I’m trying to talk my local parkrun into using pacers once a month, tjat way I can volunteer, and run too!
That's a cheats volunteer credit, get out on the course and cheer people on!
Joking aside, how quick are you? There are some roles (barcode scanning being the obvious) that you can do after a run if you're reasonably sharp. We have 3 at Dudley and will allow one to run if they can be back in under 24 minutes as the rush starts to arrive at around 30 minutes. You can also try first timers briefing or even doing some pre-event set-up.
Lol, I do volunteer too! Can happily chap out a 21 minute 5k, so that 24 would work for me.
I'd quite like to pace say 25 minutes, get a bit of banter going. 😊
I've just got my arse in gear to start running again. I used to do a fair bit a few years ago, but fell out of the habit. I was persuaded to do a parkrun last weekend (only my second ever, last one was 6 years ago! I have volunteered and run around the junior ones with my kids more recently though.
I felt awful, about 20 seconds slower than last time, and on that occasion I'd run the 8 miles there and back too! Still, it's got me keen again, and I always found it was easier over the winter when the idea of cleaning up a bike seemed like too much of a hassle.
I think we may be romanticising a bit too much about Parkrun. Parkrun came along years after my competitive days were over and whilst I think its laudable for people to run around around a park every Saturday morning (who wouldnt want to encourage that) at the end of the day it is a "fun run" again, nothing wrong with that at all (and I have ran many of them) my gripe is that they should not be timed and those results should not be published. As someone who grew up and began running in the 70's the overwhelming contributor to the decades of enjoyment and fitness me and my peers enjoyed was the UK club structure. That is why you will always hear me banging on about joining your local running club and contributing in some way to that, whether it be marshalling, marking out courses or providing transport but most importantly supporting the great work they do to deliver "structured" coaching for up and coming competitive athletes (as well as a great many who have no competitive aspirations)
We can of course have both but if my club wanted to put on a 5k "race" in my local park then they would have considerably more cost and "red tape" to overcome.
Hmmm, not really.
Huge amounts of red tape setting up a parkrun, local one just started, the amount of hoops they had to jump through was unreal, even havibg to buy a defib. Their local running club tried to kibosh it too, bizarrely.
Me, I organise a 5k race every year, for charity, and the actual stuff I have to do is fairly minimal by comparison.
Huge amounts of red tape setting up a parkrun, local one just started,
My Brother tried to bring one to his local park but I understand he had to stump up money to buy a laptop etc which put him off. Other than the cost I am not sure what other red tape there was. edit: I think this was prior to the Defib requirement
Interested in your experience of setting up a race. What are the insurance liabilities?
I run it on land adjacent to work, owned by Scottish wildlife trust, we have a partnership with them, so they allow us to use their land (although it's all on public path) and my employers public liability insurance covers.
my gripe is that they should not be timed and those results should not be published
I don't agree with the first part of that comment - I find the timing of it the biggest motivator for me. I look forward to seeing the result flash up on my phone to see if I have managed a PB. The second part I tend to agree with, only because of GDPR - surely they shouldn't be publishing people's name these days?
Unfortunately athletics clubs have to find this money from there coffers or as part of the entry fee as well as permits, first aid, toilets etc all the things people expect a race to provide. As well as prizes, timekeeping and medals etc.
I don’t agree with the first part of that comment – I find the timing of it the biggest motivator for me. I look forward to seeing the result flash up on my phone to see if I have managed a PB.
Exactly. Its a race and should be advertised as such.
Isn’t one of the benefits of park run the accessibility though? Many people who try one may not be keen to turn up at a local running club to have a go, possibly due to perceived ‘elitism?’
I would see parkrun as a route to a club too, especially if your times improve - people may then feel more inclined to join a club.
I would see parkrun as a route to a club too, especially if your times improve – people may then feel more inclined to join a club.
I would hope so but I am not sure the evidence bears that out (I will try to find it later) having both is great and all for encouraging people to simply be active but in my view there is an element of displacement.
To set up a parkrun you need to raise £3k for the timing equipment, tokens, signs etc which is usually funded by councils.
Unfortunately athletics clubs have to find this money from there coffers or as part of the entry fee as well as permits, first aid, toilets etc all the things people expect a race to provide. As well as prizes, timekeeping and medals etc.
