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?

As people have said repeatedly, unlke a lot of other park users there are established and official lines of contact to complain if you feel parkrun or individual parkrunners are causing problems. Use them.

Where do you get your info that everyone is within walking distance to a parkrun....?

There are several nearby but all are 4-6 miles away. Sone running club friends do a "parkrun sandwich" which is run there, do pr then run back but I don't want to do a run that long most weeks, so I drive. I park in a nearby residential road and walk about 10 min to the start for running or volunteering.

I do plenty of my own runs from home but enjoy the occassional parkrun. I also drive to train on a track because it isn't walkable distance

Why can’t the Parkrunners use part of the park, and leave part of the park for other users? And if they do have to use the whole park, shouldn’t they be a bit considerate towards other park users - for example, not swearing at an elderly couple walking their dog?

I think it's a great initiative. Raise your complaints or suggestions. Why moan about something that does net good for the community? It's such a short, once weekly event it would take you no effort at all to avoid it.

It's genuinely not hard to avoid parkrun if it gives you such rage. I know at 9am on a Saturday if I'm out running/walking I just stay off that trail for 30 mins. Getting annoyed by such a positive event is frankly weird when it's so easy to avoid. Like complaining that airports are busy during peak holiday season... I mean. If you don't enjoy it then plan to avoid.

Actually make these suggestions

Park run is a fantastic initiative. Free to participate in, accessible to a huge range of abilities, has a community feel, beneficial for health etc. Honestly I think it's pretty miserable to criticise it.

Re the driving/parking. They aren't always within walking distance. Some people aren't fit enough to do it and walk there and back again. Some are fitting it in around other commitments so drive to save time. All these things are perfectly acceptable.

They are predictable being the same time every week and the slot is short...many people get there, run for less than 30 mins and go again. Easy to avoid.

Kids park runs are 2k. People are in and out in less than half an hour!

I'll concede on the rudeness of individuals.

It's an hour a week. If you don't like it go elsewhere. I say that as someone who enjoys a run myself, however if by chance I fancy a 9am dog walk or take my young son to a park we just visit a different one or go slightly later when the majority of park runners have started to leave.

They wouldn't make the announcements if they knew all the runners would be respectful and considerate of others, it sort of proves the point that some runners are rude and inconsiderate. I also don't get that some other people being inconsiderate some how means no one can complain about park runners.

They’re less than an hour (usually) and in our area once a week at the same time so I just avoid around then.

I do understand your complaint, OP . The run takes place in a public park, the public aren't walking their dogs in a dedicated running facility.

I would hope the park run publicise their route so other park users know when and where to avoid. It sounds like yours has some entitled busybodies as runners and marshalls.

I , myself have been pissed off by a group of retired aged women who run rather slowly around our local park on a Friday and basically just get in everybody's way.

She is. Right here.

It's shouldn't be up to people who are inconvenienced by these events to have to inconvenience themselves even further with complaints to the "established and official lines of contact".

It should be up to park run to stop running events that inconvenience people.

And the responses on this thread - we are right, you are wrong, it's for the good of the community, an official barks an order to be courteous through a megaphone at the start, other people can also be rude - show what a waste of time any complaint would be.

Define 'likely'. The two nearest me are 3 and 6 miles away. Both entirely walkable, though you'd need to go across the fields to avoid walking along pavement-less roads, so not very appealing.

It's an hour a week.

Every person who arrives at the car park has as much right to be there as you, whether they are walking the dog, running, playing with the dcs or something else.

You know that it will be busy between 8.45 and 9.45, so go earlier, or later. Why they are there is irrelevant.

Came on to say this. I love Parkrun but ours always has a very specific “you are not special, the park is for everyone, please be very aware of other park users”.

It would be incredibly unusual for a parkrun to use the entire park. If nothing else the park owner would be unlikely to give permission to use such a small space.

I've already said its very unreasonable for people to swear at others, and that is not acceptable in any setting.
There is a suitable channel to complain to and OP should do so particularly if that is a regular occurrence.
However I also think it's unreasonable to equate one rude parkrunner to parkrun as a whole entity

Quoted on our local Junior Parkrun page:

Please remember that the parkrun uses shared paths. Please give way to other park users. This won't slow you down and will help ensure the overall success of the event

If the runners are rude, let the organisers know. The policy is very clear.

I get inconvenienced because the kids football clubs take over our local parks all Saturday morning, meaning my dog can’t run around & exercise as she normally would. That’s shared spaces for you. I either go earlier or go somewhere else.

im not sure what exactly some people are after here.

Parkruns take place across the country at the same time.

they have set routes which are agreed with the landowners and take a lot of planning. impact on others is taken into account in this planning to try to minimise it.

The runners briefing reminds runners to be respectful of others park users - the vast majority don’t need telling that but obviously like any other sector of society some are rude. short of having a volunteer follow every runner there isn’t much more they can do to control behaviour of individuals.

The time any particular path is going to be congested with runners is less than an hour and in the vast majority of cases a lot less - the point I Marshall everyone is through within half an hour and only about 10 minutes of that is busy.

it’s not perfect, not much in life is, but it is planned to consider all and it probably has more of a positive impact on public health than most other things because it is so inclusive.

Driving somewhere to do a run is absolutely stupid

Because people shouldn't be allowed to choose where they run, and should only be allowed to run around the block in their own neighbourhood, regardless of traffic/danger/air quality/hills etc. Quite right, @Shoyden Wisdom, there. I'm sure many will agree!

This gets the prize for most ridiculous post of the day , why would anybody feel inadequate among runners , not everyone wants to run and plenty of people ( including myself) are unable to due to health concerns , that doesn’t make me feel inadequate . Our local park run is along the sea front , in the winter that is fine as it’s just a few dog walkers that get trampled or sworn at , in the summer it is a nightmare .

That's an odd conclusion. Our Parkrun venue has three car parks and is at least 60 miles from the nearest city.

Precisely.

Runners don’t select the path they take, it’s a a set course measured accurately by the park run organisers. Look on the specific park run page and you will be able to see the set course and avoid it.

As for being prevented from driving where runners were crossing, as a driver we are expected to give way to pedestrians. Maybe to avoid stress and anxiety you should attend the park at a different time, or is this the only two hours in the week you want to go?

@Floralnomad

This gets the prize for most ridiculous post of the day , why would anybody feel inadequate among runners

It's quite common, and it's one of the reasons that Parkrun exists; to encourage those who are intimidated by joining running clubs/big races to start running. Just because you personally haven't come across a mindset, doesn't mean it's ridiculous to suggest it. Well, you might think it does, but... why do you think that 'what you've personally come across' is any kind of barometer?