which is great to see. We have promoted it quite extensively through the Run for Enda programme. It’s your local timed 5k event and there’s no need to pre-book.”

Like so many other events, parkruns were cancelled during the pandemic. However, the Omagh parkrun re-commenced in June this year which Mr Dolan feels was an “important development.”

“It was great to see runners coming out again. I’ve no doubt that this type of an event is very beneficial from a mental health viewpoint.

“One of the reasons why Run for Enda has been so successful is that it provides an opportunity, like parkrun, for people of all abilities to get out and run within their own means.”

The Omagh parkrun is free to enter and takes place every Saturday morning at 9.30am, starting from Omagh Leisure Complex.