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

[ParkRunIdiots]

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.

Complain to the National Trust and Park Run.

Definitely complain to parkrun - you should be able to find a contact on the location page for that run on the parkrun website. I know our local one would take a very dim view of their volunteers behaving like this.

A rule which is stated every week is to be aware of/give way to other park users who have as much right to use the park as the runners. Obviously when there are cars there's an extra layer of safety involved but there seem to be a couple of basic parkrun principles which aren't being followed here.

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.

I wonder if this is Lyme Park?

Her dog was on a lead?

True, but I still don’t want to sit there for ten plus minutes when there’s no need.

and my dog was on a lead on the other occasion, as I stated. On a short lead, walking with her nose an inch from my heel as we were surrounded by a stampede (at that point on the course they are in both directions with outgoing slower runners and returning faster runners and the path is about 3ft wide).

I have now emailed the NT. I wasn’t sure if ParkRun would care but if people think they will then I’ll email them too.

Clumber Park.

Definitely complain. That's not on.

@madamreign Don't be so ridiculous. There was clearly no need for the park run to cause such delays accessing the car park nor was there any need for the volunteer to be rude.

There were a number of different ways the situation could have been managed which would have kept the runners safe and give visitors access to the car park in a timely fashion.

And the OP clearly states her dog was on a lead.

Presumably they think that the other carpark, which is completely outside the route, has sufficient capacity for that time of day?

Op wanted to park their car

Granted that sounds annoying, but Parkrun have to be so, so careful with their liability and safety precautions (but are also clear about respecting shared spaces).

350,000 people per week take part, for free, and a single major accident could jeopardise all that.

I'd maybe drop an email to the NT property and the Parkrun organisers (copy them both in together). If they receive regular complaints or comments they might be able to amend the route.

This.

Ridiculous. I find it hard to believe you'd take this attitude if it was happening to you. And OP never said her dog was off the lead you've made that up to suit your narrative. Also it was a bridleway not a footpath.

Sure. Complain to both

You could have done it in the time it took to write that post 😁

Why was the Park Run there anyway? Do they pay for the use of the land? If not, why are NT allowing it, to the detriment of their members and paying visitors?

Goodness, give some folk a tiny bit of power and they turn into mini-tyrants 😂

Fair point about the lead- but I run and I see shit loads of them off leads or those stupid long leads. Tripped over the leads, accidentally kicked a dog that tried to bite my ankle etc

However, cars can wait for the safety and comfort of human beings running. In their comfortable cars.

Wanting to park, does not trump safety. Or do people thing they were doing this just to annoy car drivers? Some kind've mad, personal vendetta? Unlikely.

I knew this would be Clumber Park which is plenty big enough to have their Park Run route somewhere that doesn't cause these problems.

Park Run was cancelled from my local park/nature reserve because of problems like this - particularly the attitude of the runners and marshals towards other park users. I’d complain to the NT as suggested.

Give some people a high vis vest and the power goes to their heads.

Definitely complain! (Some) park runners are a bloody menace.

I complained about an altercation at a parkrun in a shared space recently. The route shares an access track with a property in a woodland location. I had a legitimate and legal reason to use the access and I was shouted profanities at by a parkrun marshal (in front of my kids).

I complained to parkrun who tbf were great about it.

Our local parkrun is a bloody nuisance too. It takes over the whole of the local parkland and anyone unwittingly happening to use it gets yelled at by marshals.

What other carpark? I used to park on Limetree Ave all the time but last time got a note telling me I was killing the trees. I’m a member so happy to use the car park even though I actually don’t care about the visitor facilities (I’m going cycling or dog walking).

the car park arrangements have changed since I last used the car park, so there was a big grassy field main car park which is new. The old one is for accesible parking only. I never saw a sign for another one, is there one?

Ha OP I guessed clumber when you described the parking situation. Tbh nothing surprises me. I won't go there now.