Parkride not Parkrun

[roubaixtuesday]

Both are competitive racing pretending not to be in order to circumvent the usual restrictions on racing on public paths. It's amazing both have been allowed to continue this long.

It sounds like you think either Parkrun or Strava should be banned? Or otherwise restricted in some way?

Is that right or do I misunderstand?

 

[roubaixtuesday]

On the topic, the article makes a lot more sense than the headline; this clearly isn't going to be suitable for anything like the same number of locations as Parkrun, and is much more difficult to organise.

"We asked people to sign up beforehand, mainly for insurance purposes," MacPhee explained. "Parkrun can happen anywhere, but cycling is very different. We're very fortunate here, it's quite rural and we have way-marked trails. We're not encroaching on other users, either. We don't encounter walkers or dogs. It can be run more widely, but not as easily as parkrun. I would love to see other people get stuck in. It is a lot more challenging, we have to make sure that the public liability stuff is strong enough.

 

[Jameshow]

Do you really see nothing competitive in handing out a number 1 token to the winner, publishing the times, running points competitions, and letting people compare age group rankings?

Not at all except the fellow club members and regulars who you MUST beat!🤣🤣

 

[mjr]

It sounds like you think either Parkrun or Strava should be banned? Or otherwise restricted in some way?

Is that right or do I misunderstand?

On the whole, I currently think they should both be subject to the same laws as other races. Someone linked the cycle racing law above, which should apply to Strava's cycling contests. I'm not as familiar with the laws applying to 10k road races for running but local Parkruns definitely seem much more shambolic and hazardous to non-participants than the local 10k closed-road race.

I'm open to persuasion about how these laws are wrong or need changing or whatever, but I don't think I'm likely to accept the "this is not a race" argument when it looks like a race and so many participants treat it like a race.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

On the whole, I currently think they should both be subject to the same laws as other races. Someone linked the cycle racing law above, which should apply to Strava's cycling contests. I'm not as familiar with the laws applying to 10k road races for running but local Parkruns definitely seem much more shambolic and hazardous to non-participants than the local 10k closed-road race.

I'm open to persuasion about how these laws are wrong or need changing or whatever, but I don't think I'm likely to accept the "this is not a race" argument when it looks like a race and so many participants treat it like a race.

That's all a little vague.

It seems you are in reality suggesting Strava segments should be banned, correct?

And what specifically should be changed about Parkruns? (a general "laws should apply" doesn't really inform what you feel should be different)

 

[AndyRM]

And yet, the parkrun organisers do nothing to discourage it beyond the surrealist performance of denying that the race is a race.

With each of these, you seem to have missed the point that's making it race-like, maybe accidentally:

That only requires counting them out and counting them back in. There's no need to hand a chip emblazoned with a 1 to the first finisher.


That doesn't require the lists to be published or ranked. Just give them to the runners.


Again, no need to publish lists. Definitely no need to have shirts and trophies for it. https://rikroadrunner.com/2015/10/02/3-reasons-why-i-won-parkrun-annual-male-points-competition/


It's hypocritical, a race that says it isn't a race, allowed to take over public parks for an hour a week without the marshalling and diversions required of other races, plus it encourages the more foolish to race around the park at other times of the week for practice or training, sometimes helped by park keepers installing permanent start, finish and route marker posts. It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt and, when it catches the media's eye (as it's already happened: I know at least one person injured by a parkrunner), I wonder who else will be hit by the backlash. Probably cyclists.

Maybe there's also some bemusement on my part: I bet parkride won't be allowed the same latitude because joggers are harmless nutters in the media while cyclists are evil incarnate.

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.

All chips are created equal, they're just numbered. There are no podiums, nobody waits around to applaud those who have finished quickly. Generally what happens (I am involved with another six in the region) is that the quicker finishers leave and the others wait around socialising.

Chips are not ranked, they're numbered.

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".

