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Original poster

To think the National Trust should not let Park Run volunteers marshal the cars at a NT property

388 replies

ParkRunIdiots · 23/09/2023 18:50

So rocked up a very large NT property with lots of parkland at about 9:25 today.

had gone through the payment control bit, then you drive for about another mile (no joke) to the car park. Just before the car park all traffic stopped in a traffic jam caused by two Park Run people in pink vests who would not let any cars through.

So I sat there and say there and sat there, not a single car moved through. I could see the runners approaching from the right, at times there were gaps in the runners but still no car was allowed through. After ten minutes still no car had been allowed to pass. Several cars behind me did a 20 point turn and left.

Then I realised that the runners weren’t even crossing the road as I’d originally assumed, they turned right and ran alongside the road edge, which has a massive Green verge they could run on . So in my mind no need to stop any car. Or if some risk assessment has deemed it too dangerous to have the cars beside the runners then it means there’s no access to the car park for about 45 mins, in which case the NT property needs to open later!

the runners were all strung out, no big wide bunch/crowd, so single file or in pairs.

anyway I honked at this point. One pink vest guy had obviously been waiting for this moment and charged up, ran past me and bollocked the car behind me who was mid 20 point turn and leaving. That driver grassed me up so the park run guy came and condescendingly told me “when there’s a gap” we will let a car through. I said it was ridiculous, that there had been plenty of gaps, nobody had been allowed through and the runners weren’t even on the road!

At which point he told me if I didn’t like it I could leave!

then the other marshal let some of us through, even though there were still runners running alongside the verge the same as there had been for the last ten minutes! I think they were letting cars through in groups of 5 or 6 as some had gone through just before I got stopped. Again when there were runners there! So nothing to do with gaps!

diagram for an idea.

I do feel like emailing the NT and telling them they need to have an NT person there overseeing it, and preventing the Parkrun people been rude to other users.

I may be slightly anti park run after my (on lead, walking to heel) dog was trampled on and tripped over by several park runners on the inaugural run of my local new park run on a narrow public bridleway and they shouted at me for been there with a dog (even though I’d stepped into the mud at the side). Still not forgiven them for that.

To think the National Trust should not let Park Run volunteers marshal the cars at a NT property
OP posts:
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22
FOJN · 24/09/2023 17:53

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Passepartoute · 24/09/2023 17:52

BitOutOfPractice · 24/09/2023 17:37

but what about all the people who had paid money who were not former ParkRunners, and didn't know that?

they had to wait 10 minutes and complain By email later for this total non-event of a drama? I dunno. 🤷‍♀️

How were they also supposed to work out in advance that it would be a 10 minute wait? Given that some gave up and turned back, I rather suspect it was longer than 10 minutes.

Jesseweneedtocook · 24/09/2023 17:51

madamreign · 23/09/2023 19:25

You were sat in your heated car, with a padded seat and a radio for company at least. Presumably you were not in a rush to get to work or anything.

YABU

And dogs should be on leads on foot paths.

You've completely missed the point!

I'm a parkrunner myself but get so annoyed when I see other runners not moving for buggies or other park users. Parkrun is for adults and supervised children, they're more than capable of being mindful of a few cars who are presumably filled with paying NT customers. Whether or not they're in a rush or not, is not for you to police!

Parkrun is great and I love doing a sociable 5k on a morning but no parkrun deserves this level of entitlement and lordiness over others. That volunteer needs to be knocked down a peg or two

HermioneKipper · 24/09/2023 17:50

Runners can be so selfish.

We live near a lake and the busy footpath at the end of our road gets joggers galore. So many of them try and barge past children walking and huff and tut at you if you’re walking hand in hand with a child and two of them want to come past. We’ve nearly been run over by them on a single path footbridge so many times. So inconsiderate.

The local parkrun ones act like they own the park too despite children coming to play football or learning to ride their bikes are coming through.

They also jog two-abreast down country lanes and make no effort to move over for cars and don’t wear high vis jackets or anything - madness. I’m a really careful driver and know the roads well so know they could be coming around every bend but I really worry for them if other people are speeding along at 60mph and have no idea about all the runners.

I think it’s great they’re out there getting fit but they don’t have the right to inconvenience everyone else.

