I'll start by saying I love parkrun. I've done over 130 of them and it's a real treat to discover a new one when we're away on holiday.
Everyone there is lovely and welcoming and it's such a great way to start Saturdays with a 5km run.
I am also older, fat and slow, but this is fine as I'm not there to win it.
So last Saturday headed to one of my usual parkruns with a friend. There was a traffic incident so many people didn't make it. This meant that rather than being in the back 10 or so I ended up being the last person bar the tail runner. Again all fine and someone has to be there.
However for the last km or so as I went past people who were dispersing made a big point of clapping loudly and shouting on encouragement. Obviously meant to be supportive, but I've run so many of the damn things and I just like to be invisible rather than the obviously last, slow ploddy person who people want to help.
I'm actually really nervous about going again, it upset me so much. I could go to one with more runners and then I should be less likely to be right at the back, but its a further drive and the whole thing has knocked my confidence and I don't know what to do.
AIBU?
To have been really put off Parkrun by this
rookiemere · 06/09/2022 10:10
MasterBeth · 06/09/2022 10:40
This is why I will never do Parkrun. Couldn't think of anything worse. It reeks of forced fun and everyone congratulating themselves on how supportive and caring they are while desperately trying to inch their way up the field. Real "Come on, Tim!" Daily Mail energy, with self-important wannabe midle-managers in hi-vis coralling others with megaphones to do their bidding. Passive aggressive pretentious lower-case "p" in all the marketing. And great hordes of "all the gear, no idea" runners imposing themselves on all the local parks on Saturday mornings with no regard for anyone else.
GimmeSleep · 06/09/2022 10:56
I use noise cancelling headphones so I'm oblivious to what others are doing /shouting when I parkrun 😁
watcherintherye · 06/09/2022 10:50
I was always the fattest and slowest in my CF classes,
I didn’t know they had classes for CFs!
(Assuming it means something aside from the MN meaning!)
Don’t want to miss threads like this?
Weekly
Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!
Log in to update your newsletter preferences.
You've subscribed!
Insertdeadcatsnamehere · 06/09/2022 11:07
Urgh. I've been thinking of doing parkrun for a while but this has totally put me off. Couldn't stand being patronised like that (I usually go really early on a Saturday and am skulking out of the park just as they all arrive, will carry on doing that rather than feeling publically humiliated I think!).
To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.