Parkrun Timings

[Happinessislikeabutterfly]

Mumsnet has been really useful for providing me with loads of info so now I have a question of my own and thought I would reach out.
Completed my first park run today, what a buzz so lovely to see so many people complete it as well. I do run weekly generally 5K but did a10K race couple of months.
In terms of timings - on the park run obviously there is no chip, but how are people comparing results from their previous 5K (same parkrun), as there were 600 ish people there today and obviously I will start in a different place each time. Are you tracking your times with a watch or something else or are you just going off the time on the results.
Im quite competitive with myself as it keeps me motivated, I think I need to invest in a watch or something/pace tracker so I can get faster - recommendations welcome please (I will likely get off vinted). Thanks all.

I track on my watch to get my "chip" time (which is still approximate, as the start line isn't usually marked (though some on tarmac have a chalk line). The time you get in the results is "gun" time, which is again somewhat approximate, as things like funnel duckers and the volunteer timers getting out of synch can mean adjustments are made.

I have a Garmin. I had a very basic Forerunner 35 for ages (idiot proof!) and eventually upgraded to a much higher spec Forerunner when its heartrate monitor packed in and couldn't be repaired. The (free) Connect app will display loads of info about your performance.

If you can wait until NY, it's really common for runners who get an upgraded watch for Xmas to sell off their old one on sites like EBay, or just ask around your running club (if you're in one) or other friendly parkrunners

Thanks so much AuntieStella (sorry I don’t know how put the link in properly), that’s all really useful information. Thanks for your recommendations, I'm going to look into these and get myself sorted, Gok point about waiting until after Christmas though 😊

Garmin Forerunner is a good value series with the 55 being the entry level watch. I had the previous 45 and have now upgraded to the 255 which has some additional analysis features which are interesting if you're getting geeky about running. My son's been enjoying the 45 as I passed mine on.

Parkrun can have a time lag on runners' times if they're further back at the start, especially if it's quite narrow and deep. It can take about 45s to get to the start line from the back at mine! Runners at the back can have more inaccuracies in their position/ time- I once ran/ walked in arm's length of my then 5yo so we finished within seconds of each other, but a glitch somewhere in the results made it look like I was 5 mins after him. There is normally some massaging of the results to correct finish times and positions and keep them in sync as much as is reasonably possible. The further back you are, the more any discrepancies can stack up. At a busy run, 25-32 min runners come in thick and fast so you're most likely within seconds of the person in front/ behind anyway.
It's always a relief when the two timekeepers agree, had steady hands and there's minimal editing to do!

BogRollBOGOF - love the user name by the way. Thanks for your reply that’s really useful and good to have a bit more insight.

I did feel accomplished once I'd done timekeeping at a large parkrun that had a double funnel in action
It's a lot less scary when you know how results can be fixed if you know where they went awry.

My hardest fix when processing was flipping the times for a batch of tokens being given out in reverse order so that section was ordered the wrong way round.

If you use Strava it tells you total elapsed time and moving time. At a busy event it takes time to get moving - our local one isn't as busy as 600 people but last Saturday I started my watch when they said "go" and my moving time was 23 seconds faster than my parkrun time and elapsed time. The first km is often slower than the rest too as everyone gets moving and up to speed. One a busy week it takes our tail about a minute to cross the start line.