parkrun

Author
Discussion

john2443

Original Poster:

6,325 posts

210 months

Saturday 28th May 2011
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I know there's a running thread, and parkrun has been mentioned, but I just feel that because it is such a brilliant concept, it deserves a thread of its own.

If you don't know, it's a timed, free to enter, 5k, generally 9am Saturday morning event that's held in loads of parks in the UK, 2 in Oz and 5 in Denmark. You don't have to enter in advance, just turn up on the day (providing you've registered online).

Ours (Hove) now gets about 400 runners with times ranging from 15 to 45 minutes, and ages from 10 to 70, so if you aren't very fit (yet) you won't be embarassed by your lack of pace.


To find your local run - http://www.parkrun.com/events/uk

Edited by john2443 on Saturday 28th May 19:55

Halb

53,012 posts

182 months

Thursday 19th September 2013
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I agree.


Anyone run the Worlsey Woods Parkrun?
biggrin

Cybertronian

1,516 posts

162 months

Thursday 19th September 2013
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I'm a big fan of parkrun and an active member of the local community, where it sort of doubles as a running club for me.

Regularly run at Cannon Hill in Birmingham, along with the Cardiff and Newport events when I'm visiting the in-laws. Fancy a pilgrimage run to Bushy Park one day where I still find it incredible that they regularly receive more participants than some races I've entered over the years.


944fan

4,962 posts

184 months

Thursday 19th September 2013
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Top Tip: You can now buy (for a couple of quid) small plastic tags with your barcode on which will attach to your laces. Much better I find that farting about with a crappy bit of paper sodden with sweat.

MC Bodge

21,552 posts

174 months

Thursday 19th September 2013
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Halb said:
I agree.


Anyone run the Worlsey Woods Parkrun?
biggrin
I'm considering it.

I did a fair bit of running around there when I lived in Monton.

Halb

53,012 posts

182 months

Friday 20th September 2013
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MC Bodge said:
I'm considering it.
I did a fair bit of running around there when I lived in Monton.
Still live close? Do you know the course?
Monton is a nice place, some nice restaurants on the high street.

john2443

Original Poster:

6,325 posts

210 months

Friday 20th September 2013
quotequote all
I've still got Bushy on my to do list just to see what it's like, typical turn out around 800, record about 1100!

I think Bushy wins the prize for "Worst attempt to reduce numbers by starting another event" - when they were getting 200 they started Wimbledon because they thought they were getting too big, and then another nearly another 300 events started, and they still get massive numbers!

We've had a similar thing in Brighton (on a smaller scale) - Hove park were getting 400 a week, we thought that was too many so started Preston park (only a mile away) and we now get about 550 running in the city every week. Starting a new event doesn't seem to take people away from the old one, it just draws more new people in.

Just checked the figures and the Hove average attendance over the last 10 weeks dropped from 385 last year to 381 this year, and Preston averaged 163.

Meanwhile, you might have noticed last week that the results came out quicker, the IT guys made some changes to speed things up.

Edit - Yay! It's parkrunday tomorrow! smile (and Kop Hill Climb on Sunday smile )

Edited by john2443 on Friday 20th September 10:33

anonymous-user

53 months

Friday 20th September 2013
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Another fan here. I do one every couple of weeks, home by 10, no faffing about like in some events.
Dont forget to volunteer to marshall a few times a year. I should research who invented Parkrun , they deserve an honour, Im sure Parkrun has done more for the nations fitness than the Olympic legacy!

john2443

Original Poster:

6,325 posts

210 months

Friday 20th September 2013
quotequote all
Jimboka said:
Another fan here. I do one every couple of weeks, home by 10, no faffing about like in some events.
Dont forget to volunteer to marshall a few times a year. I should research who invented parkrun , they deserve an honour, Im sure parkrun has done more for the nations fitness than the Olympic legacy!
Paul Sinton-Hewitt (known as PSH in parkrun circles) invented it, could have made a mint (40,000+ runners a week, 600,000+ registered, charge everyone a few quid or sell it to adidas = £lots) but he gave it away as a non profit organisation. Other people have suggested that he is put forward for an honour. This may or may not already have been done, I couldn't possibly comment whistle

I agree that it does a lot more for fitness than many other initiatives, I love that there are super speedy people eg Andy Baddeley, Olympian, ran Hove a couple of weeks ago just for fun (and a course record!) as he was down for the weekend for a wedding and the same week one of our, err, less slim and fit, runners was over the moon about getting sub 40mins and she got a bigger cheer than the first finisher!

