Runners line up at the starting line of the Bere Island parkrun
Bere Island parkrun is on every Saturday at 9.30am. The park run is a 5k measured course around the eastern end of the island and is open to runners, joggers and walkers.
Parkruns are free 5k running events which take place every week. The run is free, although participants are encouraged to register online in order to obtain a bar code, which is scanned at the beginning and end of their run, allowing them to track their progress on a weekly basis.
The parkrun was founded in 2005, with the first run taking place in Teddington, England. The idea quickly took off and there are now parkruns worldwide, with all runs organised on a voluntary basis.
On any given Saturday on Bere Island, you could be running or walking alongside islanders of all ages, visitors and members of the Irish Defence Forces who have a training base on the island. Past runners of the Bere Island parkrun have included Olympic silver medalist Sonia O’Sullivan, parkrun founder Paul Sinton-Hewitt, and the Running Guru, Noel Berkeley.
The Bere Island park run, which is on the Wild Atlantic Way offers spectacular scenery of Bantry Bay with a route which takes in a Bronze Age wedge tomb, remains of a Viking boatyard and a former World War One military battery. At the end of the run everyone heads to the Bakehouse Cafe in Rerrin Village for a coffee, scone and a chat.
Bere Island Ferries leaves Castletownbere at 9.00am, and provide bus transport to the starting line. Call Colum on 086 2423140 to book the ferry and bus for a special deal of €10. The ferry returns to Castletownbere at 11.15am
Or why not make a weekend of it and stay on Bere Island which has a variety of accommodation on offer.
Runners, joggers and walkers of all ages and fitness levels are all welcome to take part in the Bere Island parkrun. To take part, you need to register at www.parkrun.ie
Once you have registered you will be sent a confirmation email containing your barcode and information on what to do next. You will then need to bring your barcode to the parkrun event on Bere Island, or to any of the parkrun events on offer worldwide.
If you require any further information or would like to volunteer at any of the runs please email bereislandhelpers@parkrun.com.