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Sep 2019
4:32pm, 17 Sep 2019
427 posts
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BexleyKev
Given the obsession with many events to fill the park ( noting not all are in a park ) with more marshals, timekeepers, number checkers and other arbitrary volunteers than many local club races I would say it's a race. Certainly a race for me if there is someone that I am aiming to catch or stay ahead of. I get that HQ gain enormous benefit from 'it' not being a race but TBH the whole 'it's not a race mantra' is a bit tiring in my opinion. Even if not a race for time or position there are so many arbitrary challenges about now that many 'race' to achieve.
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Sep 2019
5:01pm, 17 Sep 2019
8,690 posts
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larkim
I'm with jda, I'm rarely a sprint finisher, but there's a point about 1.5km out where if I am level with someone I do try to pull away. Sometimes they hang on, sometimes they don't. But we're nearly always racing.
Equally though there are plenty of times when it is simply a matter of starting off the weekend with a pleasant run, often with family, with no real care about position or time. Then it isn't a race.
(Though in fairness, plenty of people seem to turn up to big city distance races with that sort of approach, and it doesn't stop those being races!).
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Sep 2019
9:01pm, 17 Sep 2019
264 posts
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mascott514
Yep, I agree larkim,
You gotta love a friendly race to the death!
However, where parkrun does differs that I never plod around a club race, or a longer race in general, whereas I often social run around my local parkrun.
Both equally enjoyable!
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Sep 2019
9:04pm, 17 Sep 2019
15,228 posts
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Bazoaxe
I cant sprint, but on Saturday I paced myself in the wind better than most and passed about 10 people. One of those didnt like being passed and tried to outsprint me, but I managed to find some deep reserves to hold him off.
I would like to plod around parkruns, but I dont want to impact my average time. However there is another alternative planned to start up which I could use as a plod around version where time doesnt matter
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Sep 2019
10:09pm, 17 Sep 2019
1,026 posts
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edison
Nothing wrong with passing folk who are fading towards the end if you feel strong. What I don't like is people throwing themselves in front of other runners at the finish line, and that happens most weeks. I usually tell them "you're getting the same time so that was a bit pointless".
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Sep 2019
10:21pm, 17 Sep 2019
35,877 posts
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Lip Gloss
I got pipped at the post on Saturday, I had overtaken him a couple of minutes earlier and never thought he had anything left  but hey it's a run
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Sep 2019
9:39am, 18 Sep 2019
99 posts
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JJJ
"Given the obsession with many events to fill the park with more marshals, timekeepers, number checkers and other arbitrary volunteers"
In this situation, the difference between a race and parkrun is that mostly races are desperately trying to find the minimum number of vols to make it happen whereas parkrun say yes please to everyone who offers so there might be a full roster on Friday night and 4 people turn up on Saturday and ask if they can help so they marshal at points that aren't mission critical - if we send them away then maybe they won't offer again.
Also, some people volunteer at parkrun for their own benefit not for parkrun's - people who are lonely, depressed etc vol because it gets them outside and meeting people, runners who are injured or resting pre race are happier coming along and seeing their mates than sitting at home.
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Sep 2019
10:01am, 18 Sep 2019
214 posts
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Weath
"if we send them away then maybe they won't offer again."
With potential consequences. Previously an injured mate of mine turned up and offered to volunteer at a localish parkrun and was told "we don't need you this week, so no". This weekend same event was desperately crying out for volunteers all over social media to be able to go ahead. Same mate, who is the sort who would normally step up to help out in situations such as these, thought 'sod you'.
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Sep 2019
10:24am, 18 Sep 2019
10,523 posts
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MazH
I had the same thing this week, a worry "if we send them away then maybe they won't offer again."
So I emailed a regular repeat volunteer on the rota and said, can i give your role to someone else new?
They were happy to step down and let some fresh blood in.
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Sep 2019
10:44am, 18 Sep 2019
8,695 posts
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larkim
@edison "What I don't like is people throwing themselves in front of other runners at the finish line, and that happens most weeks. I usually tell them "you're getting the same time so that was a bit pointless"."
With due respect, that's not an attitude which (if made explicit) would sit well with me. I'd agree that an "elbows out", barging for the line kind of approach would not be appropriate, but getting the adrenaline up in a sprint finish, side by side with another parkrunner and just out-dipping them at the end to get a single higher placed token is both simultaneously pointless AND quite a bit of fun (well, for the one who places higher). It would seem churlish for the timer or someone else at the finish line to be pointing out the pointlessness of what they just did, no matter where they finish in the field.
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