Chris, 80, returns to his Mayo roots for 462nd park run
Pictured at the park run in Castleb ar were, from left: Stephen McDonnell, Barbara McDonnell, Chris McDonnell (80 years young and doing his 462nd park run) and Dan McDonnell, celebrating his 37th birthday.
An 80-year-old man with Mayo roots came to Castlebar over the weekend to participate in his first park run in Ireland.
Chris McDonnell, an avid park runner living in London, ran in the Castlebar Park Run last Saturday morning along with his wife Barbara and two sons Steven and Dan, the latter celebrating his 37th birthday on the same day.
“Some members of the family have not been over for a long time, and it’s very much linking it through to our Dad’s heritage,” said Chris’s brother Tom, who lives in London.
Chris and Tom’s father, Thomas Francis McDonnell, was born in 1910 and grew up in a small farming community in Prison, located on the outskirts of Balla. Running was clearly in the genes as Thomas was nicknamed ‘The Greyhound’ in his youth due to his slim build.
He moved over to England in the mid-1930s, where he worked in road construction for a few years before working the majority of his life in a Ford factory in Dagenham. He was also an avid reader of the .
Park runs, organised by Mayo Sports Partnership, are a popular, weekly 5km timed run open to everyone, and are held every Saturday in Ballina, Castlebar, Claremorris, Westport, Achill and Erris.
While this is his first park run in Ireland, Chris has participated in 461 park runs in the UK, with the Castlebar run being his 462nd.
“(Chris) has always been keen on running. He’s done half-marathons, marathons but he enjoys the park runs for the atmosphere as it’s not competitive.”
Chris completed the park run last Saturday in 25 minutes and seven seconds, with Steven one second further back. Dan finished it in 30:31 while Barbara ran the 5km in 43:42.
Tom says there are hopes Chris can get to the 500th park run, and he hopes it can also be done in Mayo.
