Anyone else’s Junior Parkrun overwhelmed with competitive parents?

[Doodlesnoodlesdoodles]

DD used to love parkrun but got tearful tonight and said she doesn’t want to go anymore. If I’m honest I can see why. At least three quarters of the kids have a parent running with them, which in some ways is lovely as a family weekend activity but it’s become really intimidating for the kids who are running on their own.

Lots of the parents are great and are running with their little ones who can’t do it on their own but there are a significant number of parents (all men) who are super competitive and run the whole race alongside their older kids shouting encouragement and instructions/advice or berating their kids. They also get in the way of other fast kids running. DD is quite slow but enjoyed it until last week when, one dad humiliated her by loudly repeatedly encouraging his younger kid to beat/overtake DD and crowing when she did.

We wont go anymore but I wish there was a way to make it inclusive for parents to enjoy with their kids but not exclude/discourage others. I can’t run with dd due to disability.

Are they all like this?

Is it worth contacting the organisers of your park run and see if they can do anything? It seems such a shame for them to dedicate their time and people not enjoy it without letting them kindly know why.

I totally get while your daughter doesn't enjoy it - it sounds intimidating to me as an adult!

🤬 FFS why are some people so awful

Totally agree with you, OP.

Dear God those men sound awful. Definitely speak to the organisers. This is not the spirit of ParkRun!!

I’ve seen this too.

I’ve also witnessed a cliquey system when we tried a new park run recently. All the volunteers cheered the regulars by name and ignored everyone else.

Can you try a different one OP? Ours isn't like that at all.

How old is she? Could she do an adult Parkrun unaccompanied? All the fast men will be way ahead of her then, assuming she's not going to do 5km in 20 minutes.

If parents ever do that at ours there’s a reminder the following week before the run that it’s not OK. I think it’s worth commenting to the run director. It’s not in the spirit of Park Run. In fact one of the main aims of Park Run is that the average time gets slower, ie more people are introduced to running that may not have run before.

What is wrong with these parents?
DD and I did a junior parkrun on holiday once where a mum was following her son on a scooter, telling him off for being slow. ‘Come on Toby, you’re LAST!!!!’

How old is she? Would she give the adult one a go? DS found that loads better than the junior one from about 10.

We have a kids cross country running for primary schools in my city, similar to parkrun, and parents aren't allowed to run alongside their kids like this.

You can stand along the track and cheer the kids on but you're not supposed to run along encouraging/berating your own kid.

I was just checking our local to see if I can take dc for the first time tomorrow. Apparently the average finishing time is 12min. That sounds fast for 4+ year olds!

This doesn’t sound like our one at all. All the older kids would be mortified to have a parent running with them, that’s kept more for the under 5s. My son started at seven there and didn’t want us running with him even once. The volunteers all seem supportive of all, so it’s a nice atmosphere

I don't regularly see Park Runs now but thought it was lovely a few years ago when parents, who were obviously not runners, were joining in with their kids. It seemed to me absolutely what the event was about. Please let your race director know before withdrawing your DD.

Thank you for your comments. I feel quite tearful as I thought I’d be blasted! She’s 9 and really tall but I think she’d feel really intimidated at the adult one on her own.

I could speak to one of the organisers, I didn’t like to really as they are all volunteers but they are all really friendly and encouraging. They do say at the beginning that it’s a children’s run and to be positive so I think they are aware. They must see it themselves but I’m not really sure what else they could do.

If you’ve got another local one it’s worth trying a different one. The differences between the 4 I’ve been to has been huge.

Theres definitely an issue now with some overcompetitive parents 'pacing' their child round the course quite aggressively and it's really off putting for other kids

Parkrun is supposed to be a run not a race

She wouldn't be able to do the adult one alone aged 9. If you can't run with her do you know anyone that would? They have to be in arms reach of their adult until 10 or 11( I can't remember exactly which) at the adult parkrun.

Otherwise I would look around at other local junior parkruns they won't all be the same I've found different parkruns vary a lot in terms of friendliness.

Ours isn't like this, and we have taken action when occasional parents have been over-bearing.

For 5ks, u11s need to be in arm's length of their adult. Juniors have higher marshalling requirements so children are in sight of an adult at all times.

Do you have another nearby? We swapped for similar reasons and the new one has a totally different vibe. I’m all for competition - but hate the aggressive parents and think adults should only be allowed to run with younger/less confident not the older ones.

I wish those parents could realise how they’re setting their kids up for failure.

Those other parents sound absolutely ridiculous! If they're so competitive they should take themselves to a local running club. Park run by definition is not a race.

Definitely have a quiet word to one of the organisers / the race director (normally the person who does the announcements at the start). My DD will go very occasionally to junior park run and it isn't like that at all. I will check her time when it comes through but I don't particularly care what it is or bother to tell her unless she asks.

thats the average, there are plenty doing it slower, my sons pb was 12 and he came in half way through the pack. Plus there is a tail walker so no one is ever last.

ours isn’t overrun with these types but I know exactly what you mean; “go faster Oliver!”

I have stopped volunteering for this reason. And also people who turn up with a 3 year old (technically you need to be 4) and expect volunteers to hang around and cheer the 3 year old who is going to take far longer to finish than everyone else because they have a meltdown halfway round

I’d def speak to the RD. Failing that senior parkrun is the way to go BUT before she’s 11 she needs to run with an adult. There are some idiots there too but they are enormously drowned out by supportive and encroaching types. There are quite a few 8-10 year olds running with a parent at ours

I took my son until he was about 7 or 8. I was one of those parents who ran with him when he was younger.

but that’s because he wanted to. I encouraged him to run faster to get a PB, but never made it about racing others.

Awful parents ruin an awful lot of things. Volunteers are quitting lots of children’s sport’s events because they cannot deal with the parents, from football to scouts and I’m sure everything inbetween. My theory is directly men’s work became more flexible and they were able to be around more for the family, everything became more competitive. All the gear got bought, times were written down, training schedules were adhered to and other kids became the opposition to be trodden on, on the way to greatness.