To think ParkRun need to consider banning racers?

[justletusrun]

My local parkrun has been overtaken by drama this week, after some men attended and basically turned the entire thing into a glorified race for themselves. They were pushing people out of the way, swearing at them and shouting at them to let them through.

I always thought the point of parkrun was to go and enjoy a 5k run and some socialising after. But it seems that across the country they’re being overtaken by people who are obsessed with “winning” it and getting the PB as a “chip time”.

i understand the sense of achievement you get from getting a PB, but I don’t think parkrun is the place to do it. Myself and many other women who have been attending for years are now considering not going again because it is so unpleasant.

AIBU to say they need to clamp down on this, before it becomes a big men’s club?

I think trying for a PB at park run is fine, running fast or slow- both fine, it’s the pushing/shoving behaviour that isn’t. Part of the park run advertising where we are at least is quite literally that it’s perfect whether you want a new PB or you want to just get out and walk 5k, so the running fast really isn’t an issue.

At our park run there are lots of running club members who go and want to get PBs, and ours is known for being one of the flatter routes locally so people travel to try for a PB there, those people tend to just start at the front and so they are not even in the same space as those running just for fun/walking etc.

We actually get people like those in this thread trying to sabotage our parkrun.
We get 800 people through our funnel in 45 minutes, it’s a long downhill narrow coned off strip of a very wide path. These saboteurs semi regularly slowly walk UP the funnel, ignoring volunteers calls to be considerate, and it’s often about a minute before the first finisher powers through in 16 mins.
Yes, of course everyone has a right to use the park but where’s the common sense?

I’m a parkrun RD, and seen & heard all sorts. My favourite was when someone who complained that her and her husband liked to run in the park between 9-10am on a Saturday, and our large, top 20 attendance in the country parkrun, spoiled that and could we cancel it?

We also had a tourist runner midway in the pack who, when he became aware a front runner was about to lap him, actually held out his arms, loudly proclaimed parkrun was not a race and tried to stop the front runner passing. He then had the audacity to complain that he got sworn at by the front runner, who nearly went flying. Plenty of witnesses backed up the front runner.

Report them to the organisers and refuse to get out of their way. Call their bluff: are they really going to knock you over?

But honestly, men! We need to charge them a surtax to cover the damage they do with this sort of behaviour (and worse).

Our local church parkbrun is at a beautiful National Trust property before it opens to the public. Never met anybody who has been anything like the op describes, and many are serious runners. No one pushes or barges, but on the otjer hand slow runners dont block in the fast runners

So many presumptions on this thread! I’m a fairly slow runner and I do parkrun and I belong to a running club. I’m not an ‘athlete’ but I like to push myself sometimes. Parkrun is a social, chatty run, or part of my long run, or a test of my 5k pace, or a walk, it depends on what I feel like doing or where I am in my training plan. I love the challenges on the app, I love a bit of parkrun tourism.

Sometimes some people behave badly but most parkrunners are kind and just want to do parkrun for whatever reason works for them at the time. Report bad behaviour to the the run director but it really is in the minority.

Cheeky gits @MapLover !

Refuse to get out of their way.

That would be just as obnoxious as someone trying to push their way through. There should be plenty of room for runners of all speeds on multi-lap courses. It's possible to overtake safely, if people stick to the side they're told to in the briefing (most are keep left but occasionally it's safer to advise keep right, depending on the course).

If you are in someone's way in the first place, the likelihood is that it is you who is the problem. Nobody should be aggressive, but I can understand why someone would be tempted to yell at people to move the fuck over when people deliberately take up the whole path and refuse to move over for the overlapping runners or other park users such as cyclists. I've seen poor etiquette on both parts.

16y old DS is a club athlete and a ParkRunner - he runs a sub 16 min. He uses it as cross country training, part of the skill in competing in cross country is getting past people without obstructing them (or swearing at them). It’s perfectly possible for a ParkRun to cater for good club runners and people who are running for fun and/or for fitness.

Don’t understand why they have to push people out of the way. Why aren’t they starting at the front ?

Agree. I missed parkrun very badly during lockdown. When it finally returned, I registered my fastest time for years. It was entirely down to the huge psychological boost of being back in a group of supportive people who encouraged me to get round. I am a lazy person but having parkrun in my local park has made it very easy to acquire the habit of just turning up every Saturday.

