Profile of a Parkrunner: Meet Sinéad

Meet Sinéad Bracken, who recently reached the milestone of completing 50 parkruns.

When did you first complete a parkrun?

My first Parkrun was Mountlucas’s 99th in June 2019. I didn’t even know where Mountlucas was back then, but the promise of a 99 cone at the end was enticing enough to find my way there by Sat Nav!

What is your favourite thing about parkrun?

I love the freedom a parkrun gives - you can walk, jog or run and every finisher is important. You can go alone or bring family and friends. You can bring your dog. They are located all over the country. If you come back after a long absence it feels like you’ve never been away. You can volunteer every few months to keep it going but without a massive commitment of time. I’ve loved the volunteering experience as much as running and now that I’ve hit 50 parkruns I will volunteer more.

How does it feel to have reached the significant milestone of 50 parkruns?

It has been a long time coming to reach the milestone 50 parkruns. I’m really delighted to share my 50th parkrun milestone with my nephew Bruce’s 25th - he’s only 7 years old and can do them faster than me already.

What is your favourite parkrun memory?

My favourite parkrun memory? It is impossible to choose. I was looking back through old photos and there are so many lovely parkrun memories, whether walking or running on my own, with family, with friends old and new, with my Labrador Teddy, all the Mountlucas parkruns, and all the parkruns around the country that I’ve also completed, some of them in beautiful places like Ardgillan Castle or the Grand Canal run in Tullamore.

What words best describe Mountlucas parkrun?

The word that best describes Mountlucas parkrun is honest. On windy days I’d describe it as unforgiving, but what I love about it most is it’s a flat, solid and honest run. It’s a great place for a serious runner to aim for a PB!