Tags: People of parkrun, Vhi
Name: Shane O Doherty
Age: 18
Occupation: StudentNurse
Local parkrun: Sligo
Number of parkruns completed: 46
How did you get involved in parkrun?
I started from couch to 5K and parkrun was one of the first 5Ks I ever ran. I ran the Dublin City Marathon last year at 18.
What do you love about parkrun?
It’s free, it doesn’t matter what your pace is. Whether you are first or last, you get the same encouragement and sense of achievement when you cross the finish line early on a Saturday morning.
Who do you participate with?
My mum and members of the local Sligo Running club. We sometimes takeover volunteering as a club!
Any parkrun milestones / achievements you would like to share?
Through parkrun, I have achieved many things. I am close to participating in my 50th parkrun soon and I ran my first ever personal best at parkrun.
How has parkrun impacted positively on your family outside of 9:30am on a Saturday?
It helps me relieve the stress of study and student life, it’s a great escape.
Do you have a health or fitness goal?
I’d love to try an ultra-marathon. The Western States 100 is on the bucket list.
In 10 years’ time I’d like to be running even closer to the times that the elite of Sligo AC run. There’s plenty of talent to look up to.
Who is your dream parkrun running buddy?
Kenenisa Bekele arguably the best athlete in the world. I’d love to go toe to toe with John Travers or Mick Clohisey.
What was your best parkrun experience?
Running a PB of 19:18 in Sligo. I gave it everything that day. It showed the hard training I had been doing was paying off, mixing training with studying for the Leaving Cert.
What was the funniest parkrun moment?
Taking two wrong turns in Lough Key and still coming home as first finisher. I had had a late night and didn’t expect much, I thought I was in second place around the whole course, so I was shocked when the no 1 token was handed to me.
What advice would you give to someone who’s never been to parkrun?
Come and join in, it has great health benefits and a very good social aspect. It’s free and no matter what your pace is I guarantee that you will enjoy it.
Today we take a look back at the second stop of the Vhi More Than Running roadshow, which visited Knocknacarra parkrun in Galway on Saturday 16 September. The sun was shining and there was an incredible atmosphere as local parkrunners were joined by Vhi ambassador Aimee Connolly who threw on a high vis and volunteered…
The Vhi parkrun Hero award for the month of August has been awarded to Sharon Ashmore from Royal Canal parkrun. The monthly award recognises and rewards inspirational, hardworking, and dedicated members of the parkrun community who embody the ethos of parkrun or have made an outstanding contribution – be they participants or volunteers. As…
