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Nov 2017
11:23am, 7 Nov 2017
3,302 posts
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Windsor Wool
Dibble - spot on. I'm with Jovi in many ways as parkrun has changed in ways that don't really suit me as a labelled 'faster runner'. But, I still find myself going pretty often and still trying new events and seeking out the local event when I am away somewhere.
Reading here and other places I've been getting a bit of a downer on lapped courses recently given some of the moans I have seen of 'faster runners' making a nuisance of themselves. But, given my but in the previous paragraph I found myself at the 3-lapped Rickmansworth event on Saturday. I had a great reminder that it's easy to focus on the occasional moaner.....there the mid / later-packers policed the event for the 'faster runners' as many went out of their way to shout down the line ahead and warn of the approaching 'faster runners'. It made things as easy as they could be on a far from ideal course where the local dog-walkers also seem to have an issue with parkrun ruining their must-do Saturday morning 9am walkies (yawn).
I guess I just wanted to say that most folks are nice....
I do find it hard to be classed as a 'faster runner' btw but that's an issue in my mind, not with parkrun!
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Nov 2017
11:24am, 7 Nov 2017
61,905 posts
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Gobi
I guess for me the word is walk and i dont care if they "walk" 20 mins for 5km or an hour it is walking. Even with a rebrand it is still a run(or it was)
I clashed with someone on a coaching course before parkrun existed as they wanted me to learn to race walk for warm up. I said no i am running coach and have no interest at all.
People I coach either jog or do static recoveries.
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Nov 2017
11:25am, 7 Nov 2017
61,906 posts
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Gobi
Ps. I like the social and will often amble round a parkrun but i am still jogging.
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Nov 2017
11:27am, 7 Nov 2017
19,991 posts
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LindsD
Rickmansworth parkrun is lovely. Just sayin'. And the  is mighty.
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Nov 2017
11:33am, 7 Nov 2017
1,073 posts
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TomahawkMike
Yes I am not so sure there are many ambling at the ones i attend. 92.5% of the runners were under 40mins at the last parkrun I attended. One of the 30 odd who were over is someone I know who did 44 only because they are doing their best to return slowly from an injury. I don't see much evidence of anything but a tiny minority ambling at ours. I certainly don't lap many. At that particularly race there was a walker who due to fitness issues was over an hour with the tailwalker.
I think its fine. I have a goal (currently trying to get back under 26mins) and I dont tend to pay attention to how slow or fast everyone else is and just enjoy the event. I do study the results to see who the regulars and my pals are doing but then I do the same with football league tables etc because I love stats.
I appreciate that if you have been in for the long haul you might hanker after the pioneering camaraderie of the early days and perhaps the greater emphasis on speed maybe, but I like the community spirit of the existing runs. But for all those that came before and made it successful... ta!
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Nov 2017
11:54am, 7 Nov 2017
5,124 posts
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Jovi Runner
Please don't get me wrong - I love my local parkrun at which I'm an RD but I just get disillusioned with the increasing emphasis on walking that filters down from HQ including the emphasis on walk, jog, run rather than the other way round. Only semantics some would say but symptomatic of a greater change in direction/emphasis IMO. I want everyone to love running as much as I do and if there is more of a move away from running to saying walking is OK I don't see that as encouraging people to love the sport I do which is why I initially signed up to run/volunteer at parkrun.
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Nov 2017
11:54am, 7 Nov 2017
3,265 posts
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larkim
CharlieP will probably know this from the stats FB group, but is there a histogram of parkrun finishing times in the UK? Doesn't need to be up to date, just something that gives an idea of the spread of participants. I suspect as THM says above, despite some of the distraction that "walkers" present, the vast, vast majority of parkrunners are in the 25-35 minute bracket. And irrespective of whether that would running to faster runners, its still a darned sight faster than walking.
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Nov 2017
11:58am, 7 Nov 2017
533 posts
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Dibble
I am on the local core team and we do the occasional fancy dress event as a lot like them. This forum was useful before in highlighting to me that these can be off putting to some people, so we always emphasise that fancy dress is optional (and in practice usually only worn by a minority). Actually for some fancy dress themes such as everyone wear a particular colour or your favourite sport kit, you probably wouldn't guess a fancy dress event was taking place if you hadn't been told.
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Nov 2017
11:59am, 7 Nov 2017
61,909 posts
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Gobi
I still love a bit of tourism and coffee in a new house.
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Nov 2017
12:16pm, 7 Nov 2017
3,266 posts
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larkim
I'm just a serial miseryguts when it comes to fancy dress and well aware that I am in a minority in hating the concept!
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parkrun Café
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