Parkrun

[TheBitterBoy]

Did anyone hear Mara Yamauchi on The World At One on R4 today discussing Parkrun? I thought she was very clear and reasonable, and got some very good points across.

She was good. Focusing on the balance between fairness and inclusion, and that women and girls deserve competitive sport not to be made unfair for them.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001tqzd

Starting at 25:25.

Park runs response (or lack of) at the end of the presentation says it all with and I quote "ParkRun declined an invitation to come on to the programme and said, they had no further comment, when we put Miss Yamahauchis' points to them". 🙄

Mara Yamahauchis put very sensible solutions to the issue but it won’t happen. It’s run by volunteers and they won’t want the confrontation. I run (even belong to a running club and obsess over my pace) but avoid Park Run now as find the whole thing (based on running several different courses) stressful compared to a paid for event with a very chaotic environment.

Yes, people get out for exercise but it’s a scrum. The fact that people regularly refusing tokens if their time isn’t good negates the argument that it isn’t competitive. It’s regularly used as a warm-up for training by more serious runners for the very fact it is timed and ranked. And sex is very important for running stats when comparing to others along side age.

I don’t think Park Run want to raise their head above the parapet…it is highly competitive, full of up and coming runners as well those who the event is aimed at, the person who just wants to be active and slightly less of couch potato. It doesn’t sound like Park Run PR actually get out to many events if they truly believe it’s a non-serious jog on a Saturday morning.