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.

I went today. Felt very positive but it was not like this at all. Incredibly competitive. I am so disappointed but I guess park runs vary quite a bit. I had hoped for a community feeling etc

I would persevere until you find a nice one if you can as honestly parkrun has improved my life considerably and I don't even run or walk it just volunteer.

Oh no thats really disappointing to hear. I started years ago and could barely run 10m but was encouraged by fellow parkrunners so much so that I lost 4 stone and ran marathons. Am slower these days, circa 36 - 38 mins. Only ever got as quick as (or slow depending on how you look at it) 32 mins. Hey ho!

Please don't be put off, go again, you'll make loads of new friends. parkrun is the most welcoming community I"ve ever encountered.

It’s a good idea. I think I had expected something different. There were no walkers apart from the tail walker. I think I’ll probably stick to running on my own as I just want to jog quite slowly. I had booked a 5k run next week, but am not sure about doing it now as I have felt dispirited all day!

ive never been to a parkrun where there was no one walking or slow jogging. There will always be the faster people running it at pace because that’s how they challenge themselves. Parkrun is for everyone. If you’re quite new to running you are likely to be one of the slower ones but I wouldn’t let you put you off. The faster runners tend to be quite encouraging of the slower runners. Sometimes at one local park run some of the faster men get a bit competitive and shout at people to get out the way, which I don’t think is really in the spirit of parkrun. But that’s only on odd occasions at one particular faster course.

our local one on a farm is very friendly and I think yesterday the spread of times was 18-57 mins. So a real mix of different runners.

Sorry to hear that @bewilderedhedgehog . I've visited over 100 different parkruns and while each has its own vibe (there's one in particular that I will never go back to because I was barged by a fast man - for avoidance of doubt I am a slow woman) there are usually people run/walking or just walking.

We have a 5k your way meet up once a month at our parkrun for people with cancer, and have recently welcomed a group of stroke survivors and our local Parkinson's group, which has swelled our walker numbers. I was the parkwalker yesterday, I walked and talked with another participant and we finished in 52 minutes, about 10 minutes ahead of the tailwalker.

Can I suggest you have a look at the past results of local parkruns to see which have slower times? Please don't be put off!

Thanks everyone! As you say I’m sure groups vary so perhaps I’ll have a look. I was particularly fed up yesterday as I was quite excited to go but am sure I’ll get over myself 😂😂. Perhaps I’ll run on my own for a bit longer then try again

@bewilderedhedgehog Just to understand, was it the vibe you didn't like, or more that there weren't many runners at your pace so you were going round on your own? (or both). I like Parkrun as a training aid but I don't find it massively friendly and I think this aspect can be somewhat exaggerated - at mine people seem to come with friends/ family or meet people they already know from running clubs etc. There might be a bit of random chat in the funnel (our park run is huge - over 1000 - so often a wait at the end to be processed) but quite often not. In general I'd say running clubs are more social than Parkrun, or rather Parkrun is a social if you know people there from other places like running club.

I think it was both. People weren’t unfriendly as such, it just wasn’t what I expected. I had in my head a quite friendly community vibe with runners at all levels. It really wasn’t that. No walkers except for the tail walker. I wanted to jog slowly round and just felt very uncomfortable. Still I gave it a shot!

Maybe have a look at the results from a few other park runs near you to find one with a good number of runners around your pace or slower on a regular basis.