Record-breaking numbers turn out for Christmas Day parkruns
Thousands of runners, many decked out in festive attire and Santa hats, embraced the Christmas spirit by taking part in parkruns across the island of Ireland on Christmas Day.
The popular, free, timed 5k events, usually held on Saturday mornings and organized by volunteers, have seen record-breaking attendance as they cement their place among the standout events of the season.
Festive editions of Parkrun have become particularly popular, attracting much larger crowds than their weekly counterparts.
In east Belfast, the Stormont parkrun welcomed more than 1,000 runners for the first time, breaking the previous attendance record. 1,152 people attended the event, easily beating last year’s record of 790.
The property was awash with festive music blaring from speakers as enthusiastic crowds cheered on the participants.
Race director Marianne Hood said Stormont was fast becoming the place to go on Christmas morning.
“I think it’s become a tradition now,” he said. “A lot of people, I think, are hearing about it and they want to come this year and see what it’s like because they’ve heard from people since last year.”
He added: “And this is the third year in a row that we’re going to break the record. And I think the atmosphere is so great. Everyone’s dressing up and it’s ridiculous. So I think people are hearing more about Stormont Parkrun as the place to go for Christmas Day.”
Hood also highlighted the inclusive nature of the event: “The atmosphere is great. It’s a lot of fun. Nobody cares about the time. Nobody cares about waiting on the street to get their tokens.”
“It’s really good for families. It’s really good for friends and groups of friends. Everybody’s taking selfies, everybody’s taking pictures of each other. It’s great. The atmosphere is classy.”
Among those crossing the finish line was Irish former Olympic rower Eugene Coakley.
“It’s Christmas morning and I believe 1,000 people are here, there’s no better place than parkrunning in Stormont park, it’s amazing,” he said. “We’ve been up all morning, opening presents, but it’s great to get outside, get some fresh air and run around the park.”
Meanwhile, 713 runners packed the course at Lisburn’s Wallace Park, eclipsing the previous Christmas Day participation record by nearly 100 participants.
Run director Jonathan Davis spoke of parkrun’s strong sense of community, which is particularly resonant during the festive period.
“Last year we had 624 runners here. They were lining up to finish this year, which has never happened before, so we’re well above that today,” Mr. Davis explained.
“It’s a huge community event. People won’t come here if they don’t want to, especially on Christmas morning. “It brings people together in a way that very few things can, and I think that’s something we should value.
“We’ve been going to Wallace Park since 2013. We’re doing something right, we’re so lucky to have an incredible team of volunteers who come here every week.”
