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?

@Balloonhearts started it, tbf.

This. I don't do it myself but it's a great initiative.

Mr Monkey is event director of our local parkrun. The use of the park and the route has to be agreed with the park owner - usually the local council. Councils are generally supportive as it helps meet healthy living targets. Most parkruns do a pre race brief at the start of every run reminding people of the rules and the course.

If you experience any issues with park runners contact the local event director and they can look in to it.

Fortunately that's not taxation works.

I love parkrun
However I agree that being abusive and swearing at other park users is VVU and should not be tolerated.

At every parkrun (and races come to think of it) I've been to, they have specifically said we don't have sole use of the park/woods/trail (whatever the environment) and to look out for, and be courteous to, other park users such as young children, walkers, dog walkers and horseriding.

I don't think its unreasonable for parkrun to happen at the same time in the same place every week.

Reality is there will be about 40-50ish minutes where it's potentially extremely busy (the whole set up, run and pack up will prob be 90-120 min but majority of runners will be done within an hour) in a whole week

It's got nothing to do with entitlement. That's a massive stretch. And if it was, the OP would be the entitled one, as she wants her needs to be put above the group.

Also loads of women do parkrun.

It's one hour a week - there's another 167 hours every week when the paths are clear. FFS - some people just look for things to get annoyed about!

66% of Mumsnettters think OP is not being unreasonable?

Wow, aren’t you a delight? And no, I would not attend anything that inconveniences others, can’t think of anything that has. Being made to go 4 miles out of my way is not the end of the world, we are rarely given much notice round here, the lanes just get closed.

I’d message your local ParkRun to get them know if some people are not giving way but most people will be done in 30-35 mins it’s only 5km. It’s only really a 45 min window where the car park will be busy and 30 mins while the paths will be busier, anyone after that will be slow jogging / walking.

We have it round my area. Two runs.

The first one staff yelled at the runners to make way for pedestrians and keep to the side, as I was just walking around not taking part and being lapped.

The other run I didn't hear any of that and felt a bit apprehensive trying to cross the path to the other path but crossed near a staff member after I waited til a break in the 'traffic'.

Nobody was bad mannered though.

If anyone experiences anything negative I would suggest they go to the senior staff present, then write an email if nothing improves, then their local councillor if on council land, if still no improvement then their MP.

We do need to encourage healthy activity. But also good manners and patience, something which has been sadly lacking since lockdown ended.

If they wore numbers on their bibs they'd be easier to grass in if we saw bad behaviour. But ours don't. Difficult to describe a perpetrator. "He was wearing shorts". Yeah you don't say!

Not at all U. Parkrun always strikes me as one of the most tedious, smug and entitled of the the “organised fun” activities. A terrible waste of a Saturday morning. Jog on, Parkrun!

My friend moans about a cycle race road closure which means that for her daily visit to her elderly mum she has to get out before 8am and stay out to the evening. OK for the Tour de France, but now it’s turned into an annual thing. I think she has every right to moan!

Oh, hush. They're not doing anybody a favour. Everybody except for a small proportion of the population on maximum UC/Pensions Guarantee and Council Tax relief is also paying stonking council tax. They're nothing special in that regard.

I said in my OP that I have no issue with using the further away car parks.

What I took issue with was the volunteer who stopped me from turning into the car park for a full 7 minutes because the runners were passing.

Eventually I just ignored his gesturing the drove in when there was a gap.

Why are you, an old couple and a clutch of families more important than the hundred other runners?

Maybe you should get out of their way for the 60 minutes they need to use the park?

To echo what others have said the route needs to be agreed well in advance and can take a long time to get approval and do all the risk assessments.
All park runs have a pre race briefing which emphasises courtesy to other park users and prioritises safety of all

And it's never occurred you that 1 day a week at the busy 2 hours that park run is around for you could just use another park or go another time?

Why is your use deemed more Important than anyone else's?

And I say that as someone who isn't a runner nor does parkrun!

You think walking your dog is more important than people getting exercise?

Seriously?

You can walk your dog anywhere. A lot of people take part in parkrun because they rely on the community support it provides. I say this as someone who doesn't even run for the bus but who admires people who get out and exercise.

That’s kind of the point it’s always at 9am on a Saturday!!

I can and do walk my dog at different times of the day. But the older couple with their dog? The parents with their kids? Do they also need to change their schedules just because Parkrun HAS to be this 90 minute slot on Saturdays?

Why does their visit have to be that particular 90 minutes?

Are they more important than the runners?

The park run follows my usual morning dog walking route. Lots of dog walkers complain about it, I just roll my eyes.

Why would you keep choosing to go at the time you know the park run is on? I go a bit earlier on a Saturday to avoid it. The inconvenience lasts for an hour, once a week, either slightly adjust your dog walking time or learn to share.

It's difficult for lots of runners and dog walkers to occupy the same space at the same time but parks and walking routes are community amenities so if you can't tolerate sharing you are going to have to make adjustments.

Well said. It’s a free & friendly environment for people to introduce people to a low cost way to exercise outdoors within their community which hugely benefits mental & physical health.

Strapping on your trainers & heading off for an out outdoor run a few times a week is far easier & cheaper than heading to a gym, with greater mental health benefits due to being outdoors. ParkRun is the starting point for many. Being free & set up locally, it is accessible to all in society in a way other health movements aren’t. Parkrun openly embraces the new runners & the walkers helping them add fitness into their weekend.

Fully appreciate there are often over-competitive people at the front. I find them terribly annoying - just like the gym arseholes who posture around the weights section, making it intimidating for others.

Overall the benefits for the many win here.

So this is your real gripe. You were inconvenienced for (checks) 7 minutes. You ignored the volunteer anyway. Shameful.

Some people don't like dogs, some people are scared of them. Some dog owners don't control their dogs, some don't pick up their dog poo. So how would you feel about parks having some no dogs allowed hours so that the people of who don't like or are scared of dogs, and the people who get fed up of out of control dogs, can enjoy the park without them. Doubt you'd be impressed. A park is a public place, used for a variety of activities by lots of different types of people. We have to share this facility and you can't just ban or restrict a perfectly normal park based activity because you don't like it or if it's an inconvenience to you. If you, or anyone else, doesn't enjoy the park during the max 2 hours once a week it takes place then you'll just have to avoid the park at that time.