Meathman's Diary: Running into an epiphany

There's a line about sea swimmers and how you know if someone is one. The answer being, they tell you!

With that in mind, I tell you, I did my first ever Parkrun last Saturday morning but I'm not about to wax lyrical about epiphanies or spiritual conversions.

If you're not familiar with the Parkrun concept, runners and walkers of all ages and abilities descend on parks for 9.30am every Saturday mornings (all over the world) to run or walk 5km. You register beforehand and and get your unique barcode which is then used to time and map your efforts.

To give you an idea of my enthusiasm for getting involved, I'd signed up for Parkrun months ago... as a big roundy birthday was approaching. I was obviously having one of those existential moments where I decided this creaking bag of bones and its formless shell needed some routine, some discipline.

Then I did...precisely nothing. The roundy birthday came, went and any plans to put manners on an expanding belly, stiffened back and knees of porridge were cast aside.

Enter Joe Leahy, owner of Mace Newgate and all round pest and completer of 91 parkruns, who insisted I join him for his local jaunt at Oldbridge House last weekend. I sheepishly agreed.

On the frost-dusted fields under glorious November sunshine, we prepared to set off but not before the race director, with a very dinky little megaphone asked if there were any 'newbies' running. The scoundrel, Leahy grabbed my arm and thrust it into the air and with that, 50 lycra clad lunatics gave me a round of applause. Morto!

Three kilometres in and the burning sensation of the knees and the growing ache of the hips began to take hold. I told me, (yes I was talking to myself now) not to look any further than 20 feet ahead or look to see where the beautiful George Darley-designed Oldbridge House was on the horizon.

I kept going, determined to keep putting one foot in front of another and not walk until, after 33 minutes, I ambled over the finish line with all the grace of a day-old giraffe on ice.

Joe was there too with a big grin on his face and we watched some of the other participants trickle in. There was Paul, a veteran of over 40 parkruns and a stroke survivor who didn't let the impact it had on one side of his body deter him. There was Mossin, another long-time parkrun lover, a Pakistani-born doctor on his last run in Ireland ahead of a move to Manchester. There was a Carmel, a Drogheda woman who has volunteered at hundreds of runs; all fabulous people united in a very simple passion and enjoying the power of connection.

Afterwards, squeezed around two tables in the coffee shop that overlooks the Oldbridge House walled garden, over a dozen parkrunners enjoyed the chats, shared pictures of parkruns done in different countries and talked about plans for the day ahead. It was a wonderful morning truth be told.

I don't know if I'll be back again next Saturday, the running bit doesn't really appeal to me but you certainly meet some wonderful, positive people and that's never a bad thing.

Maybe that's the epiphany bit after all!