My club makes about half of its annual budget from the two races it organises, certainly it's time consuming etc but of course once you've been running it for a few years it's less of a struggle. That said they're not competing with parkrun, these are well-established mountain trail races - I can see how trying to charge even a minimum fee for a 5K run in the UK could be a problem these days.
@mogrim yes and there are a large number of "professional" race organisers as well who are making a tidy profit and exploiting people in my view. My concern is the "club" races which charge fees to cover costs only and are put on by volunteers but are seeing their numbers fall. In my opinion partly due to the Parkrun displacement and the myth that is being perpetuated that athletics clubs are elitist.
Exactly. Its a race and should be advertised as such.
Well it's not a race in that there are no prizes awarded.
Well it’s not a race in that there are no prizes awarded.
There are lots of things it is not but if somebody shouts go, people race and there is a finishing line and times are recorded and advertised (on Power of 10 no less!) then I think most people would agree that fulfils the criteria of a race.
Re parkrun.
The other thing is that people who are less fit won’t join a running club. It’s not about the fast guys, it’s about the people who are easing themselves into exercise and need a friendly, non-judgemental place to do it.
However, our local running clubs love parkrun as they get a steady stream of new members from it.
Don’t think organising parkrun is easy, getting ours at Dudley set up was a right ball ache, and it takes real time every week to make it happen.
I also don’t agree that’s it’s a race, of the 250 people who turn up at Dudley each week maybe 5 could hope to win. The rest are out there getting some exercise and maybe trying to beat their PB, the are only racing themselves. Without the timing you lose that and some of the appeal. And yes, some will have Garmins but the majority don’t as they’re not runners, they’re people going for a run.
To get what parkrun is all about you need to look at the back of the pack and not the front. The people whose only exercise that week will be parkrun. The people who hate exercising on their own as they’re self conscious about how they look or how they run. They are who parkrun is for, not people are “runners”.
And of the 4 running clubs local to me, 3 have seen an increase in both membership and race entries since we started, those 3 all support the event. The one that’s seen a drop have no interest in the event and actively shun it. Guess what, they’re losing out on a huge amount of new runners who do a few parkrun’s and then decide to join a club or do a race.
We’re not an exception, lots of clubs across the country are saying the same.
There are lots of things it is not but if somebody shouts go, people race and there is a finishing line and times are recorded and advertised (on Power of 10 no less!) then I think most people would agree that fulfils the criteria of a race.
I think it depends on who's running - for the people at the front it's definitely a race, for those at the back it's perhaps more of a challenge. (By the same token I think sportives are in many ways races, despite the squeals of outrage road race purists...)
But parkrun's definitely made running a 5K a more "normal" activity, not just something weirdos in sleeveless vests and scandalously short shorts do. Which is good, even if it does mean some of the smaller running clubs are at risk.
Parkrun and couch to 5k are both routes into running clubs, IMO. Only anecdotal mind, speaking for myself and others in my club.
Agreed Lunge. At my parkrun (Harrogate) there is a blind lady that runs with a helper every week, mums / dads with young children (some in pushchairs), people with dogs. There's even a little old lady (easily in her late 70s I reckon and she's done hundreds of parkruns now - I think over 250). People jog/walk it, some people simply walk it. It is a fantastic event that regularly attracts 450 people a week, many of which wouldn't do any exercise at all without it. If someone wants to call it a race then fair enough, let them think that, but for the vast majority that I see, it is a way of getting out and just doing something.
Personally, I chose to start doing the parkrun as a way of motivating myself to get out as I often found it too easy not to bother for one reason or another. I'll never be the fastest for my age (52, PB of around 23:30) but I enjoy it and it positively helps with my fitness and motivation.
Interesting to hear all that. It hasnt changed my view which is that Parkrun gets a "free ride" which I think forces out other events. Many of which have been instrumental in bringing our greatest athletes through the ranks. Absolutely not anti Parkrun as a way of getting people into exercise but I would maintain it is a race and given the posting of times on this thread, almost everybody on here also thinks that. I would also maintain that all of the good things that Parkrun apparently offers were largely available via the old club structure and other races already. I have ran 000's of races over the years, only a small number did I expect win or place. I was "racing" every one of them.
