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Nov 2021
10:38am, 5 Nov 2021
8,875 posts
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Fragile Do Not Bend
I don’t think I’ve been anywhere that tries to keep people corralled until they’ve been scanned. I don’t think we’d do this at my parkrun as the number of missing tokens isn’t high enough to warrant the extra effort but yes, I can see the point if a parkrun has a problem with a lot of tokens going missing.
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Nov 2021
10:41am, 5 Nov 2021
28,464 posts
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HellsBells
We move people away from the funnel quickly as it's on a well used path.
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Nov 2021
11:06am, 5 Nov 2021
21,414 posts
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DeeGee
I don’t think I’ve been anywhere that tries to keep people corralled until they’ve been scanned. I don’t think we’d do this at my parkrun as the number of missing tokens isn’t high enough to warrant the extra effort but yes, I can see the point if a parkrun has a problem with a lot of tokens going missing.
The funnel at Cleethorpes goes on beyond the token givers-outer, but the token givers outer are located at the earliest possible point to give the tokens out, and they are under instructions that, if it looks like there's going to be a number of people in the funnel at once, they should move towards the far end of the funnel to give out tokens.
Scanners are then right at the end of that funnel. If the token people are going to move down, then the scanners move further away too.
It's room for expansion to stop the finishers backing up over the finish line. Not necessarily necessary right now with 150-170 runners each week, but we were getting towards twice that many before "the incident".
Given that I can't tell until 9am on Saturday whether I'll have 100 or 300 runners going through my funnel it's useful to build the infrastructure for a theoretical maximum.
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Nov 2021
11:09am, 5 Nov 2021
69 posts
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paulcook
I'm not a fan of those funnels that keep you in a long procession once the token has been collected. I'm usually in no fit state to keep my lungs functioning and need to find space to collapse out of everyone else's way.
I'm not a prolific parkrunner, and directives may have changed since my last one in 2019 (?), but I can't recall ever being at a parkrun where I've stayed in funnel until you've had token scanned. Yes, most have been efficient at trying to do it timely, but not in a coralled fashion.
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Nov 2021
11:12am, 5 Nov 2021
21,415 posts
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DeeGee
but I can't recall ever being at a parkrun where I've stayed in funnel until you've had token scanned.
One of our RDs tried it.
It really didn't work.
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Nov 2021
11:17am, 5 Nov 2021
1,252 posts
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Spideog
Have done a couple of events where they kept people contained after getting their tokens and until they had been scanned. At Cardiff it's a multi finish funnel and no spare space issue, so they get people out of the way and prevent milling around and blocking the path to the public as quickly as possible. Works well there, and whilst there is a lot of people so they can scan and token give out quickly, I don't think they had many funnel managers, just lots of tape and people who knew exactly what they were doing and chivvy people along and out of the way quickly. Was a pretty short funnel as well considering the numbers they get.
Other one was Poole where its a long twisty funnel, but that then dumps you round the back of a building from which there is no escape, and then on coming out the other side the scanners get you before you can get away. No major need for funnel managers there either as tape, building and trees do the job. Just a good shouty person near the finish to keep people from stopping on the line.
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Nov 2021
11:32am, 5 Nov 2021
50,619 posts
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LindsD
Was also going to say Poole, which was not ideal for me as I leave my barcode in my bag usually 
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Nov 2021
11:46am, 5 Nov 2021
767 posts
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Weath
I'm not a prolific parkrunner, and directives may have changed since my last one in 2019 (?), but I can't recall ever being at a parkrun where I've stayed in funnel until you've had token scanned. Yes, most have been efficient at trying to do it timely, but not in a coralled fashion.
There's not been many granted, but one that particularly springs to mind was at a particular NT event that attracts a lot of tourists north of Leeds. A chap in front of me attempted to leave the queue to attend to a family matter with his young child and was - extremely rudely it must be said - shouted at to get back in line. It actually led to a strong exchange of words between runner / volunteer.
The volunteer in that instance was bang out of order IMHO and it contributed to my overall lack of enjoyment of that event.
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Nov 2021
11:49am, 5 Nov 2021
15,955 posts
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larkim
I think Spideog has a point there about where the post funnel point exists in an area of contained "milling about".
All the finish timing, finish token and scanning at Delamere happens on a path constrained by a fence on one side and the forest on the other. And it is therefore the only route to get back to near the finish line to provide support for others. So the funnel post-token partly exists to ensure that "pre-scan" parkrunners are segregated from the "post-scan or spectator" individuals just to keep the flow to the scanners better contained.
It definitely works well at Delamere, but we're all used to it so just follow meekly like sheep!
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Nov 2021
11:54am, 5 Nov 2021
6,106 posts
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jennyh
Spideog, I’m one of the volunteer coordinators at Cardiff - as you say, we do have a short funnel and not much space, but we do usually have 3 or 4 funnel managers.
Not sure if you’ve been since the restart, but we’ve moved the scanners up on to the bank (to give us more space after the tokens are given out) - we’ve put tape around that area to funnel people up to the bank, and to keep people from congregating in the area where the scanners used to be.
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