Parkride not Parkrun

[sheddy]

Parkrun occurs everyday.
When the owners dog buggers off.

 

[mjr]

Sadly for you, I am the organiser of a parkrun and I can assure you that at no point has it ever been promoted as a race. Because it isn't.

You're still missing the point: it's not that it's promoted as a race - I acknowledged above that the organisers assert that it isn't a race - but that it is organised like a race, with a number 1 chip handed out to the first finisher and timings and points tables published, and that anyone even vaguely familiar with parkrun knows that participants do treat it as a race.

All chips are created equal, they're just numbered.

So if the numbers are not rankings, you hand chip 66 to the first finisher sometimes, right?

Rik won nothing. He might think he has, but he hasn't. All he's doing with that weird humble-brag is promoting his business. He didn't get a trophy for his "achievement".

So what's that trophy in the pic? Maybe it's something like local parkrunners have made, but it still happens often, nothing is done to discourage it and all the necessaries provided for it.

Rik's just one example picked at random off the search results, though. People generally refer to "winning parkrun", "coming second", and so on. I'm pretty sure Ned Boulting has said things along those lines in one of his podcasts. It's totally ingrained in parkrunners and the organisers keep on publishing ranked lists that enable it.

3 of the 7 parkruns I'm involved with have generated jobs because, after discussions with the relevant local authorities, visitor centres with their accompanying cafes have been allowed to open earlier.

I'm not sure where this came from because I never said parkrun destroyed jobs or that there were no positives to it. Similarly some later points.

It is, of course, interesting to contrast local authority support for parkrun's "proven method of getting people to exercise, generally just out and about or involved in their local community [...] simple, effective and cheap" with their attitude to getting people to exercise through cycling, both in general and actually in some of the same parks, where basic cycle route signage is objected to as unsightly (despite the orange parkrun signs in the same parks), and occasionally bans are proposed, or unrealistic and illegal speed limit signs are erected (until the highways department of another authority steps in). Is the different local government response because parkrun have no ambition beyond the parks, and town halls are fine with exercise being confined to parks, and parkrun isn't seeking better space to walk along streets? I wonder: How do people get to parkruns? How do they get to parkride?

I have no idea why parkies have installed permanent markers at some runs, that shouldn't have happened. Again, it's against the ethos of parkrun. You can register your complaint here:

That form seems to be for parkrunners, not outsiders; and more importantly, it refuses to keep complainant details confidential and not just pass them to the local organisers who probably see nothing wrong with the marker installation so could tar and feather me in local social media.

And it doesn't take over public parks. How many public parks do you see busy at 9am on a Saturday morning? One of the ones I'm involved with isn't even in a park, it's on a shared use path, and there have been zero complaints about it.

It's probably unusual but my local park was already busy before 9am on a Saturday morning because it's a main non-motorised route (NCN1) into the town centre for shoppers and workers. They now mostly stick to one diagonal path not used by parkrun, the outside edge of one path along the north edge (dodging the runners who don't even stick to one half of that 9m wide path) and dodging between the runners going against peak traffic flow on one of the 6m paths (a local primary cycle route).

Zero complaints? Things would have to get pretty bad before someone will make a formal complaint against runners racing in a park, apparently with official support shown by signage put up by the park authority, especially when there's no assurance that their details won't be given to the organisers. Doesn't mean that existing park users love it. Maybe your runs are in parks that were quiet on Saturday mornings.

 

[figbat]

Every sportive I have taken part in has been timed, but none were races. How would this ParkRide be different? There are no prizes, awards or other benefits for finishing first (or any other position).

 

[albion]

I am often dodging the swathes of runners quayside west.

Parkride is going to need high capabilities, something possibly badly lacking from target audience.

 

[AndyRM]

You're still missing the point: it's not that it's promoted as a race - I acknowledged above that the organisers assert that it isn't a race - but that it is organised like a race, with a number 1 chip handed out to the first finisher and timings and points tables published, and that anyone even vaguely familiar with parkrun knows that participants do treat it as a race.


So if the numbers are not rankings, you hand chip 66 to the first finisher sometimes, right?


So what's that trophy in the pic? Maybe it's something like local parkrunners have made, but it still happens often, nothing is done to discourage it and all the necessaries provided for it.

Rik's just one example picked at random off the search results, though. People generally refer to "winning parkrun", "coming second", and so on. I'm pretty sure Ned Boulting has said things along those lines in one of his podcasts. It's totally ingrained in parkrunners and the organisers keep on publishing ranked lists that enable it.


I'm not sure where this came from because I never said parkrun destroyed jobs or that there were no positives to it. Similarly some later points.