Aye, hard to disagree that it's a race, though not sure of the relevance, really.
Any clubs that don't move with the times in any sport will stagnate or die. Lots of my clubmates volunteer at parkrun.
The relevance is that it doesnt adhere to the same criteria as clubs who put on "races" many of who are priced out.
Its not clubs that "need" to move with the times they can simply wither and die and the coaching support and competition along with them. Club members have been "volunteering" for generations prior to Parkrun you know and Parkrun does not offer the support to younger athletes that our club structure does. It is a depressing thought to think that all we value is the volume of entrants and not also the sharp end.
Surfer I know what you're saying, though I don't agree. 3 points.
1. My Mom has just done her 50th parkrun, there's no way she'd have ever entered a race and no way she'd have joined a running club. I persuaded her to pop up on the promise she wouldn't be last. She now loves it, loves the community, loves the friends she's made. She's done a local club race now, she's debating joining a local beginners club. She would not have done that without parkrun.
2. On the subject of an easy ride, councils should be giving them an easy ride. They cost the council a nominal fee to set up and then it's zero cost from then onwards as it's all volunteer led, they just have to provide the land. Dudley has a huge obesity problem, our event provides a way of people exercising and helping with that, we have doctors recommending patients to us. All this for £3k. bargain.
3. It's not just about the runners. We have a volunteer who turns up every week, he's run maybe 3 times but is well on his way to 25 volunteer credits. He's autistic and, from what I now understand, rarely left the house. Now, every Saturday, he turns up at 8:30am and marshals for us, he has 250 people running past him and thanking him, smiling at him, waving to him. He's gone from a guy who wouldn't leave the house to a guy who turns up smiling on a Saturday and has a weekly routine that he loves. Are we're really proud of him, and of what the community has done to improve his life.
I say again, don't look at the front of the field, it's at the back and out on the course that the value is. It's not about the sharp end, it's about getting people exercising who wouldn't do it without it. Yes, clubs play a part in coaching young kids, in developing the sport, and they should be applauded for that, their impact is important. But parkrun is not in competition with them, and any good club will embrace a new influx of runners in the area and recruit from that pool.
The 2 can coexist, I enjoy both, YMMV.
Well said Lunge.
And I just love your Point 3. Priceless.
Lunge I agree with pretty much everything you say about the inclusivity. Why then is it timed and why are those results categorised? I know because I broke one of the records ages ago and my time and finishing place were on the website and my place etc along with a "write up" which was very much written as a race report was emailed out.
* post error*
Why then is it timed and why are those results categorised?
Why wouldn't you time people if you can?!
People like to progress and feel like they're improving, going from 38 to 37 minutes keeps people engaged. Everyone likes a PB and you'd lose some of the appeal by removing that. They're also catergorised so that you can see your progress in the context of your age or sex. Using my Mom as an example again, she started off at 44 minutes and was chuffed when first she broke 40 and now when she drops under 38. She's not fussed who she beats or doesn't beat, but getting a touch quicker means she works a little harder, gets a little fitter, etc. She'll never be the first finisher but she can beat her own time, or go up a percentage in her category.
Also, yes, we celebrate the fast runners, why not? But we also give as big a shout to the guy who's run his 50th and the person who's volunteered 25 times.
Lunge those anecdotes are wonderful and not to lessen them but they are not unique to Parkrun. The whole athletic club concept is built on volunteers who work tirelessly for others and I have wonderful stories over the years of peoples lives being changed through athletics and I know a large number of ne'er-do-well's over the years who have made something of themselves after joining running clubs.
Anyway we are talking past each other and the stuff you are talking about is not my point which I have made a couple of times already so lets leave it there 🙂
Surfer, indeed, I apologise if I have missed your point. I'm more than a little passionate at the benefits of parkrun so can get a little preachy!
Lets leave on the note that parkrun is great, running clubs are also great and that running in general is good for body and mind.
Cheers.
No it's not.
