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parkrunners (AOWALC, #DFYB) Anonymous Keep on Going 5K at a time

999 replies

OhOneOhTwoOhThree · 15/08/2015 17:35

This is a continuation of the parkrunning thread where are all are welcome to chat about tourism, tee-shirts, PBs and everything else parkrun (and sometimes non-parkrun) related.

If you have been lurking on a previous thread now is the time to come out and say hello Grin. Like parkrun we're very inclusive and always welcoming to new starters Smile. And we love hearing about new courses we haven't been to Smile

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27
feetheart · 01/11/2015 10:39

Halle - plus only the 3rd one in Bedfordshire starts next week :)

Melanie - superb effort from you and Minnie. We had a very cuteFrench bulldog dressed as a pumpkin today but he only made 1.5 laps as he's tiny.

Well done everyone else, even with frustrating times.

We had a great turnout of zombies, witches, pumpkins, and an inflatable StayPuff man from Ghostbusters :o I think our lot really like the themed runs. We also had a lot of cake - what's not to like?

parkrunners (AOWALC, #DFYB) Anonymous Keep on Going 5K at a time
FiftyNineOhEight · 01/11/2015 12:23

What?! Another one in Bedfordshire?! Where?! Halle I was going to mention that if St Albans is in striking distance for me, Bedford is probably do-able for you?

Love the costumes feet Grin

feetheart · 01/11/2015 13:14

Leighton Buzzard - Rushmere Country Park
Inaugural next week though we are busy with DS's 10th birthday parkrun at home (and then a quick trip to MK for his cross country!)
Hoping to get there quite soon.

FiftyNineOhEight · 01/11/2015 13:17

Let me know when you are going and I will try to come with you.

I will be at home next weekend, as it's breakfast club Grin

And then I will be running my 100th Grin which I want to do at home.

Blatherskite · 01/11/2015 16:07

I will be at Rushmere next weekend :)

I know touring to inaugurals is frowned upon these days but:

a) I offered to help and was told they were fine.

b) It's actually reasonably close. I've popped over there for trail runs during school hours in the past so it almost counts as local.

c) I asked the ED (who is another RD pinched from MK! - one I talked into the job in fact) and he said that in his opinion, I work so hard that I can run anywhere I like and he'd love to see me there.

So I'm going! Grin

I'm soooo tired today. Was busy with the kids on Thursday and Friday doing Halloween trails and activities, then MK parkrun on Saturday morning, running the race HQ at the incredibly successful (if I do say so myself Wink) Wicked 5 on Saturday night until 11pm, then I got home, showered my zombie makeup off and then got up at 7am this morning to dress up as the Wicked Witch of the West to RD junior parkrun! I did take full advantage of being in character to shout "fly my pretties" as I set them all off though :) Got home just in time for another shower before my Mum arrived to visit.

So glad the kids are back at school tomorrow. I might even have a nap Zzzzzzzz

MelanieCheeks · 01/11/2015 20:20

Touring to inaugurals is frowned upon? What! Why???

I couldn't resist a little Halloweeny blog.

Next week in Perth - any Scottish MNers about?

steppemum · 01/11/2015 21:44

so ds raced in in 10:16
and dd came in in 16:35, much slower than before, but she was happy.

steppemum · 01/11/2015 22:21

Oh I didn't know that about inaugrals, there is a new one starting after Christmas near us and I thought it would be nice to go over and help it get going...

chutneypig · 02/11/2015 06:44

I didn't know about inaugurals either, I'd been thinking the same as steppe about one I've heard starting near us.

Did DS enjoy the juniors steppe? We took one of the DC friends yesterday and DD ran with her. I think she enjoyed it, especially the cake after.

ThursdayLastWeek · 02/11/2015 08:08

I think it's frowned upon as it can overwhelm a lot of first time volunteers.

didn't stop me driving all the way to helston in the spring

feetheart · 02/11/2015 10:08

It has only been 'frowned upon' recently as people were 'collecting' inaugurals and travelling a LONG way to be at them which could overwhelm new event teams. At one event I know about most of the core team resigned after a particularly manic inaugural Shock
For that reason we had a very 'soft' launch i.e. we kept it quiet (apart from me whispering about it on here :)) as we are very easy to get to from lots of places. We also did most of our training at St Albans (350+ runners) so if we did have a big crowd we wouldn't be too freaked out by it. As it was we had 197 which was completely manageable, everyone had a great time and no-one got stressed.
Saying that, if the event is local to you then turning up to support them is perfectly fine.
Thursday - Helston is local in terms of W Country parkruns isn't it?

ThursdayLastWeek · 02/11/2015 14:32

Yes feet it's one of three in Cornwall, but is still a good hours drive from me!

Blatherskite · 02/11/2015 16:27

The old tourist list used to count parkruns done and also inaugurals done so for a long time, whilst someone I knew had done the same amount of courses as me and more runs than me overall, I was above her on the list because I'd done one more inaugural than her. It still actually a factor in how the list is ordered but the inaugurals column is hidden now.

