Facilities

This parkrun is located on the grounds of a large school in a residential area away from the centre of Strabane town.  There is a lot of parking available and the location is not too far from the town by pass, so driving is probably the best option for getting to this run. There is a bus service to Strabane from Derry and from Belfast, but I’m not sure that these would get in on time. There are no changing facilities or toilets at the run.

Course

The course is made up of four laps around the grounds of the school. The route is signposted and the volunteers put out cones to mark the route, so it is relatively straightforward. The route is mostly paved except for the running track section which has a light gravel surface. There is a bit of climbing in this course, and considering that the lap must be coveted four times this adds up to a lot of climbing for the whole run. There are nice views towards the surrounding hills as you go around the lap, and the grounds are very well maintained.

Coffee

The volunteers put out water and coffee at the finish line which is very welcome after the run

X Factor

The school around which this run goes is very impressive, with all sorts of facilities, not least the old-school running track which I quite liked.