👏🏻
Love passion Lunge 🙂
Got my first XC champs next weekend, doing a club relay, 4km each, should be fun in a metallic tasting way! 😂
I'm just hoping I'll be able to walk again normally by the weekend, Sunday's helping out marking the course at a trail race meant 25km and 1400m climbing... and this weekend should be even worse 🙂
I did my first ever parkrun in 2015, and was recruited to the my local running club by the club president at the end of my 3rd event. It's fair to say that my running has improved a bit in the subsequent 4 years. The local club is a big supporter of parkrun, and without parkrun I probably wouldn't have been aware of it. I'd say my life has been significantly enriched by progressing my running through the club, and parkrun has played a significant part of this.
Having said that, the running shop, who also organised events, near my work has closed down and they attribute a lot of their loss of trade due to parkrun, which sounds counter-intuitive. Despite more people running, their opinion was that runners were now expecting a lot for free, as they don't have to pay for parkrun.
While it's easy to pick faults with parkrun and draw comparisons, it's difficult to argue against overall its positive effect on many levels.
Had to look up parkrun (did I write it properly, as spellcheck has flagged it 😉 ) - it does seem analogous to a sportive, many of whose participants will never belong to a cycling club, only took up the sport last year, and are just hoping to get round. Meanwhile at the sharp end it's very much a race, between riders who belong to clubs, compete in their local masters or elite league, and have spent the last week training on Teide. The few I've done over here have been like that at least - sportives hadn't been invented last time I rode in the UK!
Today is a month since my last run (discounting the two which prematurely ended in me hobbling back down the hill). There's been improvement, not sure if down to the exercises my Physio set me, or it's just getting better on its own, insofar as I can walk around without ibuprofen. But running feels a long way off - lasted about 20 paces on a test trot along a soft lawn before it began to feel sore again. This time last month I'd just run my 10k PB...
Thats interesting Turboferret. Would your aspirations be satisfied now by ONLY Parkrun? I suspect not and like me (in the past) you run a range of events. When I was younger I ran competitively over every distance from 200m to the Marathon, I kid you not! My favourite events were 800, 1500, 3000 and 5000 on the track and 5k to 10k on the road as well as relays.
Parkrun does the job of introducing activity to those who lack the confidence or fitness to attempt a race (although we are shifting towards the over celebration of mediocrity in my view) but offers nothing in terms of development which clubs do well. I hope many are encouraged to join athletic clubs because that is the place for them, for many (from my own observations) being the best Park runner every week is their only goal. I personally find that a bit depressing. Running Parkruns regularly as a gauge of fitness and a hard run is fine but for those with competitive aspirations it should not be the be all.
Having said that, the running shop, who also organised events, near my work has closed down and they attribute a lot of their loss of trade due to parkrun, which sounds counter-intuitive. Despite more people running, their opinion was that runners were now expecting a lot for free, as they don’t have to pay for parkrun.
The shops round here are closing down, but that's all to do with Wiggle, Amazon and the rest - having chatted with the owners they get a lot of people in who try on the shoes, then make some pathetic excuse about how "they'll think about it", "it's not the colour they wanted", etc... and go buy online. (It's certainly not parkrun, as it doesn't exist in Spain...)
I'm not as regular at parkrun as I used to be, although that's partly family commitments. I don't think that I'd be satisfied just doing a 5k once a week, hence parkrun being some fun on top of serious and generally longer events. Marathons seem to be where I do best these days, but I can't do too many of them a year competitively, so other events fill up the calendar too. This coming weekend is the Nation 6-Stage Road Relays in Sutton Coldfield, a little leg primer a week out from York.
Mogrim, I think this shop was rather unique in that it had an events company too, and the events were also supporting the shop. Thus I think the effect was compounded with diminished participation in addition to trying to compete with online retailers. I think the shop made a loss from me as I used to generally pick up a prize of a free pair of shoes from winning the events they organised!
Haven't run for nearly 2 years and have avoided this thread during that period too. But this week went out and got some new trail running shoes and dragged myself out for a run, because I'm an idiot tried going for a 5 mile cross country run, which I then set out at too high a pace and had to walk for a few mins on the main hill as my heart rate had gone through the roof and calves were solid, finished run and felt good, forgot how relaxing and enjoyable running was.
Now to go back and fully run this route tomorrow or friday and to remember to pace myself!
I sort of get what surfer is trying to say, but you are coming across as a bit sour and snobbish.