At the time it was thought that touring inaugurals was a good thing as a group of seasoned parkrunners turning up and going through the motions helped the new locals work out how things worked.

Then it got popular and first runs were getting enormous and scaring not only the core team but the local park users too who were used to a nice quiet park for walking their dog etc at 9am on a Saturday and all of a sudden they were facing down 300 runners and making complaints to the council which could make the whole future of those runs a bit precarious if the council got worried and revoked the licence. So touring parkruns became taboo almost overnight it seemed at the time and the discussion groups descended into arguments and name calling for about 6 months with some people getting very holier than thou about avoiding inaugurals and even a 'tourist inaugural quotient' being worked out to see who had done most of their runs away from their home run! The parkrun podcast went from encouraging attendance to complete silence on new events and a few new core teams put out really unwelcoming and badly worded messages (apparently straight from parkrun HQ) which put people's noses out for a bit. Tring was one of the first as I remember.

Assuming you're local enough for a new parkrun to become semi-regular (and I can get to Rushmere in about 25 minutes so it's as local as Buckingham or Daventry which I have done repeatedly and will come in handy when I fancy a bit of cross country running) then attending is seen as OK but it's not done any more to travel a long distance to attend these days. It's taking some of the older tourists a while to adapt but it is slowly becoming the norm.

I still think the message the new teams are told to put out is really unfriendly and not within the parkrun ethos but it seems to be sticking so I just ignore it now.

MelanieCheeks · 02/11/2015 16:36

Thanks for that, Blathers, I can see how the situation developed.

steppemum · 02/11/2015 19:11

interesting blathers, thanks.

The one opening near us would be the next nearest apart from ours. The new team was at our parkrun a couple of weeks ago shadowing our volunteers, so I think it would be safe to go. It is very close to My mum and in the town I grew up in, so I have a soft spot for it. Very large, very lovely park, but privately owned (an estate) and open to the public. I think that will be where it will be. They do have occasional mudders etc there.

chutney - ds did enjoy the juniors, but we have a small group of fast serious older kids (10 plus years) at the front who really go for it, and then loads of little kids. he is 12 and very tall, so he felt he needed to be in that older group, sprinted round, and came in 11th in 10:16. he was very pleased and a little surprised that there were little kids very close behind him!

He finds running with others very motivational, so I am hoping he will be a regular at sat or sun. (or both)

Blatherskite · 02/11/2015 21:07

In a very similar way steppe, I have every intention of turning up to the new event touted in my old university town when it opens because it feels like mine even if it is now over an hour away.

Some of the kids at our junior event are very speedy! The course record is under 7 minutes!! For 1.2 miles!!! I'm glad I'm too old to run it with them as I'd never keep up.

10:16 would have got him 23rd place at MK yesterday Shock

cinnamongreyhound · 02/11/2015 21:25

I totally get the idea of not bundling to inaugurals but agree that if it's nearby and would be your regularish run then it's not a problem. It was interesting the change from promoting new parkruns to not even mentioning them!

chutneypig · 03/11/2015 06:08

My two really enjoy doing both parkruns steppe. I'm very glad they can do the juniors on their own and I think they are too! Our fastest are phenomenal to watch, mostly 11-14 but there's a few under tens in there too. DS is usually in the top twenty with a PB of 8.40 - he's eight but we have a six year old who's always close by. He's like a rocket. I think you're right about the motivational side of it.

How many do you get at yours, and MK Blathers? We're usually 100+. It's fantastic to see. I love marshalling and seeing the whole dynamics of it.

Blatherskite · 03/11/2015 12:14

These days at MK juniors we're getting somewhere between 120 and 150 most weeks - and we've onyl been going for 19 weeks! We got 230 at our inaugural Shock so obviously the kids didn't get the giving the new team an easy time note Wink Luckily, our ED and I are both RDs at 'big' parkrun too and MK gets 400-500 most weeks so we're used to big numbers.

HalleLouja · 03/11/2015 16:41

There is talk of a SA junior parkrun.... I have offered to help set it up....

feetheart · 04/11/2015 12:27

Good on you Halle
We will be there as often as we can be - me to volunteer and DS to run On His Own which is his ultimate ambition at the moment :)
He still has almost exactly a year to wait at 'big parkrun' but has worked out when his birthday is next year and exactly how many days after it parkrun will be!!

megletthesecond · 04/11/2015 12:39

The 'big' Parkrun day feels like a new milestone. DS is 2yrs away but he can't wait to be let off the leash and run all the way on his own. I'll probably get him a sporty gift to commemorate it. He can wait for me at the finish line as I gasp through the the finishing funnel Hmm.

cinnamongreyhound · 05/11/2015 09:28

I want to take ds2 one week but the closet one is 35 miles away and dh isn't keen on getting up early on a Sunday!

ThursdayLastWeek · 05/11/2015 13:59

Yes!
I ordered my 50 tee!
Hopefully I get it before my tum doesn't fit in it anymore Grin

Blatherskite · 05/11/2015 16:42

Whoo hoo! Thursday, you reminded me to check and I've just ordered my Volunteer shirt Grin