QueSyrahSyrah · 24/09/2023 17:50

@TheGhostofLoganRoy Because some of the people on this thread would just LOVE roads being fully closed for hours at a time, all over the place, all the time. That's much better than a few minutes wait during a journey, obviously.

'Terrorised' and 'exploited' FFS. I've read it all now.

Do you not have any kinds of interests or hobbies, or attend any events that might impact slightly on people who aren't taking part?

Caffeineislife · 24/09/2023 17:49

Complain to both clumber park management, NT and parkrun. IMO some parkrun participants think they own the place and are very rude to regular users of places where their park run takes place.

Original poster
ParkRunIdiots · 24/09/2023 17:48

@Manners23 sorry, have realised when you are quibbling about distances I have measured the wrong points on the map, you said from the pay point to the stopping area. Not the main entrance. The pay hut I went through is at the turn off from Limetree Ave near the caravan club site. So looks like it’s 1.6 miles. Though I’m still not sure why you’re so interested in how many yards that distance is, still more than the 600 yards you stated though. 🤷‍♀️

To think the National Trust should not let Park Run volunteers marshal the cars at a NT property
OP posts:
Passepartoute · 24/09/2023 17:47

Fbshe · 24/09/2023 17:25

It’s an hour a week where thousands of people across the world can improve their mental and physical health and spend time socialising. Just go later, I would walk my dog somewhere different or at a different time because I’m not so self important that I think my needs are more important than the couple of hundred people doing the activity I’m against.

But why is every visitor to Clumber Park supposed to know the time ParkRun operates? Why can't ParkRun use a part of the park that doesn't impinge on people driving to the car parks? Why are their needs more important than those of the people whose money is helping to keep that park open and available?

QueSyrahSyrah · 24/09/2023 17:44

Imagine how much of the OP's precious time would have been saved if they'd quietly fumed for 10 minutes, dashed off a strongly worded email to PR and NT and then moved on with their life.

But no, here we are, 32 hours later and still going on about having wasted 10 minutes.

Absolute Peak Mumsnet. Marvellous.

BitOutOfPractice · 24/09/2023 17:37

but what about all the people who had paid money who were not former ParkRunners, and didn't know that?

they had to wait 10 minutes and complain By email later for this total non-event of a drama? I dunno. 🤷‍♀️

Original poster
ParkRunIdiots · 24/09/2023 17:37

Fbshe · 24/09/2023 17:25

It’s an hour a week where thousands of people across the world can improve their mental and physical health and spend time socialising. Just go later, I would walk my dog somewhere different or at a different time because I’m not so self important that I think my needs are more important than the couple of hundred people doing the activity I’m against.

Yeah, sadly I already avoid my local,favourite dog walk on a Saturday morning which I had done early every Saturday morning for years but have now been hounded off that footpath.

if I had known about the park run at clumber I wouldn’t have gone to the visitor car park. I’ll just keep on parking in the non parking zones at other points of the park to keep away from the park run from now on. Or maybe the accessible car park. I certainly don’t think i should have to avoid the park between 9-10.

OP posts:
TheGhostofLoganRoy · 24/09/2023 17:33

QueSyrahSyrah · 24/09/2023 16:50

Well there's always two sides to every story isn't there. Not very often we get to read both.

@Passepartoute The OP is apparently a past Parkrunner, so it's reasonable to assume they'd know there is a Run Director on site to speak to at every Parkrun.

But what about all the people who had paid money who were not former ParkRunners, and didn't know that?

I've never done any kind of run, and when I was terrorised by an unadvertised charity run through narrow public streets I didn't have a clue who to go to to ask or complain.

It's all well and good to say "well walkers and wheelchair users participate too" (which feels like exploiting them), but we all know that any kind of run will draw very competitive runners who want to win, position themselves at the front, and will barge or knock down anyone in their way. Those runners can often be very aggressive.

That's why competitive runs need to be held in such a way that the running route is reserved just for the runners and clearly advertised in advance, like the London Marathon is. Both to protect the runners and to protect members of the public who might otherwise be using that space.

I wouldn't want to be a runner running past a road of cars being held up by me without warning, and trying to squeeze into gaps between runners to access what they'd paid for.

