Thinking of doing ParkRun?

[Flowers99]

i know there are so many people debating to go to ParkRun due to all the threads on here. I’ve read every single once since i first registered for ParkRun in 2019…..and have only actually gone to my first one in 2026 😂

but after 7 years, I finally mustered up the courage and went back again for second one today. I am incredibly unfit and would guesstimate I walked 50% (at least) but it’s such a good feeling to finish! The volunteers around the course are really encouraging and it’s just generally a lovely vibe.

there’s the sprinters who over lap, the 60 year olds who put the generation below them to shame with their outstanding fitness, there’s people running with dogs, mums and dads with toddlers in tow and some running with prams, walkers, jog / walkers and anything else you can imagine.

the volunteer tail walker is always ‘last’, but honestly I finished 10th from last in nearly 700 people and I wasn’t made to feel any less of a ParkRunner than anyone who finished before me.

so I’m just here to say, if you’re thinking about it give it a go!

Great to hear! I'm even closer to the tailwalkers than you are. I love parkrun and without it I would be even more unfit than I am.

I’m determined to start this month!

@legosnowqueen go for it! If you download the app you can add a specific event to your Parkrun calendar which adds a bit of accountability. I’ve just done the next 4 weeks so I don’t talk myself out of it!

@Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g that’s amazing and I feel the same, I hope I commit to it long term because without it I’ll end up even more unfit!

I’m thinking of starting it but I cannot run. 🏃‍♀️ So I’d be walking all the way around. I thought that was normal from what I’d read. Maybe not !

Im gearing up to go, havent been for 13 years (and about 5 stone lighter 😬) and started running again a few months ago.

I want to go but need to find somebody to go with me. How does it work? Are there people to tell you where to go? I think I’d end up lost otherwise 🤣

Yes it’s absolutely fine and plenty of people do

You really can just go alone and blend in. It’s honestly not a big deal and nobody will pay the slightest bit of attention to you being alone

And yes, there are people who tell you where to go. There is a first timers' briefing usually about 10 to 9, who will explain the course and what to do at the end, how to get your barcode scanned etc. My local is 2 and half laps of a local park so you can't get lost, although sometimes people mis-count and finish too early . More complicated ones have marshals to point you in the right direction and cheer you on along the route.

I'm a tail walker and not one of those tail walkers that's usually a runner and doing something to 'give back' I'm a tail walker because I would be last anyway so may as well make myself useful while I'm back there. Plenty of people walk, plenty of people walk alone and some even walk as slow as me and I either chat to them or hang back a little behind them depending on what it seems like they want.

Unless you're running the 5km in less than 20 minutes, you can just follow the person in front! But you can look on the parkrun website and see a description of the course, so that gives you an idea of where to go. Some courses will have multiple laps so you might need to count how many you've done.

There will be cones and signs marking out the course where needed, and there will be marshals standing on any tricky corners that can point you in the correct direction.

I signed up when ParkRun started up in my town two or three years ago - and I've never done it! What puts me off is the 8 am start time, especially in winter, and I have at least a 10 minute walk just to get to the start (I don't drive). I need to keep telling myself that I managed to get out that early every day when I worked.

Well done OP.

It's 9am in the UK.

Thanks. I’ll probably be near the back and most people will have disappeared long into the distance!

I’ve done over 300 now. It’s great. There’s a big push to encourage walkers so don’t ever feel like it’s not for you. Like with everything there are differences. My preferences are a smaller, quieter one preferably with toilets near the start. Most parkruns have volunteers who are really friendly and enthusiastic and one in particular where the run director was having a really bad day and had a right old rant at the start!

I’ve also spent time volunteering where participants have been absolute bellends. So even if you go to one and aren’t sure then try another one or return another time.