I know it's unpopular (especially on that group!) but I do feel quite strongly that if you can't walk a 5k in around an hour, then the distance is too far for you. I appreciate that people enjoy the community feel and the achievement/opportunity of getting a bit quicker each week and it's motivating for them but equally for me that is an activity that they should do on their own time.
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Having had the misfortune of tail walking a 1.17 parkrun I wholeheartedly agree that there should be a cap. We’ve also had a couple of situations where a super slow (30mm) walker has dropped out half way round, leaving the tail walker to catch up. Both totally unfair on all volunteers.
Eek.
My local really struggled to get a tailwalker for a few months because we had an individual like that. They'd take over 1hr 15 and stop multiple times along the way as they were out of breath, sometimes not completing the course. I've also heard of tailwalkers who've had the person they were accompanying stop and chat with a friend they saw coming through the park as well, or turn up with a coffee in hand and just amble around (why wouldn't you just go on your own!?)
When I tail walked once, I’m pretty sure I mentioned a couple pages ago, turned up late and then took a leisurely stroll round it infuriated me, since then I haven’t done it again.
I've often been tailwalker. Kids stopping to pick flowers or have tantrums. Or people giving up so you are on your own and not a hope in hell of catching up the back of the pack.
Can I assume that like time keepers and bar code scanners with no tail Walker the event can’t go ahead?
Probably, yes. I've found its often quite popular though because then they can get a volunteer point and a running point in the same week. I've tail walked a few times but never again in winter. I'm fairly slow but sometimes its so slow I can't warm up enough. I once agreed a deal with the marshal around halfway that they would take over the tail walking if it got really bad so I could run off and they could at least get moving so we didn't freeze.
Also, if these slow people attend an event then slow people are likely to attend subsequent events as they get a reputation as being welcoming so the problem is perpetuated. I agree that an hour's cut-off is not unreasonable and would be less likely to put people off volunteering, but doubt it'll ever be introduced.
You have events on private land (National Trust sites and Trentham among others) which basically require you to wrapped up by 10am. So it is possible…
The walking thing has become a joke, it shouldn't be called Parkrun anymore if they want to include walkers, and it takes the piss out of volunteers
Run walking is absolutely fine - even if you're run walking you're going to be coming home in under an hour really. I think the issue lies with people who are walking at about 2 mph pace and taking an hour and a half to go 3 miles...
I've done some parkruns in over an hour because of the terrain. There was ice at Heaton parkrun when I first visited. I was fit enough to run it but didn't want to risk it.
Slowest was 1hr 12. Far too muddy and slippery to even consider running it.
There are also some parkruns that are challenging. My local is one of the hardest in the UK. Not unusual to see people come in over an hour.
Hardly inclusive if you have a cut off time.
The parkrun website says:
But I remember when the walking was brought in and I could see some people not step forward volunteer anymore. Parkwalk has added on an extra 15/20+ mins to the morning, meaning we now don't finish til around 10:30am (we start at 9:30). When I'm run director, I'm there for about 8:30 and it's around 11am by the time I get my coffee.
However it also say:
I do agree with many of the posts here. I wonder has the "parkwalk" initiative encouraged anyone to progress into running at parkrun? I know at my local one there's a man who walks it, has gone from 55mins to 45 mins and he's in his late 60s. He's lost weight, his wife volunteers, he helps after with post event close down.
But I remember when the walking was brought in and I could see some people not step forward volunteer anymore. Parkwalk has added on an extra 15/20+ mins to the morning, meaning we now don't finish til around 10:30am (we start at 9:30). When I'm run director, I'm there for about 8:30 and it's around 11am by the time I get my coffee.
This is why I've only ever once tail walked at juniors. We had to sprint to catch up with the last junior after one pulled out.
As I’ve said before, parkrun needs to decide what it is and stay in that lane. If it’s not competitive, then get rid of times and placings completely. Anyone ‘going for a time’ or wanting to test themselves can do, but they have to do it themselves. The starts/finishes are marked on the day so it’s not exactly a hardship to press start and stop on your watch at the right times. It would work fine and reduce the burden on volunteers.
I agree with all the comments about walkers. I’ve walked it many times (before the park walk initiative) either because I was injured, heavily pregnant or recovering from pregnancy. It’s never taken me over an hour. If you can’t walk 5k in that time then maybe you should consider if you should be attempting the distance at all. Is it gatekeeping? Probably. But if there was the demand for a separate walking event I’m sure HQ would have spun it up by now. There isn’t the interest and they would never get the volunteers needed to run it.
I agree with all the comments about walkers. I’ve walked it many times (before the park walk initiative) either because I was injured, heavily pregnant or recovering from pregnancy. It’s never taken me over an hour. If you can’t walk 5k in that time then maybe you should consider if you should be attempting the distance at all. Is it gatekeeping? Probably. But if there was the demand for a separate walking event I’m sure HQ would have spun it up by now. There isn’t the interest and they would never get the volunteers needed to run it.
I personally think they need to give more of an incentive to volunteer…. I’ve signed up to marshal at plenty of local events close to me, I get free entry into other events and credit to merchandise which I think is brilliant, correct me if I’m wrong but park run give you credits towards volunteering but you then still have to pay for a volunteer top? I don’t believe for one moment that they couldn’t give you a freebie 50 times you volunteer when they are making money from the other merchandise they are selling?
I got a free 25 volunteer top ages ago, now you have to pay which is a shame.
I promise I'm not trying to sound like an arse, but it's probably going to come across like it.
What's the problem with gatekeeping parkrun by putting a suggested time limit on a course? Sure, the organisation is trying encourage physical activity. But it's foremost aim is to encourage running in some format (whether that's running, jogging, walk/run, buggy running). Either keep that or change the name and make the whole event last the entirety of a Saturday morning so that anyone who wants to can come along.
I think @RunRunRun is spot on, but sadly I suspect there wouldn't be much support for that, from PB chasers or PR HQ themselves, given that they don't agree with permanent course marking signs in parks. I've never volunteered for a few reasons but the largest one is that I simply don't want to be standing in the cold for 2 hours on a Saturday morning. (I don't make it to PR that often, tbf).
When I was pregnant I deliberately didn't start with the rest of the pack and made it clear to the tailwalker that I wasn't taking part in the event officially as I knew I wouldn't finish under an hour. I just walked in the public area following the same route and giving way to faster moving traffic.
What's the problem with gatekeeping parkrun by putting a suggested time limit on a course? Sure, the organisation is trying encourage physical activity. But it's foremost aim is to encourage running in some format (whether that's running, jogging, walk/run, buggy running). Either keep that or change the name and make the whole event last the entirety of a Saturday morning so that anyone who wants to can come along.
I think @RunRunRun is spot on, but sadly I suspect there wouldn't be much support for that, from PB chasers or PR HQ themselves, given that they don't agree with permanent course marking signs in parks. I've never volunteered for a few reasons but the largest one is that I simply don't want to be standing in the cold for 2 hours on a Saturday morning. (I don't make it to PR that often, tbf).
When I was pregnant I deliberately didn't start with the rest of the pack and made it clear to the tailwalker that I wasn't taking part in the event officially as I knew I wouldn't finish under an hour. I just walked in the public area following the same route and giving way to faster moving traffic.