Park Runs: Children - Why?

[Knowillbeflamed]

There’s a park run every Sunday near me. They jog along the pavement by the seafront taking the whole damn thing up so no one else can even walk along it.

Honestly, I don’t get running. But, what I understand even less is dragging young children along?! Yes, the older one’s (10+) seem to enjoy it but there’s at least 5x more that seem wayyyy to young - toddlers, very young kids - who hate it. They’re dragged along by their parents, literally kicking and screaming and crying.

AIBU to think if your kid hates running that much or patently doesn’t want to be there, that you do NOT force it on them?! Just because you like running doesn’t mean you force it on them. Find them an activity they enjoy.

PS. Yes I am annoyed by the sheer ignorance of 100+ people taking up that much space and forcing others to dive out the way - but mostly it’s the shrill screams of toddlers being forced to run that drives me bonkers. Someone will pop up and say ‘they love it,’ but I’m sorry - kids screaming ‘it hurts’ ‘I don’t want to’ whilst their parents drag them along by their wrist just angers me. And it’s not one parent one week - it’s multiple different parents on various weeks.

"Everyone who supports this activity comments on what a great activity it is." Well you certainly proved your point with rigorous sampling there, didn't you?

For some people, their Sunday morning is the only time they get to themselves all week, and a lot of them like to do it quietly, without a load of noise and fanfare and flags and finish lines and start zones and marshals and timers, and people blocking the paths.

It do understand that it's really nice that in last few years, a load of people who couldn't be arsed to get out in the fresh air before performative-organised-running became a thing are now getting some exercise, but to be so dismissive of people who were already using those spaces for exercise before you lot cane along and took over is just RUDE.

I do enjoy organised sport, but try very hard not to inconvenience the people with whom we share the space, because, you know, manners.

No they should be running around parks etc playing, for the sheer joy of it, not having to participate in an organised structured run.

But no-one has taken over the OP’s space. OP has been back to say that people get their kids out of her way because of her 2 dogs which are of a breed people keep their kids away from. Which she takes to junior park run, which she can’t stand observing, every week.

I’m struggling to think of a more unreasonable OP.

I don’t take them to a junior park run, I take them for a walk…along the seafront, by the beach. And as I have said - literally countless times now - my main objection is parents dragging their kids along when their kids clearly aren’t happy or, in some cases, in floods of tears and pain. Yes, kids need exercises but there are dozens of free or cheap sports that they could do instead that they’d probably enjoy more than a run, on concrete, at 9am in -2 on a Sunday morning.

I’d be less irritated if the kids enjoyed it, but it’s all about the selfish parents.

You’ve put words in quotation marks that I didn’t use, then accused me of not being scientific enough by my sampling method? I am rolling my eyes at you.

By the way, those ignorant people who can’t keep their dogs on a lead and under control for a few seconds while children run/walk past are the WORST thing about junior Parkrun.

I won’t reply to you again as I have nothing else to add and we clearly disagree.

I think many would agree it's good for children to get out of the home and into outdoor pursuits. Walking to school over the common and cycling along a promenade has helped make my daughter resilient, even though she moaned at the time. She loves the outdoors now and will go out in any weather light or dark, in the right clothes, of course.

I agree. It's good for children to get outdoor exercise. It only lasts for about 30 mins for Junior Park Run. It would be nice for DC to run along seafront.

For some people, their Sunday morning is the only time they get to themselves all week, and a lot of them like to do it quietly, without a load of noise and fanfare and flags and finish lines and start zones and marshals and timers, and people blocking the paths

So the only place they can possibly go between 9 and 9.20 on a Sunday morning is the exact same place as the local junior parkrun?

Yeah right.

Most towns have more than one park.

And junior parkruns are small affairs. You might have a slight point if you eg lived near Battersea Park where the Saturday parkrun attracts 1000 runners a week (though it's a big park). I don't think there are many, if any, junior parkruns which attract more than 100 runners at the outside and most attract fewer than 50.

but to be so dismissive of people who were already using those spaces for exercise before you lot cane along and took over is just RUDE

And they still can. We're talking about a 20 minute window, and there is generally plenty of space for everyone anyway.

Running..people drop dead running. In fact, the guy who made running a thing in the first place dropped dead of a heart attack aged 52. The first marathon runner dropped dead, too. Just saying 🤣

5k/2k is not a marathon. Everyone is going to die, but most hobby runners live longer, healthier lives and are not routinely dropping dead at 52.