944fan

4,962 posts

184 months

Friday 20th September 2013
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john2443 said:
I love that there are super speedy people
yes Not sure who this geezer is but he did quite well

http://www.parkrun.org.uk/bushy/results/athletehis...

I shamelessly stole the link from the Running thread.

Halb

53,012 posts

182 months

Friday 20th September 2013
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I had to pay for it, I wouldn't do it. Just run on my own or join a club.

MC Bodge

21,552 posts

174 months

Friday 20th September 2013
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Halb said:
Do you know the course?
The course is a mixture of flat, former railway line (gravelled a few years ago)and woodland path, with some steps and short inclines.

john2443

Original Poster:

6,325 posts

210 months

Friday 20th September 2013
quotequote all
944fan said:
yes Not sure who this geezer is but he did quite well

http://www.parkrun.org.uk/bushy/results/athletehis...

I shamelessly stole the link from the Running thread.
He ran Bushy another time in about 23:26....because he was jogging it along with his wife, but he didn't record a finish time that week!

Halb

53,012 posts

182 months

Saturday 21st September 2013
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MC Bodge said:
The course is a mixture of flat, former railway line (gravelled a few years ago)and woodland path, with some steps and short inclines.
Sounds good! Did Penny Flash today again though, had a horrible nights sleep and didn't fancy zooming up the 62.
Will have to be next time.

Cybertronian

1,516 posts

162 months

Saturday 21st September 2013
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So, how's this thread going to work going forward? Do we put all parkrun stuff in here instead?

Had a belter of a race this morning against a sort of training buddy of mine. Went all the way down to a smackdown finish, where he pipped me to the finish line by less than a second. Thankfully, the timer has rounded him up so we have the same finish time of 19:18, a PB for each of us.

Halb

53,012 posts

182 months

Saturday 21st September 2013
quotequote all
Cybertronian said:
So, how's this thread going to work going forward? Do we put all parkrun stuff in here instead?
Certainly much easier to find.

Cybertronian said:
Went all the way down to a smackdown finish...
The best kind of finish.

john2443

Original Poster:

6,325 posts

210 months

Monday 23rd September 2013
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Cybertronian said:
So, how's this thread going to work going forward? Do we put all parkrun stuff in here instead?
As I started the thread over 2 years ago and no one replied until last week I'd assumed it was dead and we would stick to the running thread!

Halb

53,012 posts

182 months

Monday 23rd September 2013
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A thread's only as good as the traffic it gets!
Since I only run in Parkrun (10ks) this thread is preferable for me than trawling through lots of stuff that is not that relevant.

Cybertronian

1,516 posts

162 months

Monday 23rd September 2013
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john2443 said:
As I started the thread over 2 years ago and no one replied until last week I'd assumed it was dead and we would stick to the running thread!
Oh god, I hadn't realised when the thread was first started!

RizzoTheRat

25,085 posts

191 months

Monday 23rd September 2013
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Halb said:
A thread's only as good as the traffic it gets!
Since I only run in Parkrun (10ks) this thread is preferable for me than trawling through lots of stuff that is not that relevant.
Makes sense to me too, I doubt I could keep up with most of the people on the running thread on my bicycle biggrin

I only started running this year with the C25K programme, and then started doing the Frimley Lodge parkrun. Due to having to be a few other places for various things at weekends I've done Basingstoke, Winchester and Guildford in the last few weeks. Not quite broken 30 mins yet.