It is, of course, interesting to contrast local authority support for parkrun's "proven method of getting people to exercise, generally just out and about or involved in their local community [...] simple, effective and cheap" with their attitude to getting people to exercise through cycling, both in general and actually in some of the same parks, where basic cycle route signage is objected to as unsightly (despite the orange parkrun signs in the same parks), and occasionally bans are proposed, or unrealistic and illegal speed limit signs are erected (until the highways department of another authority steps in). Is the different local government response because parkrun have no ambition beyond the parks, and town halls are fine with exercise being confined to parks, and parkrun isn't seeking better space to walk along streets? I wonder: How do people get to parkruns? How do they get to parkride?


That form seems to be for parkrunners, not outsiders; and more importantly, it refuses to keep complainant details confidential and not just pass them to the local organisers who probably see nothing wrong with the marker installation so could tar and feather me in local social media.


It's probably unusual but my local park was already busy before 9am on a Saturday morning because it's a main non-motorised route (NCN1) into the town centre for shoppers and workers. They now mostly stick to one diagonal path not used by parkrun, the outside edge of one path along the north edge (dodging the runners who don't even stick to one half of that 9m wide path) and dodging between the runners going against peak traffic flow on one of the 6m paths (a local primary cycle route).

Zero complaints? Things would have to get pretty bad before someone will make a formal complaint against runners racing in a park, apparently with official support shown by signage put up by the park authority, especially when there's no assurance that their details won't be given to the organisers. Doesn't mean that existing park users love it. Maybe your runs are in parks that were quiet on Saturday mornings.

I'm missing nothing. It's not a race. The organised elements are there for a whole plethora of reasons.

You don't like it? That's fine. I can't be bothered derailing the thread further with your issues about it.

Although I will say this - the runs I'm involved with aren't all in parks, and if there were complaints I'd know about them. The closest we got was things getting a little heated between some building contractors and another organiser, but that was very much a personal issue which the people involved tried to make about parkrun, which it wasn't.

 

[matticus]

After I'd done about 3 parkruns I fell in love with the concept. It was in the next town - I cycled over as a nice warmup. Everyone was nice, didn't notice any stupid testerone w@nkery that you find in most sports (if you look hard enough). Haven't done one since pre-COvid, due to running injuries, pfft

Then they setup a parkrun actually round our house! (it weaves through the estate, and starts/finishes on the actual park-sports-field. 2 laps)

I think I'd know if there were any problems or complaints

 

[AndyRM]

After I'd done about 3 parkruns I fell in love with the concept. It was in the next town - I cycled over as a nice warmup. Everyone was nice, didn't notice any stupid testerone w@nkery that you find in most sports (if you look hard enough). Haven't done one since pre-COvid, due to running injuries, pfft

Then they setup a parkrun actually round our house! (it weaves through the estate, and starts/finishes on the actual park-sports-field. 2 laps)

I think I'd now if there were any problems or complaints

This guy gets it.

 

[mjr]

You don't like it? That's fine. I can't be bothered derailing the thread further with your issues about it.

Or maybe you don't want to admit the first finisher never gets chip 66 or say why the times and points are published. That's fine.

Everyone else knows parkrun says it's not a race but it is raced and little is done to prevent that.

 

[albion]

They are overall more relaxed at the middle and rear, it being far more dramatic passing the front runners.

 

[AndyRM]

Or maybe you don't want to admit the first finisher never gets chip 66 or say why the times and points are published. That's fine.

Everyone else knows parkrun says it's not a race but it is raced and little is done to prevent that.

The first finisher will never get chip 66.

The times are recorded and published for well known reasons.

It's not a race.

Get involved tomorrow if you'd like to.

 

[mjr]

Get involved tomorrow if you'd like to.

No, I'm off to an event in a brewery.

 

[AndyRM]

No, I'm off to an event in a brewery.

Starts at noon. Plenty of time to do both.

Enjoy!

 

[Ming the Merciless]

No, I'm off to an event in a brewery.

£5 for unlimited beer. Maybe everyone should drink 10 pints before park run.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Or maybe you don't want to admit the first finisher never gets chip 66 or say why the times and points are published. That's fine.

Everyone else knows parkrun says it's not a race but it is raced and little is done to prevent that.

Again, what precisely do you want to change with parkrun?

You mainly seem to be complaining that a public park is used by lots of members of the public to enjoy running in the park.

 

[DCLane]

£5 for unlimited beer. Maybe everyone should drink 10 pints before park run.

I wanted to do something similar with a hillclimb that was sponsored by a brewery half-way up the 4-mile hill, with the instructions being something like:

"Competitors must stop and collect a bottle of beer (or soft drink) at the half-way point and must drink the bottle of beer (or soft drink) whilst stationary at some stage of the climb. This may be on collection or at the end however the time will only be taken once the bottle is empty".

Either they ride up, carrrying a full bottle then drink it or drink it to save having to carrying it. OK, the minor point was that they would be carrying it up either on the bike or internally, but still ...

Other mad ideas include a mass-start hillclimb.