Clarisford parkrun Killaloe

What to Expect

Clarisford parkrun is a free, timed 5km event held every Saturday morning on the grounds of Clarisford Park, a 10-hectare riverside park on the western bank of the Shannon in Killaloe. The route runs almost entirely on woodland and gravel paths through the park, with the river visible for long stretches, and includes a short out-and-back section. Regulars describe it as flat but with a few gentle rises, and some sections turn muddy after heavy rain, so trail shoes are worth considering outside summer. parkrun began in London in 2004 as a free, timed, volunteer-run 5k and has grown into a weekly fixture in hundreds of Irish towns since the first Irish event in 2012; Clarisford is Killaloe’s local edition of that same idea. Like every parkrun, it is not a race in the competitive sense: walkers, joggers, buggies and first-timers finish alongside club runners using it as a fast weekly time trial, and a rota of local volunteers marshals the course, runs the finish funnel and scans barcodes every week bar Christmas Day.

Good to Know

• Every Saturday at 9:30am, 52 weeks a year, free of charge.
• First-timers register once, for free, at parkrun.ie and print or save a personal barcode - it is this barcode, not your name, that records your time, so bring it every week.
• Dogs are welcome on a short, fixed-length lead; buggies and running clubs are common.
• Full results and a written run report are posted on the Clarisford parkrun page within a few hours of the event.
• A group usually heads for coffee afterwards in Killaloe or across the bridge in Ballina - ask at the finish if you want to join.
• Volunteers are needed every week (marshal, timekeeper, barcode scanner, funnel manager) - sign up via the parkrun volunteer roster if you would rather help than run.

Getting There

Clarisford Park sits on the Killaloe side of the Shannon, a short walk from the town’s bridge and cathedral. Free car parking is available on site, and the park is an easy walk from anywhere in Killaloe or Ballina village on the Tipperary bank.