Facilities

This parkrun is located not far from the centre of Cavan town, and as a result walking or cycling would probably be the best option for local residents to get to this run. Parking is limited near the start line, though there is parking in a nearby supermarket. Cavan town is on an express bus route from Dublin to Donegal with buses running at all hours of the day, which means that anyone near this route can easily get to the parkrun on time for the start. There are no public toilets but private toilets are available at the supermarket, and there are no changing facilities.

Course

This run consists of a three lap course, with one shorter loop to begin with followed by two laps around a longer loop. On this longer loop there is a very gradual hill, which doesn’t seem like much when you run on it, but is genuinely energy sapping, and must be covered twice. The route is mostly paved, but with lots of twists and turns and the aforementioned hill is probably not a place to attempt a PB. The paths are very narrow in places also, resulting in congestion at times. There are many points of interest around the park, with a lot of sculptures and artwork.

Coffee

Coffee is had at the nearby supermarket, where there is a large seating area for parkrunners to sit and discuss the run.

X Factor

One of the things I most enjoy about parkrun is finding out local points of interest. This parkrun is unusual in that it is named after a person, Con Smith. Con died tragically in the Staines air disaster. The land on which the park is situated was owned by Con’s father and was donated by him for public use in memory of his son. A beautiful tribute.