To think Parkrun shouldn't take priority over the rest of the public?

[MaryRoze]

9.30am every Saturday, our biggest park is inundated with Parkrunners. There are hundreds of them.

They take up the 3 biggest car parks (including the one at the start of the dog walking trail), meaning I need to park at the furthest away one. Not a problem except I can't get to the furthest away one because volunteers stop the traffic to let the runners go past.

Once I get parked, I'm pushed to the side of all the main paths because they're running 3 or 4 abreast. I try to go down the muddier gravel paths, but they're down there too. An older couple today got a "fuck sake" because they couldn't move out of one runners way quick enough.

Parents are being stopped from crossing the path between car park and playground with their kids because the runners are passing by.

I get that Parkrun is fantastic for people's physical health and mental health, and it's clearly very popular but AIBU to think they need to be courteous of other park users too?

Childish response. And doing this you’re at risk of both of you being injured. Foolish

Totally agree!

FFS just avoid the park for 45 minutes on Saturday mornings if it bothers you that much. It’s clear many more people benefit from parkrun than those who are slightly inconvenienced by it 🙄

@MaryRoze who gives them the right to hold up traffic so the runners take precedence??? Public park means exactly that. it does not mean that runners have more rights than anyone else. I would be taking a double buggy deliberately onto the narrow parts of their run and just hanging about there to annoy the shit out of them!!

Parkrun is a free open event - you will get twats. Mr Monkey tries to manage the needs of everyone - runners and non runners. Most people are reasonable and compromise, some on both sides aren't.

If it's annoying them, then yes they do.

Just go literally any other time than 9:30 on a Saturday. Or join in! Also park runs start at 9.

@Apolloneuro rather than just ask nicely!

I run a lot but I've never done a parkrun, I'm tempted to sign up now that I know how much it annoys people😎

Perhaps the elderly couple like watching the Parkrun.
Don’t be so ageist.

YES! How dare there be other people, when there is already ME!!

Exactly! The park is available to all and this takes up a fraction of one day per week.

@MaryRoze work around it and go either before or afterwards or find somewhere else for Saturday morning.

Or running parkrun. Our oldest parkrunner is 85!

It’s max an hour once a week and great that a group of people are coming together to run. If you experience any rudeness please email the run director/ run team (details will be on the parkrun event page). Parkrun and other park users should be able to co-exist.

Right, so people who do Parkrun presumably like the 9am start time because it means they can do their exercise and still have time to spend time with family and make plans for the rest of their Saturday. But other people who want to use the park, people out for a stroll, dog walking, using the playground or tennis courts, don't get that consideration?

Why can't they organise Parkrun for 9pm if they have the same 24 hours as anyone else?

It's not exactly giving a "room for all" mentality, is it?

Sorry I disagree it's one day a week. Walk your dog earlier, later or elsewhere. I am not a runner but don't think it's a bad thing for people to run on a Saturday morning together.

I don’t mind the Parkrun whilst it’s on, but I do find it irksome when runners walk four abreast refusing to move out of people’s way, or stand around chatting, blocking paths after it has finished.

It's not exactly giving a "room for all" mentality, is it

It isn't 'a mentality'. It's a bunch of people, less than the capacity of the park, using the park.

I was knocked over by a large German Shepherd because it's owner refused to have it on a lead because it's "well behaved usually!". I've been jumped on and had clothes damaged more than once by uncontrolled dogs. I've stood in poo I haven't spotted too many times to count. Do I want ALL dogs banned from the park, clump ALL their owners together and call them names because of a few rude / entitled owners? No, because that would be ridiculous and unfair.

As others have pointed out, there are rude and entitled people in any group you choose to name.

I swim in a park that has Parkrun. I arrive just as it finishes. Because it’s so easy to just avoid the parking issues 🤷🏻‍♀️ I love it. I’ve only done it myself once, but I think it’s brilliant. Here’s what I literally walked through this morning:

❤️ two motivated young women still running, probably incorporating it into a 10K - good on ‘em
❤️ a gaggle of uni students laughing
❤️ two overweight ladies pink and sweating but smiling and improving their life health outcomes
❤️ a dad with a large pushchair for about an 8yo girl who was walking slowly and awkwardly alongside, so I guess he runs some of all pushing her
❤️ a young man with learning difficulties and involuntary noises, smiling and shouting his way back
❤️ a man with some walking impediment slowly making his way to the carpark, must have to walk the whole thing
❤️ a teenager with the black 100 volunteer t shirt - how proud would you be of your kid?!
❤️ a blind runner having a coffee with their guide
❤️ that guide - who has enabled that run
❤️ a bunch of volunteers finishing up - I think it’s wonderful that so many give their time

So I’m going to say that actually if a priority had to be given - and Parkrun isn’t asking for priority - I 100% would give priority to what I’ve listed there, for one hour a week, early in the day.

Yes of course if any individual runner is rude they’re wrong. But as an organisation, it’s fantastic and I love walking against the tide through such inclusivity and happiness.

I don't think it's unreasonable of you to expect them to be considerate of other park users and you could certainly point that out to the organisers. Unfortunately that probably won't stop the runners being rude.

I agree when its on our park is a no go area more or less.

9am is chosen because it is a quiet time in most parks so as not to cause issues. A lot of dog walkers combine their morning dog walk with parkrun - why not give it a go, the dogs love it!

Yes, and this is irksome when parents with buggies and large groups of people and dog owners on long leads do it at other times during the week, too. It's nothing to do with Parkrun.