Castlebar parkrun - Weekly Free 5km

Castlebar parkrun is the county town’s weekly free 5km event at Lough Lannagh, part of the worldwide parkrun series that began in a London park in 2004 and now runs weekly events across Ireland.

What to Expect

The format is the same every week: a free, timed 5km walk, jog or run around Lough Lannagh, organised by local volunteers and open to anyone, whatever their pace. Walkers, buggy-pushers, joggers and serious runners all take part in the same event, with the only real rule being that dogs must be kept on a short lead and under close control. First-timers get a short briefing a few minutes before the 9:30am start explaining the course and how the timing works. After that, results based on a personal barcode, printed free from the parkrun website before your first run, are posted online within a few hours. There is no entry fee and no need to book a place in advance, so it works as a genuine drop-in event, and most Saturdays produce a mix of regulars doing their weekly 5km and newcomers trying it for the first time. Many finishers head for coffee nearby afterwards, and the event welcomes children of any age alongside adults, making it one of the few free, no-booking family activities in Castlebar that runs every single week of the year.

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 course around Lough Lannagh, suitable for walking, jogging or running
• Dogs welcome on a short lead; buggies welcome

Getting There

Lough Lannagh is a short walk from Castlebar town centre, next to the Lough Lannagh Holiday Village. There is car parking on site, and the town’s Bus Eireann and rail connections make it reachable without a car for anyone travelling in from elsewhere in the county.