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?

Report them to the people who organised the event and the Police
Is

Love the ethos and idea of park run - chance for everyone to get fit for free etc. idea of community - it’s all really great in concept.

but the reality of it is that they totally take over the parks they use. I’ve been knocked over despite moving as far to the side of the (SHARED) path as I could - as the ‘elite’ runners have no respect for other park users and are just after that time… God forbid you forget it’s on and just happen to be walking at the same time as they just plough through you as if you don’t exist. Not at all in the spirit of the event but it’s what they do.

it’s a real shame as I’ve been yelled at and barged - even when I’ve tried to be polite and courteous by sticking to one side of the path.

It totally puts me off the concept because like in so many things - there are always a few that spoil it for everyone else.

some around us are totally separate from main path as they set up a course purely in the grass - but the ones that use the public paths are just a logistical nightmare as some of the runners are just so inconsiderate

I have no issues at all with faster runners at park run. People do use it as a free way to get a fast 5k into their training week and the friendly competition gives you more of a push.

that said. At one of our local ones there are a few fast men who barge through bellowing at people to move out the way. Now, I think it’s fine to warn people you are coming through on their left etc, but not to shout at them to move. Though i tend to just wait until i can easily move round people rather than saying anything. You can flip it though as I’ve also experienced slower runners jogging 3 or 4 a breast and not being aware that faster runners are wanting to get past, which can be quite frustrating and a bit inconsiderate on their part.

parkrun is great and a nice start to the weekend as long as everyone remains self aware and courteous. It’s an event for everyone from elite runners to elderly people out for a 5k walk and everyone should respect the needs of others.

I attended about two of them and stopped going. I also felt the more serious runners were quite rude. I also found myself both times having someone who kept running to catch up with me (and I was walking at a normal pace not too brisk). Then they would stop just behind me and shuffle loudly and then I’d go a bit faster and they would quickly race up to keep up behind me. It’s just not enjoyable to have someone shuffling so close behind.

I don’t bother.

I thankfully have plenty of options around the parks here to just pick another one and let ParkRun be for the people who don’t mind that environment.

If it’s a regular occurrence you could volunteer and enforce the correct behaviour.

Or go with your mates at another time.

I had to report someone who swore at a park user (he was sprinting to the finish and I was on my first of 2 laps), I shouted to him and told him he was completely unreasonable. Found the run director, pointed him out, other runners corroborated what I had said. When I finished, the run director told me that he had warned him about his behaviour and if he repeated this then he would stop getting times at parkrun. Apparently, he didn’t think he had done anything wrong.

Ain that the truth. That’s very pithy.

I am very rural so our Park runs are mostly in very open places (no circuits), and people take their dogs along to run with them and then go for a walk afterwards. I don't take mine because she hates people and other dogs, all the ones I've seen on runs have been trained to run along with their owner and ignore everything else going on.

But our runs aren't crowded affairs, because it's so rural. I love the environment but hate running with other people, which is why I only go occasionally.

I’d quite like to go, but i’d be embarrassed that I was too slow.
I’m not a terrible runner, but, I’m not great either.

Well, it doesn't put me off. I've got various joint issues and don't usually feel up to running these days. Even at my best a few years ago I couldn't run 5km continuously. Yesterday I finished in around 50 mins and was not by any means the slowest on our course.

There are regularly people finishing in the 50-60 minutes band at most larger parkruns. Generally it's a very welcoming place to new runners.

Edited to say sorry you didn't say you were a new runner but my point still stands!

Yanbu but they should stop having any timing at all rather than banning particular people. The organisation already claims that it's not a competitive event but some people will always treat it as such as long as timings are being recorded officially. They need to stop the timing altogether as anyone with a watch is perfectly capable of recording their own time

I walk our local one, reasonable pace takes about an hour, there are always people walking behind me too. I can't run due to knee issues but a brisk walk is still good for me.

Parkrun is about inclusion and participation so there should be no shoving people out of the way.
It is easier to accommodate those chasing times on a Parkrun with a full 5k course as the fast ones stay ahead - but many of them have a repeated loop and so the fast people over take others who are still on an earlier lap. However it is perfectly possible to do this in a non aggressive way and I am sure most faster runners manage this. As usual it is the inconsiderate few spoiling things for everyone else. Selfish and entitled attitudes strike again!

The irony of some of the people in this post is quite funny , the idea that elite runners are taking over a fun run and that they should stop timing it. Parkrun was literally set up as a time trial for running club mates to have a bit of friendly competition over a 5k course! Ofc it's changed considerably over the years and adapted its ethos to be inclusive to any one who would like to run or walk 5k. But some people seem to think that doesn't mean the people it was originally set up for ( fast club runners)!

Absolutely agree! Parkrun is a great way to get people into running, it's fine for more experienced runners to try for personal bests etc but behaviour like that should mean a ban!

As has been said numerous times before, Parkrun was set up to be a regular, free event where you could get an official time on a repeated course and compare yourself to other runners if you wanted.

I don’t see why all the people moaning about it being timed and runners having the audacity to push themselves don’t set up their own weekly social run, or join one of the numerous social running clubs that are about, and leave Parkrun to those who buy into the original concept.

Yes but they had to pretend the competitive aspect is actually irrelevant and unimportant because they were allowing people to self-identify into timing categories that they don't actually belong in, making a mockery of all their league tables because when they say you have the 10th quickest time in whatever subcategory, you have no idea how many of the 9 people above you are actually correctly in that group. Their defence on being challenged on this was to say it's not competitive but that's a clear and obvious lie as long as the tim8ngs are still being done.

Men just have to make everything a competition - any women who cycle know this. Pathetic, fragile male ego.

Pathetic generalisations…..

True. The whole ‘identity’ thing has become a big problem for Parkrun, particularly their stance on men identifying as women, but you could say that it is a symptom of its popularity. There are always going to be people who are prepared to lie and cheat to come out on top.

I do find it annoying that the inclusiveness message has been pushed so far that there are people who think that no-one should be allowed to be competitive.

Starting first is fine but our park run is twice round a loop, so they have to pass ALL the slower ones. I tried it once when it was first starting up about 10 years ago, got shoved on a narrow bit by some bloke presumably going for his PB and never bothered to go back.

Parks are meant to be for everyone, but selfish people often ruin them for others - cheeky "personal trainers", ridiculous professional dog walkers, big parties with loud music and bbqs, idiots on electric bikes and scooters , no thought for others who want peace and quiet.

Then (on certain courses where there clearly isn’t room for both groups to coexist easily eg narrow paths) why don’t for the first 20 mins allow the fast runners to go around from everyone else and then start everyone else? Wouldn’t that be a solution so that the super fast people can already be on the their second lap by the time the slower starts? That way you can have 2 distinct groups who are relatively kept apart?

it just seems that for some courses both groups can coexist happily because of space but on other they can’t. Lots of people have come on here a said they won’t join because of this problem which seems a shame when there surely must a workable solution so everyone is happy.

Very much my experience. Thankfully now no PR in my local park.