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?

Insulting the run directors by calling us hitlers and self important is harsh. Someone has to take responsibility for the event. We are volunteers and loads of us are quite nervous about doing it. We are the people who will try to address the issues you are unhappy about by speaking to the entitled runners who have sworn at members of the public. It is hard to recruit and train new run directors and lots of events would like to have more so that each of us doesn’t have to do it so often.

But what do you suggest? Do you want them to cancel parkrun because it causes an inconvenience?

I think yabu. It's one hour once a week and it's a hugely popular event.

You can say "why should I change my routine" but there is an ongoing planned event on for that hour on Saturday's. It's annoying to you, but not to the hundreds of people taking part. They are as much entitled to enjoy the event as you are to feel annoyed by it.

But if it wasn't that 90 minutes it would be a different 90 minutes.

Like you said it's hundreds of people - hundreds of people getting exercise, socialising and using the park at a set pre planned time. It wouldn't make sense for hundreds of people to sacrifice their park run for the sake of a few other park users.

People will have different suggestions but for me I don't think the route should cut off all or most of the park to others, so fine to have a defined area but if that means people coming into the park can't get to the children's play area as an example then the route is wrong. I'd also want them to stick to one side of the path, right or left doesn't matter but no need to prevent other people using the paths. It would also be good if people who are abusive are banned. I'd also like the size of the park to be taken into consideration as I think it would be easier to make it work well in a large park.

Actually all park users matter. It is fine to use the park but not to make it unusable for others.

This, in its simplicity.

You’re missing the whole point of parkrun. It’s a group and community event.

The runners will already be in smaller running groups and clubs. The point of parkrun is to bring everyone together.

Applying your logic, the London marathon could be broken into smaller groups over a number of weeks. Can you see how ridiculous your suggestion is.

In a congested field, this is possibly the stupidest post on this thread so far. A quite fatuous argument that completely ignores the reality of human behaviour for a shit load of irrelevant stats.

If you really wanted to bring some mathematical or economic language into it, you need to factor in that all parts of the park are not of equal value. An outlying wooded area is not as crowded as the queue outside the ice cream van for a reason.

Pathways through the park are the most densely used and therefore the most valuable part of the park. They are the park's prime real estate. Why does the park run take place on the path? Because it is the most level, most accessible, easiest to get to, most linked together.

In your fun little maths game, it's totally irrelevant that park run takes up "just over 0.5% of the park" when it takes over 100% of the best bit of the park.

The point about football pitches is, if possible, even more stupid. You're absolutely right to note that organised football matches privilege areas of the park that prevent other park users from using them for the duration of the match (although these areas are not nearly as significant areas as the prime pathway network.) But, guess what? Football teams pay for that privilege. These areas are hired out and help pay for the upkeep of the park. The park runners take over a far more valuable resource, for free, every week. Maybe local authorities should start doing the same for park runners.

And as has been said loads of times the routes are approved by the park owners, usually the local authority. If it is causing significant harm or problems for other park users, speak to the local authority.

You've been to the park run in my town? Amazing as I haven't told you where it is.

I can't speak for everywhere, but the large parkrun event here has sometimes 700-800 runners and I don't believe even with those numbers that it makes the park unusable. The vast majority of runners have completed the run in 30 minutes. So after 30 minutes the paths are very clear again. It really is a very short time that there is any real inconvenience.

Parks are free community space for all and sometimes we will feel annoyed at the way people are using the park whether that's runners, cyclists, badly behaved dogs, children on scooters. In our town park we even have large numbers of roller skaters.

I think people should just have a live and let live mentality.

Once a year there is a flipping 'beach' at our local park for a week. Causes parking mayhem but people seem to love it. I just avoid that park that week.

You’re nice!

There is no need to do a park run. There is a need not to be verbally assaulted.

No everyone should be able to use the park and no one should be running events that stop other people having access.

I think maybe where there is an issue crossing the path, then a simple zebra crossing painted on or similar would be good and runners give way to walkers crossing.

But there is a need to do parkrun. That's why there are so many events with so many taking part.

There is as much of a need to do park run as there is to walk your dog or go to the playground or have a stroll in that specific park between 10-10.30 on a Saturday morning.

I take your point but if there are hundreds of runners I can imagine that causing mayhem, maybe depends on how fast they are running. I am imagining it like a motorway pileup without the cars.

The use of public parks are never easy issues. My son was at a work sports afternoon last week (he said it felt like school all over again!) and they hired a bit of the park and paid. Other parks have all sorts of things going on and conflicts between dog owners and those of us who hate dogs , never mind Tai Chi, political demonstrations, perhaps public prayers sometimes of all kinds of religions and of course the old chestnut of the man in the dirty mac your mother always told you to keep away from and told the park keeper about (in those days the keeper often lived in a little house on site).

Touché, but true.
I don't appreciate being told FFS either for simply making a suggestion.

Fine but don't have a route that makes it impossible for others to access the park.

OP I've read your posts and think you should absolutely contact your local organisers.
I'm sure they are not meant to block access to car parks and playgrounds, and obviously no one should be sworn at.

The swearing prob won't change cos some people are just arseholes.

The few I have done do have issues with parking, but aside from stopping the event I don't know what the solution is.

I've never seen playgrounds being blocked though. Does it mean people are blocked from getting out of the playground, too?

How do you define needs?

It is good for people mentally to belong to a group/organisation and feel part of a larger community. Parkrun enables that. There is a huge need for it in today’s society which is evident by the large number of people taking part.

Given the state of public finances should park run be paying to use the park? Subs people are paying so their children can use public areas for football are not insignificant why shouldn't adults pay as much? If you've got 500 runners in a park other users might be happier if say £500 was going to maintain the park.

As a runner it's super annoying when people block your path despite saying excuse me multiple times. Particularly when you get entire families walking hand in hand or groups that ignore you and make it difficult for you to pass. I swear a lot of people do it to make a point.

Parkrun is fantastic for countless people's physical and mental health, if people have an issue with it for one hour a week, they are at liberty to walk elsewhere.

My local park run seems to be quite well set up in that the route they use doesn’t cross any paths that other people may be using. One annoying thing is that the car parks are free before 10am, but are packed with runners cars. So other visitors have to wait until after 10, thus incurring a £3 parking charge.