People drop dead not running too. My dad and step mum are in their mid 70s and have both done sport all their life and still run a few times a week, although they're not immune to health issues they are fit and their joints are better than mine.

Half an hour - maybe an hour - twice a week. The rest of the other 166 hours a week you can have your quiet solitude.

It's interesting that you assume I need "my" quiet solitude. I'm doing my own sport at the weekend, Park Run doesn't affect me. I'm looking at this from the outside, and what I can see over and over again whenever the topic is raised is a lot of people who've been using public spaces for years, and sharing those spaces with others, with no problem saying that Park Run is ruining the space for them... and a load of Park Run devotees basically telling them to suck it up.

If it were actually practical and enjoy for most people to get out in the other 166 hours of the week, Park Run could operate at 1pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays with no reduction in participation, couldn't they? But they don't, because it isn't.

You don't get "a lot" of people saying this, you get a vocal minority.

One person can go to the park at 1pm on a Wednesday, depending on individual commitments. Getting a group of people at the same time is very different. Don't pretend it's the same thing.

@Knowillbeflamed hi I'm a junior parkrun run director. If you have concerns that some children's welfare is being harmed ie they are literally being physically dragged and screaming in pain as you described then please ask to speak to the run director on the day. If you feel the response isn't satisfactory you can email the event team and ask for the event director to read it. (You can find this on the events Facebook page) run director and event directors have access to parkruns safeguarding team for advice. And event directors have to have up to date child protection training.

I must admit I did assume it was you @TunnocksOrDeath that you were talking about but instead it was you moaning on behalf of other people.

You are deliberately mis-interpreting what I wrote. My original point was that for a lot of people weekend mornings are the only convenient time to get out. That includes park-runners and individuals. The majority response from park-runners to people pointing out that their activity is negatively impacting them is to tell those other people to just find another time. It's not very self-aware, is it?

I was a runner too, till I woke up having a stroke…not related to running. Always kept fit, worked outdoors, ate well..no fast food etc so yeah, I know first hand being fit and active is no guarantee of health and long life. Now I’ve got neuropathy and a heart condition and everyone is astonished that I , fittest of the lot am now working my way through the medical dictionary, while the alcoholic, overweight slobs that are my friends saunter through life 🤣
My mother is still climbing ladders to pick her apples. Gardens, cooks, decorates all by herself..she even re felted her shed roof while I learn to walk and regain use of my arm

Take everything seriously..? I did use an 🤣 to show it was a light hearted comment

Junior park runs are over in about 15 mins, do you absolutely have to be there at that time to avoid having to dive out the way? I’m struggling to see how you can’t understand why people would take their kids? Physical exercise I don’t think I need to point out is very important and resilience are built up by regularly returning to the same activity and improving weekly. Sounds like you wanted a moan, thankfully no one seems to agree with you.

And my point is that individuals CAN find another time. Parkrun can't.

And "weekend morning" is a very large stretch of time. The major pack of runners in parkrun are done in 45 minutes. That's a small proportion of the morning.

I'll go against the grain here @Knowillbeflamed and say I agree.

Yes it's good for kids to exercise, my 5 year old loves climbing, parks, walks with interesting stuff to look at along the way. He has scooter and him and his friends play races or tag etc having a laugh. Gymnastics and swimming too when we can afford the classes. So we do all those things. But would I drag him out before 9am on a cold Sunday morning to go running if he didn't enjoy it? Would I fuck. He's already been to school all week, weekends are for him too. For stuff he enjoys and, heaven forbid, relaxing sometimes too.

I wonder how many parents physically dragging their screaming kids along finish up with a painstakingly posed photo for their social media...

Parkrun starts at 9am, or shortly thereafter, on a Saturday, and the vast majority of runners are finished and gone by 9.45am. I see plenty of runners in our local park all through the morning, including running in the park while parkrun is going on, apparently perfectly easily. I can't imagine parkrun happens in many very tiny parks where nobody else can get in while the parkrun is in progress. Our park isn't huge but there's plenty of room for everybody. You are worrying for nothing on this point.

I take it from this that you have never attended junior parkrun. If you had, you would know that the picture the OP paints is unlike anything the regular parkrunners who've responded have ever seen.