Parkrun volunteers step up before their own marathon challenges

This week at Mountlucas parkrun the volunteer team turned in something truly special.

Not only did many of them volunteer at the usual Saturday morning 5km alongside the scenic turbines at the wind-farm in Offaly, they also did so despite the fact that many of them would be toeing the line the following day at the Irish Life Dublin Marathon in Dublin.

This includes Catherine Bennett, Margaret Bennett, Patrick O'Keefe and Finbar Redmond.

Another of this week's volunteers, Eugene McCabe, had not planned to run the Dublin Marathon as he recently ran the Chicago Marathon. Indeed another of this week's volunteer team, Willie Duffy, has ran numerous marathons in years gone up, including several iterations of the Dublin marathon.

There’s something profoundly uplifting about volunteers who, in one breath, give their time and energy to support others, and in the next, lace up to challenge themselves. The team at Mountlucas parkrun didn’t just show up; they brought warmth, community spirit and a readiness to serve — all the while knowing that hours later they’d be focusing on their own race-goals over the marathon distance.

For many parkrun regulars, volunteering is a way to invest back into their running community — stepping back from personal finish-times to cheer, marshal, barcode-scan, tail‐walk and ensure safe finishes for others. At Mountlucas parkrun, the volunteer team has built up across the years to become the heart and soul of the event. The added layer this week is that several of them planned to switch roles the following day: from helping others on Saturday, to being helped and cheered themselves on Sunday in Dublin.

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