To think Parkrun should have an hour cut-off

[SummerAsh]

200+ participants, all but two completed in under 54 minutes… but the last two women ambled around chatting and took over 1 hour 10 minutes.

I appreciate that Parkrun should be inclusive, but that’s taking the piss, and unfair on the 20 or so volunteers who give up the first part of their Saturday mornings…. It’s hard enough getting volunteers as it is, without expecting everyone to be saintly martyrs with endless patience.

To complete in an hour requires a pace of 3.1 mph (I.e 5km = 3.1 miles)… According to Google, that’s a casual walking pace.

AIBU to think that if you can’t or won’t complete a park”run” at even a casual walking pace, then parkrun isn’t for you. I think that an hour cut off is more than accommodating enough, and an appropriate line to draw.

Otherwise, what is reasonable? Is it reasonable to accommodate a 90-year old taking 3 hours with their zimmer? If not, where the line if not an hour.

I agree with you OP, I think there should be a 1 hour cut-off for flat courses and 1 hour 15 for the more difficult ones like Woolacombe Dunes. Based on the local event team's assessment.

Although some courses turn hard when it's muddy in winter and nobody wants to be out in the cold and wet so maybe it should just be an hour. If you can't walk 5k in an hour, most councils do health walks or you could join the Ramblers to build up fitness. parkrun tries to be all things to all people and it can't be. It gets people moaning that not letting their kids scoot or cycle round isn't fair. Well, the clue is in the name people - it's not parkcycle or parkscoot.

I would never want to be tailwalker.

Honestly, as a volunteer, I really don't care. 45 mins, 60 mins, 75 mins, it does not matter.

Well, this has reinforced my desire not to do parkrun!

Why would someone stop for a coffee half way round and then expect to carry on later? It’s obviously a common sense approach. OPs example of someone casually walking and taking an extra 10 minutes isn’t the same as literally stopping park run half way through to stop for a coffee, waiting until everyone else is done, and then carrying on.

@ToKittyornottoKitty

Oh yes, our volunteers are definitely begging to stay longer waiting in the cold and rain. That's the problem.

But it isn't. Some are clear they cannot wait around for that long - and so people try to accommodate this by the roles they are given, so they can leave on time.

Parkrun may try to be inclusive - but like all things, there are limits.

YABU. I occasionally volunteer at Parkrun. We have people from all walks of life and I love the spirit of inclusion.

I think yanbu @SummerAsh. All those of you who think she is bu, do you vounteer? Give up your Saturday morning lie in regardless of the weather to do something for others?

Yes the tail walker (a volunteer) finishes last so technically it should say "no participant finishes last" but that's just being pedantic.

Yes. Hope that helps.

Is anyone making them?

There are people who would take it that far OP.

In South Africa I believe that the last person is routinely at the 90 minute mark. However, people get points from their health insurance for doing it AND some of the RSA courses are very difficult indeed.

Of course they don't.

Volunteering is for other people - they're far too busy/important.

They are experts at complaining about volunteers though - plenty of those people about.

I took up running about two years ago and everyone told me to do Parkrun. I said no way, because I would hate having to wait for others, and would also hate having to feel like I need to catch up to those in front.

So I just go running alone. 2 or 3 times a week, I get my trainers on, and run for about an hour. All alone, headphones on.

Re Parkrun, I can definitely see how stragglers would be annoying though. But that's why I keep away from this sort of organised event. Same way I never take holidays where you do group tours. I hate waiting around for inconsiderate folk.

We did take a coach from the airport to hotel on holiday recently, and the other group also joining the coach took their time and made us wait in the coach over an HOUR. Didn't say sorry either when they finally rocked up.

Just to point out that inclusion means just that, and also include faster people, and volunteers who don't want to stand around in the cold and wet for longer than necessary. In fact some parkruns will get cancelled in winter, not because of the runners' safety, but because of the volunteers'.

It's very annoying when people start doing parkrun and start trying to teach those of us who've been doing it for well over a decade (both running and volunteering) how to suck eggs.

See also - who is "allowed" to do inaugurals.

I volunteer regularly and am prepared to wait as long as it takes. YABU

If you go down to one scanner and the marshals who were at posts where the last person has passed, why does everyone need to stay?! Will you be banned from volunteering in the future?!

People who volunteer at parkrun - myself included - know it takes up a full morning to set the course up, deal with the runners/ walkers regardless of pace, pack up afterwards and deal with the times etc. A few roles can disappear off once it's done (like marshals) of course but plenty stick around to help out once things are done.

And I can assure you we are fine with that.

Have you ever volunteered, by the way?

I did my first Parkrun at 54 minutes and 24 seconds. My second, after a planned dental op which mucked up my training was 56 minutes and 59 seconds.

As I've said on another similar thread, I checked out the times for the course beforehand and saw that 1hr 15 minutes wasn't that unusual for the particular course. I also told people beforehand that I was happy enough for folk to pack up if they had to and was told "No, no! That's not how it works!"

If they started a cut-off as suggested by the OP, then there are many who would simply stop going. [ETA Some of the participants at the local course are running or walking with disabilities.]

I couldn't make our leisure centre's Running Club (for beginners) most recent park run - was getting over a chest infection.

However, I did go to the finish stretch and cheered on the other runners whilst I was waiting for my fellow Running Club participants. The other RC folk are a bit younger than I am and finished in just over 45 minutes, but there were other folk who finished after them and everyone was cheered on.

At Parkrun, people largely compete against themselves though accomplished runners do use it as a training session and there are those like myself who are trying to get to a reasonable time for their age group. The OP's suggestion would kill Parkrun, I think.

I carried on doing Parkrun throughout chemo, encouraged by the lovely volunteers and participants.
I am so glad they didn't share your sentiments @SummerAsh and that of some of the other posters on this thread. My local one seems to have remained a community focused activity and not taken over by people like yourselves and for that I am grateful.
We even have people with 'shock horror' SN join in weekly. I imagine you and other posters would despise them.

I think parkrun maybe need to check its marshals do actually support their principles, because who wants it advertised that their charming marshals are actually seething when interacting with the participants.

It's nothing to do with being inclusive. Some parkruns never struggle for volunteers because of the demographic and/or a constant flow of DofE volunteers.

Some others really struggle. In fact a couple of have closed due to having to struggle for volunteers every week. Eventually the core team get fed up and stop and you can't blame them. But an open-ended commitment doesn't help attract people.

If you go to a parkrun and run at your pace there’s no waiting around. Once you finish and get your barcode scanned you’re free to do whatever you want to! I did a ‘parkrun sandwich’ today, so I ran there, did parkrun and then ran home. I didn’t loiter once I’d finished because I had 5k more to do. The only people who need to wait for the final finisher are the volunteers!

My home parkrun is really friendly and inclusive, I volunteer as well as run it, and no-one is shamed for taking longer than others.

At our Parkrun, the folk marshalling the course pick up the cones and signs and head back once the tail walkers have gone past them.

If you're taking longer than an hour to walk 5km then you're not ready for park run yet.

Silly thing to get upset about. If they were taking three hours, maybe.
It's meant to be inclusive. If you're a volunteer, just don't anymore, it's not for you. If you're not, then what's your problem.
I bet you race kids to the finish line too (while wondering why they're even there).