to not understand the level of fuss about the Stoke Gifford Parkrun?

[Lucydogz]

I appreciate that, ideally, Parkruns should be free, but can't understand the level of fuss about Stoke Gifford proposing a £1 charge for this. I pay more than that to park my car when I do a parkrun in my town. Football clubs pay to use parks, as do other organisations, and parks really need the money. Well over 100 runners go on 'my' run, and it does increase wear and tear on the ground.

fakename, yes, it is a good thing, but my original comment was about how starting a new parkrun close by doesn't really make the numbers go down at the original parkrun.

some kind of primal instinct people have to run in groups

this is definitely over thinking

I run alone which I like
occasionally I go to park run and run in a big cheerful group which I like

its not that odd

my dd goes to athletics club which is very social. In fact all my childrens sports clubs have a big social element. Why should grown ups be any different?

It’s fascinating to read this thread. I think the arguments re free access and special group pleading are balanced. What would sway it for me is the issue of nuisance parking. Local residents should not have to suffer nuisance from out-of-area participants on a regular basis, and if this is a genuine problem then the event should be banned (not charged for).
There are a lot of misinformed comments. Firstly, health benefits. The health benefits from knocking off two minutes from your 5k time are probably not measurable. “Bangs for buck” come from getting people off the couch and doing something (like walking the dog, which Parkrunners wish to restrict). Oh, but it brings in previously inactive people – it’s SO inclusive! Very few, of course. Running 5k is a huge challenge for many people. You might despair at that comment, but it is true. The c25k program lasts 9 weeks – and a majority who start it fail. How many people think like Nikky333 that all you have to do is turn up for 5 Parkruns and off you’ll go competing for your time on the leader board?!
Finally can I take issue with parissont, who thinks swimming is worthless? Running is vigorous exercise, while for most of us swimming is moderate exercise. So you do indeed need to do more swimming. However many people do find swimming tolerable, doable, and maintainable, while running appeals as much as sticking pins in one’s eyes. Indeed Parkrun seems to fit with the Human Rights definition of “cruel and unusual punishment”.

OldDoc at Parkruns you don't have to be run. You can walk them. Lots combine walking and jogging. You can jog with your dog. Or your baby in a buggy. Very beneficial and inclusive for just about anyone of any age. From babies to a couple of 80 year olds, and everyone in between attend at my local parkrun. It's a lovely local thing to do. All finished by 10 am.

C25 and Parkruns are the sole reason I now do 4 runs a week, for over a year, starting at the age of 50. After being a total couch potato for ages 16 to 50. The c25 can last as long as you want it to. It makes sense to repeat weeks if you are new to exercise.

I can't recommend it highly enough.

@OldDoc: do you want to know the problem with swimming?
Most swimmers don't swim much. What I mean is, they get in, shoot up & down a few times & gas. Shoot along, lots more gassing. Repeat. This goes on for an hour by which time they've done maybe 20 lengths. I wonder if they get out thinking "I swam for an hour!" but actually... I think harder to fool oneself about the time spent running.

2/3 of people at the local PRuns finish in < 35 minutes. Few PRunners walk much.

OldDoc I have done over 100 parkruns and not once have I challenged for the leaderboard. I'm slow. I'm always going to be slow. parkrun is for runners, joggers and walkers. I've been the 'tail runner' quite a few times and quite a few of those times, I've walked all the way round. Those walkers then start run/walking and might run all the way at some point. Lots of C25K programmes through running clubs have a parkrun at the end for their graduates.

Most parkruns allow people to run with their dog, apart from those on grounds where dogs aren't allowed at all, such as National Trust properties. We have two dogs that regularly take part with their owner and our volunteers shout, 'First dog' and 'Second dog' as they go past.

In 2015, there were more than 23,000 previously inactive people who took part in parkrun.

And swimming is mind-numbingly boring. And I say that as someone who swims and does triathlons. Still boring.

Local residents should not have to suffer nuisance from out-of-area participants on a regular basis, and if this is a genuine problem then the event should be banned (not charged for)

There's a misunderstanding of "out of area". There will be a few people who come from all over the UK (or indeed overseas). But most will live locally. Just not close enough to walk. So they'll drive.

If parking is a genuine problem you sort it out. Get traffic wardens to patrol. You don't ban the event.

As for the all finished by 10am. That won't be the case if more people turn up to walk parkrun. Personally I think a one hour cut-off should apply. It's not fair for the volunteers, and if you want to walk, you can walk anytime, it's not the same as running on your own at all - nobody is abused for walking in public whereas it's not unusual for people to be abused while out running especially if a bit oversized.

There's no need for walkers to take part in a weekly, timed, free RUN. I know I'll be flamed for not being "inclusive" but being inclusive always seems to mean putting on the volunteers. Either run it, however, slowly, or just do one lap if your course has more than one lap. But don't walk the whole thing very very slowly and expect the volunteers to hang around for ages. Parkrun relies on volunteers, so look after them.

all finished by 10am I can assure that's the case at my local parkrun, as near as dammit. 395 runners, last one in was timed at 47m. I am slow - 35m - and the last of the runners, everyone around and behind me is running/walking. I hung about for a short while and saw the volunteers walking back in, and only a few people around, the majority go when they finish - under 30m. Very much over by 10 here last Saturday.

