Facilities

This parkrun, located close to the centre of Castleblayney, has a good sized car park close to the start line, and has plenty of parking space along the side of the road as well. Castleblayney is serviced by the Dublin to Letterkenny and Dublin to Derry busses. There are no toilets or changing facilities available at this event.

Course

This fantastically varied run goes through a very picturesque woodland on Black Island. The wood is mostly pine which gives off a lovely scent, and because it is an island there are great views out to the water along the run. The run is made up of a two lap course around Black Island. The surface is a mixture of gravel and earth, which might get slippy in wet weather. The run has a significant amount of climbing in it, which at first I didn’t notice, but later realised when I heard the wheeze in my breath towards the top of the hill. There are flat sections where you can regain some rhythm. The course is relatively straightforward but where there are a few turns there are marshals to guide you. There are also permanent distance markers along the run.

Coffee

The parkrun gang meet in a hall next to the entrance of the park for a post run coffee and biscuit.

X Factor

There is a great community spirit at this run. I think most runners went for coffee and a chat after the run which was fantastic. There is also some serious running pedigree on show here with one of the organisers having run 30 Dublin marathons.