Parkrunners, assemble!

[Lastqueenofscotland]

Ridiculous. I'll do that if I'm visiting a local one.

There's a group for those of us who rely on public transport for parkrun. Some in there talk about spending all night on a coach for parkruns and back again Saturday.

Call me weird but I do like exploring the city I'm staying in.

It’s bizarre, I also do not give a shiny shit about the alphabet challenge and am going to a wedding in Krakow next year, the HORROR that I am not going to the one starting with Z that’s 7 miles out of Krakow or whatever. No I’ll get ratarsed on the lethal amount of vodka they give out at polish weddings and if I’m still alive I’ll shuffle round the one in Krakow. I’ve got a life.

 

[instanonsense]

I don’t disagree with some of your points - parkrun has definitely lost something to me as it has grown and is so different to what it was when I first started about 13/14 years ago. If it really is a run not a race, then all public facing times should go. All public and private finishing positions should also go. Including on the event page. Just a text/email to the individual of their time and that is it. For me the changes don’t go far enough. At most, parkrun should be a race against yourself, and focus on the participation and community.

I will disagree about your comment about trans people. Nothing is stopping them participating. There are multiple categories they can select if they do not want one that aligns with their sex (prefer not to say and non-binary in most countries). They should just not be able to run in the category of the opposite sex, against biological fact, and have males taking away the times/placings of females.

People wouldn’t like it if I registered my age as 80+ to get a better placing and records, so why should it apply in any other case?

Remove all the places/results completely and it solves the problem. Register as what you want because it doesn’t impact anyone else then.

I completely agree with everything you’ve written.

 

[NotGonnaLieToYou]

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!

 

[muffinheeler]

To be honest, thanking marshalls for giving up their time is basic manners, seems a strange thing to be annoyed about

Yep, I thank every marshal and especially on days like yesterday. I also buggy run and have taught both of my children to say thank you. I don't really see the issue with it

 

[Gym&Tonic]

We had a stag party at ours today. The groom is getting married this afternoon. He had a sash on and everything and they did the course together in a big group.

 

[WeepingCassandra]

Someone on the parkrun tourism page wants advice on where to leave their two dogs in their car next weekend as they can't take them with them

 

[Fifah1907]

I think it’s good in principle, anything that gets people moving is good.

I don’t like how it’s become weirdly synonymous with running in some circles to the point you get the “oh you don’t do ANY parkruns??” Like no I just go for a run where and when I want to like a normal person.

“MY parkrun time is…” mate just say your 5k time

My mum will only run a parkrun and won’t just go out running. It’s so weird I’ve tried to get her to go out on another day and she just won’t. I’ve given up now cos I don’t want to be the pushy daughter but when she moans she hasn’t ran in 2/3 weeks but then won’t come out any other day I’m like….self inflicted much

she is about to join the running club my sister does so that may give her the confidence to just go out. I can understand it being a confidence thing but she knows I/my sister would never tell her she was going too slow for us!

 

[Northernscumpet]

- I've helped at the juniors sometimes and now again there are parents who bark at their kids to go faster as they run round and the kid is running along in tears next to them.

this is the worst thing with juniors (and most competitive sports for children tbh) parents who push their kids to the point of tears, it’s supposed to be fun.

Also regarding sprinting the end of the run,I do as well apart from when I’ve volunteered as a pacer but then I’m usually encouraging anyone who was trying to stick with me to sprint ahead

 

[Humblebrag]

The Parkrun groups on facebook dedicated to touring, some real whoppers on them
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I think it’s good in principle, anything that gets people moving is good.

I don’t like how it’s become weirdly synonymous with running in some circles to the point you get the “oh you don’t do ANY parkruns??” Like no I just go for a run where and when I want to like a normal person.

“MY parkrun time is…” mate just say your 5k time

Its certainly isn't about running or fitness for these number chasing freaks, pints at the airport and the night before and full English straight after the events, there's even a group for that actually

 

[WeepingCassandra]

The 'obligation' to volunteer at parkrun pisses me off, like I've said before. If it's that necessary, perhaps the organisation should put their hands in their pockets and throw some cash at it. I'm certain very few events would be short of volunteers if you offered minimum wage for the hour or two that they need to be there.

 

[EffingDust]

What trans thing? Genuine question, if you don't mind replying.

I think it’s about the thing that was in the media last month or so where the course record for a woman was set by a transgender person (male to female), and parkrun let it stand

 

[WeepingCassandra]

Honestly it's posts like this that put me off going back to Parkrun. I did a few before COVID when I was thinner and fitter, and my absolute best time was about 34 mins. I was one of the last 2-3 to finish every time, as ours is quite a small Parkrun and was full of blokes who finish in 17-18 mins.

Now I'm 3st heavier and i doubt I could do it in less than 50 mins. I don't want to be bringing up the rear thinking people will be wondering why I'm even bothering or that I'm holding all the tailwalkers up from going home

Don't worry about them. It's a nice bench mark event I find and if I'm up and about, child willing, on a Saturday morning I'll keep going back. You won't be bringing up the rear at 50 minutes but like I said before, it's always worth checking your local for what their normal times are around - for example, Sale Water this weekend had finishers around the 1 hour mark but Phillips Park 5k down the road had everyone home under 50 minutes. Some of that will be course variability but some of it will just the crowd that parkrun attracts.

 

[Gym&Tonic]

From inaugural park runs on Facebook.

 

[Rxt156]

Christ, they need to have a day off. Has it occurred to anyone there that if your normal numbers are in the low 80s (gathering from the first timer comment) then your problem may be that the ratio of people who care enough to volunteer (there are 20 roles on their future roster that I can see would be necessary for the event to go ahead) is just too low? That's 1/4 of your regular runners. My local parkrun pulls in over 500 runners most weeks and still struggles to fill roles.

Good point. When there’s too many park runs in the same area or a 10 mile radius for example, of course they’re going to struggle. Possibly fewer parkruns would be better in that case

 

[Lastqueenofscotland]

Isn’t the issue with French parkruns the requirement for French mass participation sporting events to have a medical certificate?

 

[Northernscumpet]

The use of the words woke and snowflake would have me looking for a different parkrun even if I had been volunteering there.

 

[Cucumberthunder]

It does seem to be very much down to the local events to find volunteers.

HQ must have such an extensive database of runners, they could easily do targeted emails about the benefits of volunteering at parkruns etc to those who have done say 10 parkruns but not volunteered. Or link into something like volunteers week to put the spotlight on volunteers etc. that make it happen, not just event volunteers but the ambassadors etc.

 

[Millyve]

Just stumbled upon UK inaugural parkruns.

it’s funny seeing grown men argue.

 

[Melian]

I'm visually impaired and use a guide to run. One lady I've ran with has a 4 year old who does junior parkrun. His grandma asked if he'd won. He told her it's not a race!

 

[eyethinkyousuck]

I did Christmas parkrun twice when I was at my most disordered so I could “earn” my fat boy Christmas lunch. Much rather have a lie in now.