|
Jun 2018
3:20pm, 18 Jun 2018
189 posts
|
BexleyKev
Sigh - It is quite appropriate in my case, i rarely perform at parkrun  I also think that it is in line with the new strava hook 'Inspiring active participation'. That said a bad choice of wording from those who point to the inclusitivity of the event.
TW would make a fine politician me thinks.
|
|
Jun 2018
3:30pm, 18 Jun 2018
22,887 posts
|
LazyDaisy
Participation seems to be the over-arching goal for parkrun as an entity, but performance only seems to be relevant in purely personal or maybe small group terms. Given the amount of banter there is on Twitter about beating each other's times, between Nick Pearson, P S-H and Tom Williams, I would say that on a personal level, for them as for most of us, performance is really quite important.
As regards emails from parkrun, I'm afraid I rarely read before deleting them - a quick scroll down and that's it. I do read the volunteer update ones though.
|
|
Jun 2018
3:33pm, 18 Jun 2018
6,255 posts
|
The_Saint
The continual error is the presumption that performance and participation do not sit perfectly well together. If there is one person in a thousand who won't participate if "fast" people are present it is they and not the rest of the world who needs to find a bit more emotional maturity.
|
|
Jun 2018
10:24pm, 18 Jun 2018
186 posts
|
njosmith
No one is saying people won turn up if fast people are present, just it takes more effort to get someone unaccustomed to running to turn up than a fast runner.
|
|
Jun 2018
7:01am, 19 Jun 2018
1,363 posts
|
TomahawkMike
Certainly in the first lot of runs most people want to improve their performance in my experience no matter how fast or slow they are. Thereafter (for me it was around the 50 mark) it becomes enjoyable for other reasons and there are days when its just nice to be out there enjoying the countryside and seeing friends, and there are other days when you feel a PB coming on as well, even if its just to beat your best time of the current year, or to maintain the average etc. The participation aspect becomes important but you still keep an eye on the performance yet sit happy knowing you are generally where you should be with the occasional setting of goals to beat as well. I am now much more likely to run a slower parkrun alongside a friend or relative to encourage them than before when I just wanted to beat my last time and keep the average as high as possible. It also means I can be a pacer now towards the back if they are short and not be concerned about the effect on the average (not Tail Walker... as I cant seem to walk that slowly).
|
|
Jun 2018
9:58am, 19 Jun 2018
6,256 posts
|
The_Saint
njosmith : What I have heard consistently is people claiming to speak for beginners or non-runners that fast people discourage them. I have a great deal of difficulty believing that this is an attitude typical of a mature, balanced individual but nevertheless it keeps getting said.
|
|
Jun 2018
10:11am, 19 Jun 2018
539 posts
|
Nessie
I was speaking to a lady who was watching parkrun last week (I was volunteering) and her words were "Once I think I can run most of it, I'd love to have a go", even though the tailwalker had just passed with a lady who mostly walks, but has improved over the month she has been coming. There was no mention of the speed of the fastest runners in her reluctance, just the fact that she didn't want to walk it all. Unless you are the first finisher, there is always someone faster than you (I rate my performance on where I get lapped by the leader), so I also don't see that fast runners discourage beginners, per se.
|
|
Jun 2018
10:18am, 19 Jun 2018
800 posts
|
Andrew65
Saint, I agree. The "all levels welcome" identity that parkrun has, is widely known about. Personally, I have never heard of anyone who is put off by the fast runners.
parkrun is far more inclusive than it has ever been. The old days of BPTT, I felt, was weighted a bit more towards the front of the pack; there were no 'official' tailwalkers back then. The parkrun philosophy now does not emphasise the fast runners or discourage slower runners/walkers.
|
|
Jun 2018
10:19am, 19 Jun 2018
142 posts
|
blindcider
I don't think newcomers are discouraged by fast runners as opposed to the fact they think that they might be last or miles behind everyone else or general anxiety about entering anything like a race. Fast runners may be one of the symptoms of the causes that end up in discouraging new runners but thats not their fault as such. I think the nature school sports lessons from the 70's - 90's have a lot to blame for putting people off too.
|
|
Jun 2018
10:20am, 19 Jun 2018
22,904 posts
|
LazyDaisy
No, I've never heard any new parkrunner say that they were put off initially by fast runners being involved. It's the same with the change from tail runner to tail walker. I simply can't credit that people who'd never come to parkrun before, or were new participants, even knew what the role was called, let alone be put off by it, yet that was HQ's justification for the change.
I do wonder sometimes if there isn't an element of the TV series W1A (or the previous one about the Olympics) in HQ deliberations
|