Original poster
ParkRunIdiots · 24/09/2023 17:33

@Manners23

Firstly, from the main gate and pay point to where you were asked to hold and wait is in fact 665 yards, not the Mile you perceived it to be (OS maps route attached). From the point where you were asked to wait to the car park entrance is 447 yards, significantly more than the scale on your drawing would suggest. The reason I make this point is that there were probably people on the road that were out of your line of sight and probably the reason you were asked to wait.

actually from the main gate to the pay point is 2.2 miles not the mile I perceived and certainly not 665 yards. I’ve just measured it on mapmyride. Not sure why you’re quibbling that point anyway. But whatever.

I can assure you I had better things to do yesterday than come and find the race director, especially as you’d already Delayed me. I didn’t want to waste any further time.

The park run volunteer was rude, I’m sure you won’t believe that and that’s your prerogative. You also come across as rather rude and entitled so there we are. I was very happy to get his attention to ask why he wasn’t letting people through seeing as nobody appeared to me to be on the road. At no point did he give me directions to any other car park, that would have been helpful if he had but no he just shouted at me.

I can assure you I waited over ten minutes. My post stating I arrived at 9:30 was approximate as I was not under the impression I was giving an official statement. If the road was opened at 9:35 I would say I must have arrived at the stop point between 9:20 and 9:25. I hardly think numerous cars behind me would have been turning round if it had only been a couple of minutes.

You can answer me one thing though, if the course runs alongside the road for a short distance why were the cars held for a bit and then let through? Because there were still runners /walkers there when the cars were let through. So either it’s safe to let them through or it isn’t? And if it isn’t and it’s a two course lap with a mix of fast runners and walkers then you must surely need to close the road to the car park for the hour the park run takes?

People have mentioned (inc you) about a car park on my left. I never saw a car park on my left, never saw any signs to it and followed the cars going to the car park I ended up in which I turned right into. If there is another car park on the left it needs signing better. I am now aware that non blue badge holders can use the car park last the coned off road even though the sign says “accessible parking”. If I had known that I would have gone elsewhere. But the combination of cones and that sign makes you think it’s blue badge holders only.

I won’t bother emailing you to discuss it further. You seem to prefer a public discussion and anyway you are clearly biased towards ParkRun so I doubt I’m going to be told anything other than put up with it or don’t come at that time on a Saturday morning.

To think the National Trust should not let Park Run volunteers marshal the cars at a NT property
OP posts:
parkrunpal · 24/09/2023 17:31

If OP is a previous parkrunner they would absolutely know that the run director is always at the finish line (to supervise it) and will be wearing a special high vis which says ‘run director’ on it in big letters to identify themselves.

I honestly can’t see why people get their knickers in a twist about this. parkrun has
been called the greatest public health intervention EVER. It’s free, forever, for everyone. It’s prescribed on the NHS. It’s proven to improve lives (there’s an academic group producing peer reviewed papers on the topic). Even if you’re not doing it yourself, surely that’s worth 10 mins of your time.

Coffeelotsofcoffee · 24/09/2023 17:25

I really hate runners . Nusciennce and a menace

Fbshe · 24/09/2023 17:25

It’s an hour a week where thousands of people across the world can improve their mental and physical health and spend time socialising. Just go later, I would walk my dog somewhere different or at a different time because I’m not so self important that I think my needs are more important than the couple of hundred people doing the activity I’m against.

QueSyrahSyrah · 24/09/2023 17:24

Galatine · 24/09/2023 17:22

I know Clumber Park well and as others have said, there is plenty of space to have the park run without impinging on the traffic routes. To the poster who said that OP should not complain as she wasn’t in a hurry and was comfortable in her car, she needs to realise that we do not pay our, not inconsiderable, membership fees to sit in an unnecessary traffic Queue. We go to enjoy the beauty of Clumber.

Register for Parkrun and you can enjoy it for free 😉

Galatine · 24/09/2023 17:22

I know Clumber Park well and as others have said, there is plenty of space to have the park run without impinging on the traffic routes. To the poster who said that OP should not complain as she wasn’t in a hurry and was comfortable in her car, she needs to realise that we do not pay our, not inconsiderable, membership fees to sit in an unnecessary traffic Queue. We go to enjoy the beauty of Clumber.

Passepartoute · 24/09/2023 17:15

QueSyrahSyrah · 24/09/2023 16:50

Well there's always two sides to every story isn't there. Not very often we get to read both.

@Passepartoute The OP is apparently a past Parkrunner, so it's reasonable to assume they'd know there is a Run Director on site to speak to at every Parkrun.

