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Jan 2019
2:22pm, 3 Jan 2019
5,633 posts
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Jovi Runner
One of our fastest runners (18 minute pace) runs with his dog and starts at the back as all dogs start at the bag in our run. He runs wide round the outside of everyone. Since we've adopted this strategy the dogs in general are all a lot calmer as thy aren't in amongst throngs of people at the start. A dog loving friend actually said its a lot less stressful for the dogs themselves to start together than with humans! Ironically what we have found since implementing this strategy is that there is now actually a lot less barking during the briefing
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Jan 2019
2:22pm, 3 Jan 2019
5,634 posts
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Jovi Runner
back not bag!
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Jan 2019
3:25pm, 3 Jan 2019
24,879 posts
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HellsBells
Wimpole has a separate dog start. Milton has banned dogs. At Coldhams they're fine as we have a wide start and not huge numbers
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Jan 2019
3:30pm, 3 Jan 2019
25,805 posts
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LindsD
We don't get many dogs. Rarely more than two. Although I know it only takes one to cause an accident.
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Jan 2019
3:42pm, 3 Jan 2019
18,234 posts
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DeeGee
I'm contraried about starting at the back with a buggy. I've got a jogging buggy, and its a big, long unit, not terribly nimble. The front wheel does not steer, so I need to have space around me and I am absolutely petrified of bringing someone down because they suddenly slow in front of me. And approaching from behind it's not always apparent that there's a buggy.
Starting at the back at Cleethorpes I need to navigate my way through 75% of the field, running four of five abreast at the start. To be fair, much of that is done by taking a wide course up the grass at the side of the path, but even then I've got bollards and benches to avoid.
I genuinely think that the safest place for buggies to start, assuming that there are only one or two at an event, is at the front, on the non-racing line side. It's easy enough for the real racing snakes to get past one or two abreast, people can see you as they pass and pass safely, and I'm not going to spook people. In fact, we have a half decent wheelchair guy with us sometimes (25 mins or so), and that's what I've told him to do - seeing as taking the grass line isn't nearly as comfortable for him, and I warn the runners that there's a wheelchair starting at the front.
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Jan 2019
3:44pm, 3 Jan 2019
18,235 posts
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DeeGee
I don't mind being held up at the start because I can leave the buggy at home, but I don't want the wheelchair guy to have to suffer because he can't leave his wheelchair behind.
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Jan 2019
3:45pm, 3 Jan 2019
322 posts
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iRicey
Agree MN and DG - a good policy is to reverse into the start pen broadcasting your expected finish time. When those around you concur then stop reversing and start there.
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Jan 2019
4:03pm, 3 Jan 2019
3,540 posts
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jdarun
People should be encouraged to start in approx finish order, nothing else makes sense, though buggies and dogs a little out to the side of the main throng would also be good.
In all the road races I've attended, wheelchairs get a separate start a min or two ahead.
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Jan 2019
4:05pm, 3 Jan 2019
25,149 posts
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LazyDaisy
Re dogs, buggies etc: surely each core team risk assesses their course for such participants? On narrow paths where overtaking is a significant problem I can quite see why the team would say no. We're fairly lucky with a wide start and it would be unreasonable to ban them on safety grounds. Many of the occasional problems we've had with dogs have actually been other park users' dogs, not parkrunners', so beyond our control anyway. A blanket ban on dogs across all parkruns would be excessive and unreasonable, IMO, for that very reason.
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Jan 2019
4:12pm, 3 Jan 2019
4,313 posts
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DoricQuine
Regardless of where they start dogs should be on a tight lease until the field opens out to allow them to run freely. Twice recently I have nearly been brought down by a dog jumping up on me from behind.
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parkrun Café
Jan 2025
