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May 2018
10:56am, 11 May 2018
33,872 posts
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McGoohan
*Waves fist at aeroplane Garminers*
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May 2018
12:01pm, 11 May 2018
4,723 posts
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larkim
Some of the challenges (alphabeteers etc) definitely encourage some travel, but the numbers involved must be miniscule.
In my household, I simply wouldn't be allowed to pursue a challenge like that if it involved costly travel. I have managed to change the location of an overnight stop on the way to the Alps to take in a French parkrun, and that probably cost us a small amount extra carbon / € but I can justify that in the same way that I can justify a one off excursion whilst on holiday. And from time to time we do choose to do other parkruns in our locality rather than our closest one just for a bit of variety.
I don't think it is too out of hand, and unless you are a complete carbon-minimizing zealot, people using their cars to do something they enjoy isn't really too big a deal.
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May 2018
12:47pm, 11 May 2018
284 posts
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Gym_Bunny
Remember to consider the counterfactual. If parkrunners weren't driving to parkrun then would they be driving somewhere else? So what is the net effect of parkrun? Tourism is still a fairly niche part of parkrun with most parkrunners staying local. The overall benefits of parkrun - health and wellbeing, community, participation, etc. - more than outweigh the costs - traffic, pollution, wear and tear, upsetting other park users - in my (sometimes humble) opinion.
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May 2018
12:52pm, 11 May 2018
51,019 posts
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plodding hippo
I link my parkrun tourism to my marathon habit
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May 2018
12:55pm, 11 May 2018
4,725 posts
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larkim
Yep, agree with thtat GB - the people that do pile into their cars on a Friday evening, drive 200 miles to a premier inn and then tick off "B" from their alphabeteers list are probably the same people who would otherwise have driving that distance to go geocaching, head off to the hills for a days walking, travel to their wide circle of friends etc etc
OTOH, a decent proportion of the 160,000 people who turn up at 9am on Saturday morning probably wouldn't have even been out of bed by that time before parkrun came, so there might be a small impact there. But then again, they might then also avoid the driving to the shops later that day because they are tired (!), or cut down their commuting because they've started running to work a few times a week / month.
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May 2018
1:19pm, 11 May 2018
38,237 posts
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Velociraptor
Even our local parkruns are a 30-mile round trip for me that I wouldn't have been making otherwise. But so is my job, and I know which I enjoy more.
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May 2018
1:39pm, 11 May 2018
29,161 posts
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Old Croc
nearest one use to be 27 miles away. A 54 mile round trip - although that did usually involve a morning out in Inverness (the high life!)
So I got involved in setting up Elgin. Only 12 miles away. So 30 miles less travel per parkrun day for me! Just need a few thousand people to save that per week and it's carbon neutral!
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May 2018
4:54pm, 11 May 2018
158 posts
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BexleyKev
Usually combine parkrun with weekly shopping, day out, long run in the country, holiday, visiting family, race or other activity that would require travelling. That said, those visiting Lullingstone all pay a penance with the walk up the hill from car park to the start. Most stay post run to walk/visit the Lavender Farm/Castle or Roman Villa and the car park fee helps maintain the park.
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May 2018
4:54pm, 11 May 2018
21,903 posts
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DocMoye
i link my parkrun tourism with Fetch sticker collecting!!
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May 2018
5:48pm, 11 May 2018
3,027 posts
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Fragile Do Not Bend
Do they have showers at Lullingstone Kev?
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parkrun Café
Mar 2025