Mallow parkrun | Magnificent Mania in Mallow
Introduction
On November 13th 2021 when we visited Mallow parkrun Glen River had been back up and running since Sept 7th 2021. The run up to reopening was weird. 3 weeks prior suddenly the word came down from parkrun HQ we can bring back parkrun. Julie and I were in Kenmare with family and now the parkrun risk assessment needed to reviewed. Never mind that I have to talk to the team about how they feel about the return. The immediate concern is the risk assessment. It needs to be resubmitted before we can press the return button. I have no idea where the AED is. I’m selfish here but at this point I’m overstretched. The Clinic Team I’m working with are under pressure. They’ve been through a pandemic, a complete overhaul of operations, essential workers on the frontline, the social isolation of limiting contacts to protect patients. I’m trying to stay one step ahead to have support in place. Often I’m in my office at the whiteboard and I’m coming up with nothing. I’ve been at it for eighteen months and I’m just not sure I can stretch myself to bring back Glen River right now. I’m bloody mentally wrecked. I want some bit of life back. I’m going from work to home to keep my patients safe. My only out was the gym at 6 am 3 mornings a week. I hit the iron at that time because I was always alone in the gym.
In Kenmare on a rare break with family I dug down found some time got the parkrun team to the green light. Then completley forgetting I wasn’t alone the parkrun cavalry arrived. I had somehow forgotten the ‘Glen River Tough’ culture. I’d spent years perpetuating as a humourous side note. Enough laps of Glen Rivers hill combined with people not having a good read on when I’m joking and I’d created a tough team. These guys had all been RDs. They were leaders in there own right and style. They were eager to get cracking. I’d spent so much of the last eighteen months relying on my wits I’d almost forgotten that team work is how the dream works. The week before Glen River came back I had a walk through with John and met the Mallow parkrun crew. I thought to myself I need to visit them they’re fun. I know fun had come back after the pandemic how wild. Never mind that at work we’re trying to predict when the vaccine cert will be mandatory. Mallow will matter I tell myself. Julie and I woke up the morning of our planned visit wrecked but we’d known nothing else for years now. The muggy head and feeling not great was an average Tuesday. Newstalk on to see which way the pandemic had swung over night. Coffee, face mask on and out the door. We had a good time in Mallow and then afterwards Julie asked how do you feel? My response was instant ‘terrible’. We had been listening to Tony Holohan all week telling us if you’re sick there is only one thing it could be…. COVID. Damn it!!! I’d been surrounded by it for months and somehow gone completely post blind…. or had I.
Course
The course is out to the grounds double the loop and back. The hill on the way back up is a challenge but the grounds are beautiful.
Live A Little
I wouldn’t live like me here. I was so stretched thin and so used to going one more yard in pandemic times I had no idea I was actually sick. Never mind me, Julie was under the weather and I didn’t even realise that. We bought antigen tests got a negative result and then still not feeling great went for a PCR test got a negative result. We felt sick even worse we went home hydrated like we were trying to put out a forest fire, slept whatever it was off and we were ready for war again on Monday morning. No one should live like that. We had been listening to Tony Holohan all week telling us if you’re sick there is only one thing it could be was COVID. It was the only time Tony lead us off track.
Volunteers
If you can handle the mania of volunteering email mallowcastle@parkrun.com to volunteer
Conclusion
We’re going to need to visit Mallow again. I have this vague memory of the golden leaves but I didn’t take the parkrun in. Until then please go and tell what it is really like in the comments
Quote Of The Week
The only thing this could be was COVID-19. Tony Holohan