Sligo Parkrun

Sligo parkrun is a free, timed 5km run or walk held every Saturday morning at 9:30am in Doorly Park, on the Cleveragh side of Sligo town. It has been running since 31 January 2015, and like every parkrun event it is entirely free, organised by volunteers, and open to anyone regardless of pace, from serious club runners to first-time walkers and families with buggies. You register once online, print or save a barcode, and turn up each week to have your time recorded.

What to expect

The course is a five-kilometre route through Doorly Park’s mature parkland along the Garavogue river, flat and mostly on tarmac paths, which makes it manageable for walkers and buggy runners as well as competitive club athletes. Results are published online within hours, with times and positions tracked against your parkrun barcode, so regulars can watch their own progress from week to week. Volunteers marshal the course, operate the finish funnel and scan barcodes, and the event genuinely cannot run without them; new volunteers are always welcome and full training is given on the day. Many participants stay on afterwards for coffee at Doorly Park Gate Lodge Coffee Shop or nearby Ripples, which has become as much a part of the Saturday routine as the run itself. First-timers should arrive about fifteen minutes early to register at the front and hear the pre-run briefing.

Getting there

Doorly Park is in Cleveragh, a short walk or drive from Sligo town centre. There is car parking at the park, and it is an easy walk from most parts of town, so many locals arrive on foot. The nearest bus and rail connections are in Sligo town itself, both around fifteen minutes’ walk away.

While you’re in Sligo

Doorly Park sits close to the Garavogue river walk into Sligo town, so it is easy to combine the run with a wander into town for breakfast afterwards, or to explore further afield once you’ve cooled down. There is more to see in Sligo and across Co. Sligo.

Good to know

• Every Saturday at 9:30am, starting and finishing at Doorly Park, Cleveragh
• Free to take part; register once at parkrun.ie before your first run and bring your barcode each week
• Results published online after each event
• Volunteers needed every week; full training given on the day
• Post-run coffee at Doorly Park Gate Lodge Coffee Shop or Ripples is a regular part of the morning