I agree with many of the posts here about parkrun trying to be everything to everyone.
This then filters down to the individual parkruns and I feel it puts pressure on the ED's and core teams. There seems to be more work involved - you have to celebrate the fast runners but in the same breath you also have to encourage the walkers, there are more vol roles to be filled, this particular health day has to be shouted out. When they introduced the parkwalk initiative, some people at our event stopped volunteering, or would only do our first marshal posting because they didn't want to be out for an hour when it used to be about 40/45 mins. It might be fine when you've a big number of parkrunners passing you but not so much when you are waiting around on your own 5/10 mins with a gap for the last 2 walkers to pass.
Our ED has said to me that the workload for parkrun has increased and he sometimes thinks of stepping down from the role. There seems to be a lot more bells and whistles to parkrun and this puts pressure on events. My local parkrun is small enough, approx 50 people per week. I'm on the core team. I've had people come up and say oh I was at this other parkrun last weekend and they have this type of selfie sign, or they had pacers, or they put on free tea and buns after. It's great that events have the support to do that but I don't think people realise that those people volunteer to do that off their own bat. I do a free tea and treats twice a year - parkrun anniversary and last run before Christmas. A few people bring along treats but no one has ever stepped forward and volunteered to do it or help me with the tea, if I didn't do it no one else would. Maybe it's just my local parkrun....
I can see parkrun hq is trying to increase numbers, it is in danger of becoming a victim of its own success. It seems to be more about its sponsors and its merchanise.
One of my teachers back in secondary school used to say - KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid!