A Parkrun With a Difference: ProgressionParkrun Mountjoy Prison
( This event takes place on a closed facility and is therefore open to authorised people only)
Some Saturday mornings bring something a little out of the ordinary — and that’s exactly what Sr Liz Smyth OP experienced recently, joining other members from the Cherry Orchard Running Club (CORC) for the Progression Parkrun inside the walls of Mountjoy Prison. (Parkrun is a worldwide free event, which takes place in many parks each Saturday morning for walkers, joggers, runners you can get more information on parkrun.ie
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The Mountjoy Progression Parkrun brings runners from outside the prison (every two weeks) to take part alongside men from Mountjoy’s Progression Unit (The old St Patrick’s Juvenile Prison Block) — a unit for long-term prisoners, including those serving life sentences for murder.
Sr. Liz, shares her experiences below.
On Saturday 5th September 26, I joined eight Cherry Orchard running club members for the Progression Parkrun, in Mountjoy Prison, one of my ‘running bucket list goals’, that I feel privileged to have completed. After going through security checks, and meeting the prisoners (10-12) we ran eight laps inside the prison walls to make up the full Parkrun 5km distance (very important to get your credit for your Parkrun, this was my 158th!), one Prisoner celebrated his 500 Parkrun! 
After the run, the welcome continued with water, tea, coffee, biscuits and conversation with the men and some prison officers, this gave us a chance to talk and connect that went well beyond the running itself. The post run gathering took place in the prison’s chapel area, notable for its three striking stained-glass windows from the Harry Clarke Studio. There, the group was treated to live music: guitar, bass, and drums, played and sung by men who had taught themselves the instruments while in custody. Watching and listening to prisoners serving life sentences perform with such skill added a powerful and unexpected dimension to the morning.
The visit also included a guided secure walk to see one of the cells, along with an open conversation about the day-to-day realities of prison life — a rare glimpse into an experience that makes you stop and think. Though all the men admitted they were there because of their actions, which caused untold sadness and loss for others. It was hard not to have sympathy for anyone who is locked in a cell, sometimes with two others (or more) 20 hours out of 24 hours, 365 days per year. It most certainly made me be thankful for ‘my freedom’. 
Mornings like this are a reminder of the humanity that exists inside prison walls, and of the part that connection, structure, and small acts of normality — like a Saturday run — can play in someone’s journey towards rehabilitation.
Experiences like this speak to the heart of Restorative Practice: the belief that no one should be defined solely by the worst thing they have ever done, and that relationship — simply showing up, listening, and sharing a space with one another — is often where real change begins. A run, a cup of tea, a conversation: small things, but they build the kind of connection that restoration depends on.
It is my true belief that everyone should be given a chance to say sorry, make amends and become the best person they can be. White & Epston founders of narrative therapy say “The problem is the problem, the person is not the problem.”
The following phrase played in my head, as I stood with these men “There go I (or my brothers) but for the Grace of God. As they were ordinary men, somebodies, son, brother, father or husband, who had made wrong choices due to circumstances
As the words of scripture remind us: *”I was in prison, and you came to visit me” (Matthew 25:36).
Please God, I, with other members of CORC, will get authorisation to take part in the Progression Parkrun again in the future. 
Liz Smyth OP