Date of Visit: 22/4/2023

Introduction (A Month earlier)

“I can do something next week. I’ve volunteered at Cabinteely parkrun there is an eight week wait to be RD (Run Director)”. This was someone talking to me about volunteering at Bushy Dublin parkrun. I was Run Director that morning walking around with the clipboard trying to persuade people to volunteer and this was also how I first came across the charisma of Cabinteely parkrun. I’ve been involved in parkrun for six years and I’ve never heard of a cue for parkrun RD like this. I could feel a charismatic adventure coming on.

A month later Julie and I needed to collect our baby car seat. The retailer so happened to be next to Cabinteely parkrun. We took the opportunity to find out if this teams charisma was real. Yes!!! It’s as real as the three hills on the Cabinteely course. Those hills are long and hard. Everything else from the team was soft skill charisma heaven.

Course

Let’s dive right in this course is one the toughest I have ever completed at parkrun. Talking to the volunteer team before we kicked off Fionnuala told us that even the great Irish World Champion Runner Sonia O’ Sullivan was two minutes away from her parkrun best at Cabinteely. Julie and I have welcomed Sonia to Glen River and she never lost more than a minute despite Glen River boasting a brutal hill which you must summit and sprint down twice. Cabinteely parkrun beings with one short loop. You start by running down approximately half of the ferocious Cabinteely hill pan right, circle around and then back for your first crack at the infamous hill. Once you’re over the hill you’ll pass the finish funnel. The team will rouse your weary legs. I’d advise you to hold back on lap one. After you pass the finish line you’ll enter the long loop. Again this will begin with a drop downhill through some beautiful woodland. Be careful here your quads take a hammering on prolonged down hills and you’ll have two more 400 meter climbs to complete. You’ll need to save your legs. Coming around by the Old Bray Road the course flattens a little you’ll pass a house and soccer pitches before coming around for your second crack at the monstrous Cabinteely hill. On your third lap (repeat of lap two) by all means listen to Clarence DeMar and ;

Run like hell and get the agony over with.” ~ Clarence DeMar

Cabinteely course — In summary Cabinteely is one short loop and two long loops

Live a Little

The Stone faces at the start point are an optical illusion. They look like they protrude out but they don’t they’re carved beautifully into the rock. Go and stretch on them. Seriously where else can you do that on a rock that smiles at you?

Volunteers

Aideen the RD was at her charismatic best on our visit. She welcomed everyone volunteers and runners alike. She had everyones names at the tip of her tongue. I volunteered as a fast finisher but today I wasn’t needed. If you want to volunteer drop an email to the team at cabinteely@parkrun.com. As if that wasn’t enough charisma the First Timers Briefing was delivered by John who admitted this was his first time delivering the briefing. John emphasised that we’re at a “social fun run not a race especially here we have 3 brutal hills but don’t worry there is coffee afterwards”. He continued that “the course narrows at times so please no elbowing or barrelling over people especially other park users and dogs. The course is tough but beautiful.”

We started off and I fell in step with Barry pacing 25 minutes. We had a good chat when we weren’t on the hills. Barry was catching up with everyone in our pack when suddenly most of us went quiet on the first ascent. Barry tore the house down by commending our single chatters bravery for talking on the hill ascent. After we finished Barry reminded me to call down if we move here permenantly. That’s the first time a parkrun pitched itself as a great place to live. If we could get that enthusiasm for building houses we’d having housing crisis on it’s knees in months.

The finish funnel was like a rock concert audience they remembered Julie and I were from Cork

Go Julie you’re finishing for one and a half and Cork

Julie finished second in her category at 37 weeks pregnant. Earlier the funnel team spotted Johnathan on the home sprint about to crack finishing under 30 minutes and erupted into a chorus of encouragement. They were delighted for him. If I could of bottled that charisma I would have needed an oil tanker to store it all at Cabinteely.