You think it was better for the health and fitness of the nation that before parkrun was set up only serious runners got the benefits of a regular 5k course at a sports ground or in paid for events? I don't. The barriers to taking part in parkrun are about as low as they could conceivably be. This is a good thing.

parkrun is delighted that the average finishing time is getting slower every single year. Proof that more and more slow people are turning up, and some who used to be fast are still turning up as they age and slow down.

Many PR's are run as laps, due to the moaners badgering on about "these bloody runners taking over the park"

So faster runners lap the slower ones, who in all honesty, don't always make any attempt to move out of the way.

A lot of parkruns are out and backs or have 2 or 3 laps of a course so the people in the front often do have other runners in their way and need to be courteous or at least not risk injuring someone.

Parkrun is a run, not a race. But people are entitled to take it as seriously or as casually as they like within the context of their own ability, provided they do so without detriment to others. That means the quicker runners shouldn’t push, shove, shout, etc., and the slower runners should start further back and stick to the designated side of the path.

Tbh, I think that Parkrun has become a victim of its own success, and many are just too busy and paths too narrow to deliver what people want from them. Mine used to be great when 100 attended, but now that there are 300+ the first lap is too congested to properly go for it.

my sentiments exactly.

our local parkrun is great, and we have lots of fast women there achieving great times.

parkrun is for everyone (except dickheads who physically and verbally assault other runners, and they should be dealt with and barred from future events!)

I love parkrun, sometimes I race it, sometimes I do it socially, sometimes as a progression run, or part of a long run.
Shouting swearing and pushing is unacceptable in any situation, including races and running tracks aiming for a pb is not unreasonable. Some courses are trickier to really run at full beans and any experienced runner should be able to gauge whether its safe/acceptable to go at full pelt or whether thats not possible on that course, or with that volume of people.

Parkrun is inclusive and clearly should welcome people of all paces, but it did start as a time trial, which suggests that it was originally intended for people to try to do a fast time. Of course that has evolved and its not its main aim now.

I dont know why people have mentioned chip times, parkrun has never had that!

Also intrigued by people suggesting running on your own to get a pb. I very much doubt many fast runners got their pbs in a non race situation (i know pr isnt race but imo its almost impossible to run your fastest without other people to chase/chasing - whether thats do-able at any/every parkrun is debateable)

They are welcome to speak to the organisers and arrive early to start at the front. The problem is these types of people rarely think like that.

Do you mean 7%

Yes, the Park Run official mantra that it's 'just a run, not a race' always comes to mind and makes me laugh when I look at the line of men on the start line, elbows forward, faces set, determined to 'win'
I gave up Park Run earlier this year after doing about 100 because I got fed up of the pushing and shoving. I'm a slow runner and people were constantly running past me and cutting in front of me causing me to collide into them or have to stop running. I have a shoulder injury which doesn't stop me running but I just can't take risk of people shoving into me and hurting me.
I still run but I go out alone or with a friend later in the day

Looks as though they generally need to sort things out. Aren't Sharron Davies and Tracey Chapman taking them to court over self ID chaps posting fastest woman?

Yes but that’s not the same as “racers”. Not all people who go all out at Park Run at wankers, in fact most aren’t. Some of the nicest people at the one I go sometimes are the quickest people. There’s a couple of guys and a woman who regularly go back and run with others. Whenever I go to Park Run I treat it as a speed workout/test.

my local one is like this. The last time I did it was december and there were people pushing and shoving to get to the front. One of my running club members was pushed over and the runner didn’t even turn back to see if she was ok.

Never have been a runner, a couple of years ago joined Parkrun. I was slow but tried my hardest and hoped to one day be an average weekly runner at Parkrun. It’s a great idea run by volunteers and a great social feel and not designed for elites.
All I got was people running too close to me and jabbing me with their elbows, brushing past me, tutting / swearing, one spat near me which could have been accidental but I think it was meant. They might as well run into me and be done with it, I didn’t feel welcome by these people. The lady who ran alongside me explained people want to get better PBs and sometimes were not very kind or allowing. I guess it is good for people timing themselves and recording it. I expected it to be a novice’s run to try their best to keep fit, not people on a high trying to achieve some professional runners fix of a pb. Needless to say I haven’t returned and just run around local roads on my own instead.
I hear it depends what location you do, aim to do one with wide paths and one loop and avoid thin paths and multiple laps.
Shame, as losing the sight of why it was designed.