My local parkrun were contacted by the local council following this and told that since parkrun started they have made far more money than they ever would from charging. The parkrunners spend a fortune in the council run café afterwards and they have also seen the visits to the farm and stately home (owned by council) increase because people come to parkrun and are more aware of what is there.

I think this is very small minded of the local council. Parkrun is an amazing inclusive community.

All finished by 10am most people leave when they finish. The few that stay either come with kids who play on the playgrounds or are having a drink in the cafe, which is what I do when my DCs come with me.

Just checked mine and the last one was in at 51 minutes so they would be pretty much packed up and ready to go by 10.

ThroughThickAndThin01 – “You can walk them. Lots combine walking and jogging.”
lljkk – “Few PRunners walk much.”
So who is right?
Nicky333 – “In 2015, there were more than 23,000 previously inactive people who took part in parkrun.” Are you saying that 23,000 inactive people were able to turn up and run 5k just like that? Or is it that people took up running, possibly using c25k and then used Parkrun to test their new-found prowess? It makes a difference when judging whether Parkrun itself alters behaviour.
I agree with you on one thing. Swimming is mind-numbingly boring! However it is the least unpleasant exercise option.

I went from doing nothing to doing pr, as did my husband and loads of other people I know. Loads of fat, unfit people do my local pr, I know because I'm one of them. Plenty of people at my local PR walk/run despite this I don't think it's very common at all to take longer than an hour. You can walk 5k in an hour.

If runners are charged for wear and tear then dog walkers should be charged for the emptying of poop bins, children should be changed for use of swings etc etc

OldDoc well I know I'm right about my local parkrun. I do it every week . Why would I lie?

fake even my (then) 6yo dd ran / walked / sulked 5k in an hour. 50 mins isn't unusual for families with young children. Our slowest walker comes in just on an hour.

ThroughThickAndThin01 - "Why would I lie?" Of course I never meant to imply that. But it is interesting that PRunners themselves disagree about walking the event. For example purplevase advocates restricting PR to runners only.

OldDoc, people do just turn up at parkrun without any previous running - I did at my first one. Lots of people come along to my parkrun and do a lap (of 3) and maybe next week do two laps. Or they'll come along and walk the whole distance. The people who do C25k won't be counted in that 32,000 as they will have done some exercise prior to parkrun.

I'm in charge of my local parkrun and to me, it's all inclusive. We don't mind walkers, not at all. We always have a 'tail runner' who will go along at the speed the last person is happy with. Most, if not all, parkruns do.

We'll have to disagree about this swimming lark - I'd rather do a marathon than swim

I've only ever attended my local park run and my experience is the same as Nickys post above.

Maybe there are different outlooks at different park runs? If there are park runs that frown on walkers then I don't agree with that st all. That would be a shame, it should be all inclusive. If walker/runners go weekly they will become runner/walkers then eventually runners. All good.

through I'm sure a recent parkrun newsletter said they were encouraging more walking. And quite right too.

The name tail runner isn't really accurate any more. Ours have always been tail walkers.

Our local park run where I volunteer allows local charities to come along and fundraise or sell refreshments once per month. That way they put something back locally without having to get in to re debate about charging. There are approximately 300 runners per week and local dog walkers come out to cheer them on.

I am against the charge as our council fundraises other ways for the park.

meglet I pass our tail walkers on the return lap, never seen the tail runner actually run. Quite honestly, I run so slowly much to my frustration - 34 - 35m - some of the faster walkers are hardly slower than me anyway! I'm desperately trying to improve my time.

I don't think walkers should be allowed delay the volunteers by hours. (If there is a parkrun where they do). Maybe something like have an hour cap on the parkrun if it became too slow and problematic?

Yes, 'tail runner' is a little of a misnomer, which is why I've put it in quotations all the way through this thread. It's what the volunteer role is called in the roster though.

I was tail at one of my local events when the final three people were two sisters, and the daughter of one of them. The one with the daughter kept stopping and the one without the daughter was drinking from a can of Special Brew all the way round. We walked every step. We still finished in less than 56 minutes.

I have not done a Park Run, not yet at least I have just registered and hope to do my first next week. I wanted to comment though about the challenge of doing 5k and how difficult that is for most people. When I started running doing the Zombies Run Couch to 5k programme I was twenty three and a half stone. I couldn't run for a minute let alone a 5k.
It is now nearly a year down the line, I am sixteen stone and can run 10k, I hope to be a healthy weight by the end of the year. It has obviously made a huge difference in my life.
I have had other women comment about my running and what I hear again and again is they would be worried about going out either because of abusive remarks (especially if they are larger) or personal safety concerns. I had a few of both, people who yell comments and one guy who decided to follow me for an extended period of time in a very creepy way. For me it isn't too much of a concern, I'm confident enough to tell those commenting to fuck off and my previous jobs taught me how to defend myself physically. For others though these concerns are the difference between running or not.
Park Run allows a safe and supportive environment where people can give it a go, if everyone is very encouraging and it doesn't matter if you walk that could make the difference between someone trying it or not. Running isn't for everyone but for some people it is life changing.

LOL at the can of special brew!! not feeling so intimidated by Park run now

It was very funny, especially at 9am on a Saturday

parkruns aren't at all intimidating, everyone is really friendly. I've made some of my best friends through parkrun.