Dodder Valley Park Run cut the cake for first birthday

A TOTAL of 140 runners put their best feet forward at the Dodder Valley Park Run in Tallaght on Saturday morning, to mark one year since it was established.

A well-received cake was cut on the day for the first birthday of the Dodder Valley Park Run, and a team of 20 enthusiastic volunteers were also there.

Ursula Frawley, who has volunteered with the Dodder Valley Park Run since its inception, said Saturday’s run was a celebratory affair and highlighted the positivity the event creates.

“Even though it was so rainy on Saturday morning, we were delighted with the turn-out,” Ursula told The Echo.

“The atmosphere was really, really positive, and even though the weather wasn’t great, everyone was in great form.

“We’re really proud of the whole team that has made the Dodder Valley Park Run possible, because it couldn’t happen every week without our volunteers and the people who run every Saturday.

“There’s a great community feel, and the inclusive Park Run atmosphere just brings people together.”

The Dodder Valley Park Run is a free 5km distance that you can walk, run or jog, and it begins at 9.30am at the sports pavilion in the park, and ends with a post-run coffee in Ahernes.

The Dodder Valley Park Run was launched by the South Dublin County Sports Partnership, in partnership with the HSE, a year ago.

Commenting on the success of the event over the last 12 months, Ursula said: “We’ve kept our numbers very consistent throughout the year – we get between 100 and 120 runners a week.

“The first week, we didn’t have a lot of runners because we had just started, but now we see a solid 100 to 120 runners a week.”

She added: “It’s all about community.

“It’s free, and anybody can come along, whether they want to walk or jog it, and there’s a wonderful spirit of volunteerism.”

For full access to all content on Echo.ie and to support the continuation of local news and local journalism in your community subscribe HERE.

Thanks for your ongoing support.