Ballina parkrun - Weekly Free 5km

Ballina parkrun uses the wooded paths of Belleek Woods on the edge of town for its weekly free 5km event, one of three parkrun locations now running in County Mayo.

What to Expect

The format follows the same rules as every parkrun worldwide: a free, timed 5km walk, jog or run, organised by local volunteers and open to anyone regardless of pace or experience. Belleek Woods gives Ballina’s event a shaded, mostly flat forest route along the River Moy, a noticeably different feel from a road or track event, and one that regulars often mention as one of the nicer settings in the Irish parkrun calendar. Walkers, buggy-pushers and children are as welcome as competitive runners; the only real rule is that dogs must stay on a short lead. New participants get a short briefing before the 9:30am start covering the route and how the barcode timing system works, and anyone can turn up on the day without pre-booking, though registering once at parkrun.ie for a free barcode in advance means your time gets recorded from your very first run. Results and a full results table are posted online within a few hours of the run finishing, and a local core of volunteers times, marshals and processes results every week without which the event could not run at all.

Good to Know

• Every Saturday, 9:30am, year-round, weather permitting
• Free to take part; register once at parkrun.ie for a personal barcode, then reuse it every week
• 5km wooded course through Belleek Woods, suitable for walking, jogging or running
• Dogs welcome on a short lead; buggies welcome

Getting There

Belleek Woods is on the northern edge of Ballina, a walkable distance from the town centre and Ballina’s own railway station on the Dublin to Ballina line. There is car parking at the woods, and Bus Eireann services connect Ballina to the wider county.