Having already been held up, why on earth should she flog back from the car park to find the director who could, frankly, be anywhere along the route of the run? Indeed, if he was doing his job he would have been doing something to prevent this situation arising.

As has been pointed out, most park runners work on the basis that inconveniencing other users is an absolute no-no. Yet @Manners23 clearly believes that the runners have priority, despite the fact that this was National Trust land where people visiting the National Trust property clearly have priority.

Original poster
ParkRunIdiots · 24/09/2023 17:14

TigerRag · 24/09/2023 15:44

Is the park really that small you couldn't have cycled elsewhere in the park?

Show quote history

The two incidents took place at two different locations. The first is a large park but the park run course is by the main visitor car park so access to that is impeded during the event. I’d ask why the park run can’t pick another route in the large park?

the second event is not in a park at all but along a public bridleway, which starts off as a wide track and the second half is a narrower path. The narrow path is jammed full of runners in both directions during park run. On the wider bit of the track the runners could keep to one side but instead insist on using the full width of the track. Seems they’re too intent on their times to drop back and let others pass.

OP posts:
Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 24/09/2023 17:14

MasterBeth · 24/09/2023 16:57

Can you really not see the difference between football being played on designated football pitches, children playing in a children's playground, individual joggers and cyclists using paths as they do through the week and a crowd of 100/200 people gathering from 8.30, blocking pathways through the park, then roping off a finishing area, again on public pathways?

Show quote history

You seem to have a very strong aversion to parkrun. They are all different, in my limited experience. And no, I can't really see the difference. In our park, the area where the children play football on Saturday mornings is used by adult footballers later in the day and by all park users at other times. The council agreed to the football coaching and team use and that means other park users don't get access to those areas then. Parkrun participants in our park are on the paths and trails for under an hour, nothing is closed off to anyone else, shared use is not a problem at all as far as I've ever been aware, and the finishing area is off the path and inconveniencing nobody.

pocketshelled · 24/09/2023 17:07

Passepartoute · 24/09/2023 16:46

I think ParkRun's PR people are currently cringing in horror at the damage @Manners23 has managed to do with one single post.

It's incredible isn't it!

chickbean · 24/09/2023 17:07

I would contact Parkrun in the first instance. The organisation is very hot on not inconveniencing other park users - it is mentioned in every start briefing I have ever been to (except Fountains Abbey, which doesn't open until 10 a.m. anyway). It may be that the volunteers have misunderstood their remit and just need a reminder or redelpoying to roles where they don't interact with the public.

BitOutOfPractice · 24/09/2023 16:57

Oh @Manners23 i do think I love you.

So it turns out that not only could the op not see the whole picture from where they were, but that they in fact didn’t have to wait as long or when they said they did.

And I do not think it’s unreasonable for a few hundred park runners to have the the run of the place for two hours a week. Everyone else can have it the other 95% of the time.

op simply leave your house 15 minutes later and all this angst could’ve been avoided. Park run is the same time every week as you know so there’s no need to get caught out again.

MasterBeth · 24/09/2023 16:57

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 24/09/2023 16:46

What a very odd thing to say. I love parkrun. It's done a lot for me and I give something back by volunteering every so often. I can reassure everyone that when I don the high viz there is no rush of blood to the head and I don't become power crazed! My role is to encourage parkrunners and watch out for any accidents or other problems.

The parkruns in our local parks are all there by permission of the council or they wouldn't be happening. It took a fair amount of negotiation and discussion before ours could start up, I believe, and the clincher was the evidence that it is a really good way to improve physical and mental fitness for people of all ages and from a wide range of backgrounds. No expensive equipment needed for participants, no charge to take part, just a group of volunteers and some basic equipment provided by parkrun HQ and stored in a shed at the edge of the park.

In my experience, quiet enjoyment is not really possible on Saturday mornings, in our park, anyway, as it's full of kids heading to football practice or the playground or just running around, dogwalkers (who tend to move in packs and are not quiet), and runners/cyclists/walkers not doing parkrun.

Show quote history

Can you really not see the difference between football being played on designated football pitches, children playing in a children's playground, individual joggers and cyclists using paths as they do through the week and a crowd of 100/200 people gathering from 8.30, blocking pathways through the park, then roping off a finishing area, again on public pathways?

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