Profile of a Parkrunner: Meet Garry Hilliard

Meet Garry Hilliard, from Rathangan, who recently completed his 250th parkrun at Mountlucas parkrun.

When did you first complete a parkrun?

I did my first Parkrun in December 2014, after first hearing about it when it started in Bere Island, Co Cork, where I'm from originally.

I did my first Mountlucas Parkrun on 17th July 2017, shortly after it started (event #3) and have completed more here than anywhere else (69) although I'm a regular at Vicarstown too.

What is your favourite thing about parkrun?

I like the routine of doing a Parkrun on a Saturday morning. It gets the weekend off to a great start and completing the 5k gives a sense of achievement. The finishing time doesn't matter, everyone does the same 5k and comes away with their own personal achievement.

What is your favourite parkrun memory?

It's hard to pick one memory in particular, I have so many both running and volunteering but my favourite mornings have been run/walking with my daughters when they were younger.

Mary (Dunne)'s lemon drizzle also deserves a special mention.

How does it feel to have reached the significant milestone of 250 parkruns?

It feels great to get up to the 250 mark and look back at all the different Parkrun locations I've been to, 45 now in 5 countries. They're all unique but have the same great community spirit and great people behind each one. I'm looking forward to visiting many more in the future.

What words best describe Mountlucas parkrun?

Friendly, Welcoming, Inclusive, Healthy and Positivity.

Mountlucas parkrun takes place at Bord na Móna Mountlucas windfarm every Saturday morning at 9.30am sharp. There's something for everyone at Mountlucas parkrun whether you want to walk, run, volunteer or just meet new people. For more information see

http://parkrun.ie/mountlucas