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 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:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1h6TROpK30y4OGuHndvAOD58X-X89ySwmPxTwV7CsCG0/edit

parkrun gets "latitutde" as you call it (although I'm not sure why) because it is a proven method of getting people to exercise, generally just out and about or involved in their local community.

It's simple, effective and cheap.

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.

To hopefully get back on topic, there are all kinds of reasons why ParkRide is a lot trickier. Distance, space, equipment and insurance are the most obvious.

 

[T4tomo]

I'm not as familiar with the laws applying to 10k road races for running but local Parkruns definitely seem much more shambolic and hazardous to non-participants than the local 10k closed-road race.

You know its on a saturday morning at 9am, just keep the fark out of the park at that time if it annoys you. go for your morning stroll elsewhere.

 

[Red17]

Looking at the original post the parkride seems to be in Scotland, so would different rights of access apply to England /Wales?

 

[roubaixtuesday]

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.

All chips are created equal, they're just numbered. There are no podiums, nobody waits around to applaud those who have finished quickly. Generally what happens (I am involved with another six in the region) is that the quicker finishers leave and the others wait around socialising.

Chips are not ranked, they're numbered.

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".

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 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:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1h6TROpK30y4OGuHndvAOD58X-X89ySwmPxTwV7CsCG0/edit

parkrun gets "latitutde" as you call it (although I'm not sure why) because it is a proven method of getting people to exercise, generally just out and about or involved in their local community.

It's simple, effective and cheap.

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.

To hopefully get back on topic, there are all kinds of reasons why ParkRide is a lot trickier. Distance, space, equipment and insurance are the most obvious.

Parkrun is great. Thank you for organising.

There will always be some who find a reason to object to anything!

 

[AndyRM]

Parkrun is great. Thank you for organising.

There will always be some who find a reason to object to anything!

Happy to. It's genuinely one of the best things going in terms of accessible and inclusive social exercise. Probably the best, but I could be a little biased I suppose.

I wish ParkRide every success, but it'll be tricky. At the one I set up one of the objections was "Won't all the runners damage the pathways?"

Considering the number of horses which trample around it all the time, we had a pretty solid argument to say "Er, nope".

 

[Dogtrousers]

Someone linked the cycle racing law above, which should apply to Strava's cycling contests.

I'm assuming that you do know how daft that is. And indeed how redolent of a recent notorious Daily Telegraph article it sounds.

I was thinking of going for a ride at the weekend and uploading it to Strava. In so doing I would pass through some segments. I've just realised that I forgot to notify the police of my ride four weeks ago so I can't go because ...

... if the promoter of the trial has, not less than twenty-eight days next before the day on which the trial is to be held, or if it is to be held on more than one day, the day on which the trial is to begin, given or caused to be given to the appropriate officer of police in writing notice of the proposal to hold the trial and the following particulars with respect thereto-...
https://www.tlicycling.com/u/TLICycling_Cycle-Racing-on-Highways-Regulations.pdf

 

[roubaixtuesday]

At the one I set up one of the objections was "Won't all the runners damage the pathways?"

These objections are hilarious.

"We can't possibly have people using the park - it'll be ruined"

 

[Dogtrousers]

Happy to. It's genuinely one of the best things going in terms of accessible and inclusive social exercise. Probably the best, but I could be a little biased I suppose.

I really wish Parkrun had been in existence back in my running days. It sounds like just my kind of thing. Unfortunately recreational running is a bit of a no-no for me these days due to a knee injury.

 

[AndyRM]

I really wish Parkrun had been in existence back in my running days. It sounds like just my kind of thing. Unfortunately recreational running is a bit of a no-no for me these days due to a knee injury.

Get yourself along. The tail walkers go at the pace of the slowest runner/walker/shuffler/assisted mobility participant.

 

[AndyRM]

These objections are hilarious.

"We can't possibly have people using the park - it'll be ruined"

I've just had a look at the parkruns around Norfolk (there are 11).

I picked a couple at random and included one with a course link:

https://www.parkrun.org.uk/holkham/

https://www.parkrun.org.uk/blickling/course/

Sounds awful.