parkrun

[john2443]

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

[john2443]

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! (and Kop Hill Climb on Sunday )

Edited by john2443 on Friday 20th September 10:33

[john2443]

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

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!

[john2443]

944fan said:

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!

[john2443]

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!

[john2443]

MC Bodge said:

parkrun sounds like a really good idea. As above, I'm keen to do one or more of my local ones, although they all appear to be 5K (which sounds as if it could be painfully fast!), rather than 10k.

all parkruns are 5k

MC Bodge said:

...although I'm wary of going at it too hard at this stage in my return to running and living to regret it.. /quote]

There are always plenty of people who aren't fast (up to 40 mins) so you won't look like a loser if you take it gently at first. Have a look at the results page for the one you're going to do and you can check this. The aim is to have everyone running a 5k, not to have everyone running a fast 5k!

[john2443]

York is supposed to be fast, as it's flat, as is Newbury (1 lap up and down Greenham common runway IIRC).My fastest was at Kings Lynn, although there is a U turn there and it's multilap but only a smallish number of runners so lapping isn't a problem, I think Leeds must be quite flat, but I've not run it.

All course records are here, http://www.parkrun.org.uk/results/courserecords/ you can order them by time, I think the fastest 2 men and 1 woman are wheelchairs so don't be panicked by them!! and some courses might be fast but have never had an Olympian run them, but it gives a guide.

[john2443]

Halb said:

Mine was called off today. A load of DAYLs had taken up residence in the carpark, shame.

What a pain! We had an email from one of our runners a few weeks ago that they had set up in our park, but fortunately they'd been moved on by Saturday.

[john2443]

HowMuchLonger said:

What is a DAYL?

Rhyming slang.....Do as you likey

[john2443]

Tomorrow is International parkrun Day, due to it being the 9th birthday.

13 people ran in Bushy park in 2004, last week it was over 45,000.

Place your bets for how many run on the 10th birthday - it's being arranged to get the original 13 back together at Bushy next year apparently.

Figures from the historical chart show that give or take a bit, after the first 2 years, numbers have doubled every year.

2013 - 45000
2012 - 23000
2011 - 11000
2010 - 5700
2009 - 2900
2008 - 1300
2007 - 681
2006 - 378
2005 - 56
2004 - 13

[john2443]

RizzoTheRat said:

I missed last week due to manflu, and died on my arse at about 1.5km last night on my first run in nearly a fortnight, not looking good for Parkrun tomorrow.

My strategy for off days as it's a run not a race and your finish position isn't important is either volunteer to be tail runner or instead of starting in your normal place in the field and feeling pressured to go at that pace, start right at the back* and work your way forward, you feel good due to overtaking but don't have to go too fast and knacker yourself.

• There may be a higher % of female runners in this section of the field which may be considered to be an advantage to the enjoyment of the day;)

[john2443]

Bushy finish funnel.

The first run I did where there were only 70 (I was used to 450-500) I was surprised at how few marshals and runners there were at finish and how relaxed they were, with a few hundred or a thousand you have to be very well organised and strict!

[john2443]

Gilhooligan said:

I attended the Albert Park parkrun in Middlesbrough on Saturday and spotted an old guy who looked to be in his late 60's wearing a parkrun 250 jacket, never seen one before!

There are about 50 people in the 250 club so you won't see one very often, http://www.parkrun.com/about/parkrunclubs/ including 1 guy who's done 421 That's one a week for 8 years. In another 18 months he'll need a 500 club shirt.

[john2443]

Amateurish said:

Any 100 t-shirt owners on PH?

Only 72...aiming for 100 next year, although I prefer the bright red 50 to the black 100, maybe I should stop at 99!

[john2443]

Catton Park Norwich today, a bit of tourism, season's best of 24.29 and first in age category, quite pleased with that specially as it's part cross country.

[john2443]

parkrunski...

http://www.1tv.ru/news/other/245536

Apparently starting soon, a bit of info on the parkrun facebook page for those who don't speak Russian!

[john2443]

crxdave said:

Did my first Parkrun today.. 26:02. Seemed much easier to push on when surrounded by a lot of other people, looks like my saturday mornings are now less free!

<Message to parkrun HQ> <evil laughter> Looks like we've hooked another one!

Welcome to the family, you're right about being easier to push on when there are others there, whether you're doing 20 mins or 40 there's always someone just ahead to take down - I've had some exciting sprints for the line for (eg) 237th place! My Saturday mornings are always less free now, it is a bit addictive!

(With my event directors hat on, please remember that a reason it can happen and be free is that we ask everyone to volunteer 3 times a year, so once you've got a few under your belt, please volunteer now and then )

[john2443]

RizzoTheRat said:

markh1973 said:

What was interesting was the number of people who actually stop a stride or so away from the line.

It's amazing isn't it, loads of them seem to really slow down a few strides out, then there are the ones who stop dead as soon as they've entered the funnel so people behind them have to queue to get over the line.

It depends on how many runners there are if you need this (we have about 200) but we have a funnel manager who tells people to keep moving and stay in order, the peak finish time is about 22-23 mins and the queue from finish tags can get back to the finish line in our 12m long funnel. The other Brighton run gets 400 and you have to be on the ball funnel managing, even with a long funnel (50m maybe?) the queue can back up to the line, you have to tell people to bunch up close and keep moving.

[john2443]

ewenm said:

I had a very interesting meeting last night with a group planning a Bath ParkRun launch. Would you mind if I emailed you directly with some event-director / run-director type questions?

No problem, PM me and I'll do my best to advise. I'm working in Chippenham this week and next week and maybe again in the new year, if you want to meet up for a pint and chat about it if that would be easier that typing everything let me know.

[john2443]

Missed parkrun yesterday, staying at a log cabin in Derbyshire for reunion of the group who went to the Himalayas in 1988.

Ran this morning round the woods with one of the guys, just a gentle 25 min 5k, but a special run with someone I see rarely but spent an amazing few weeks with going up to 20000 feet once upon a time.