Parkrun..

robinph · 31-07-2020 9:36am

DeepBlue wrote: »

That currently exists with the not parkun (and previously with the freedom run) option. There's very low take up on it.

It takes some pretty determined social media wrangling to have any decent take up of the (not) parkrun concept or the virtual parkruns that individual events took it upon themselves to organise from the outset. Some event have done very well and managed to engage their existing community and even expand their local awareness of parkrun during the lockdown, others not so much. It takes a lot of effort though.

Was great that parkrun released their (not) parkrun website tweak, but they could have done with it far sooner. In some aspects I think they all just popped down The Winchester, had a pint and were waiting for it all to blow over, in others they were very quick off the mark in instantly creating the quizes and pumping out loads of content on the social media.

Seannew1 · 31-07-2020 10:40am

No parkrun in this country will start until the guidelines surrounding outdoor participants are lifted. Given that there was a massive surge in cases last night, I'm expecting us to remain in phase 3 of the re-opening plan from the 10th of August. Even, phase 4 has only 500 participants which may not be enough.

ger664 · 31-07-2020 11:18pm

robinph wrote: »

Do you think they will actually restart with those requirements still in place from the government?

Honest answer unfortunately no.

robinph wrote: »

parkrun can't control who lines up at their start lines, or who might join in or leave part way round. Can't see them taking responsibility for doing those checks as it would require them to have far more control over who is in the park space than they would want to have.

This is the issue with the park run model in covid19 times. The just rock up and run/partake model wont tick the government requirements for contact tracing etc. In other sports such as gaa matches all attendees and participants are known before hand and only those are allowed to participate or spectate.

Van.Bosch · 02-08-2020 12:30am

ger664 wrote: »

Honest answer unfortunately no.

This is the issue with the park run model in covid19 times. The just rock up and run/partake model wont tick the government requirements for contact tracing etc. In other sports such as gaa matches all attendees and participants are known before hand and only those are allowed to participate or spectate.

Can you imagine them changing it to a sign up the night before with places limited to 500 (if govt allows - phase 4)? Would be a pretty big conceptual shift for park run but maybe necessary to get it back?

Murph_D · 02-08-2020 1:25pm

Van.Bosch wrote: »

Can you imagine them changing it to a sign up the night before with places limited to 500 (if govt allows - phase 4)? Would be a pretty big conceptual shift for park run but maybe necessary to get it back?

No, can't imagine that at all. That would be a different kind of event. Not very parkrun, and anyway the policing of it would be more than many volunteers, myself included, would be prepared to take on.

diceyreilly · 02-08-2020 3:31pm

ger664 wrote: »

Honest answer unfortunately no.

This is the issue with the park run model in covid19 times. The just rock up and run/partake model wont tick the government requirements for contact tracing etc. In other sports such as gaa matches all attendees and participants are known before hand and only those are allowed to participate or spectate.

That’s not entirely true. Raheny Gaa play games in St Anne’s Park. ( also a parkrun venue) and anybody can rock up and watch them.

Ted_YNWA · 02-08-2020 6:31pm

Murph_D wrote:

No, can't imagine that at all. That would be a different kind of event. Not very parkrun, and anyway the policing of it would be more than many volunteers, myself included, would be prepared to take on.

It would be totally unworkable to pre-enter. You would need a load of volunteers to do a check to see if everyone had beforehand. You could potentially end up with some unknowns if you wait until results processing. Then the pre-registering is a moot point.

diceyreilly wrote:

Thatâ€™s not entirely true. Raheny Gaa play games in St Anneâ€™s Park. ( also a parkrun venue) and anybody can rock up and watch them.

Same with spectators at parkrun, there could be a load of +1's (partners, siblings, kids etc..) that go for a walk while someone takes part.

Van.Bosch · 03-08-2020 12:38am

Ted_YNWA wrote: »

It would be totally unworkable to pre-enter. You would need a load of volunteers to do a check to see if everyone had beforehand. You could potentially end up with some unknowns if you wait until results processing. Then the pre-registering is a moot point.

Same with spectators at parkrun, there could be a load of +1's (partners, siblings, kids etc..) that go for a walk while someone takes part.

True - good points, you could have 480 runners, 20 volunteers and one spectator shows up and you’ve breached the 500.

robinph · 03-08-2020 12:52pm

Van.Bosch wrote: »

True - good points, you could have 480 runners, 20 volunteers and one spectator shows up and you’ve breached the 500.

It's a long way off being worth making the argument, but there will be a point at which X many people hanging out on a beach or park would make not permitting a fraction of X many people to meet up outside for a run/jog/walk around the park would be silly to not be allowed.

Hopefully something happens (or more specifically doesn't happen, unless we're talking about a vaccine) between now and next summer at which point we'd be looking at letting parkruns restart under that argument. Think it still needs football opened up before parkrun will want to stick their head above the parapet for now.

Van.Bosch · 04-08-2020 12:12am

robinph wrote: »

It's a long way off being worth making the argument, but there will be a point at which X many people hanging out on a beach or park would make not permitting a fraction of X many people to meet up outside for a run/jog/walk around the park would be silly to not be allowed.

Hopefully something happens (or more specifically doesn't happen, unless we're talking about a vaccine) between now and next summer at which point we'd be looking at letting parkruns restart under that argument. Think it still needs football opened up before parkrun will want to stick their head above the parapet for now.

Next Summer? How depressing, I hope you’re wrong, as I’m sure you are too.

Pawwed Rig · 04-08-2020 7:32am

I cannot see parkrun being the first organised run to return. When we see club events and marathons start up again that is when I think parkrun will come back. Or they may just wait for the vaccine (if that ever happens)

crisco10 · 04-08-2020 9:54am

Parkrun opening up again really depends how far the organisers want to move away from their "brand". Parkrun has always pitched itself as having extremely low barriers to entry. Any COVID management plan will add some friction, and the sooner they want to go back the more friction there will be. So the question is really, how high can those barriers to entry be and still be acceptably close to the parkrun brand identity?

DeepBlue · 04-08-2020 3:11pm

Latest parkrun update - https://blog.parkrun.com/ie/2020/08/04/covid-19-coronavirus-update-4-august/

There seems to be some concrete progress with a framework for running parkruns in a covid world being released on Friday.

robinph · 04-08-2020 3:21pm

Damn, beaten to it.

Will be interested to see what they come up with and how much they see as needing to be tweaked...

average_runner · 04-08-2020 4:10pm

I find it interesting people talk a max of 500, that will include spectators etc.

But it can't work that way as its in a public park and public park can have over 500 anytime without a parkrun race.
Spectators could be people just out for a walk in the park

In their 500 numbers they can only account for stewards and runners.

For example Griffeen park in Lucan, could have two / three gaa matches or training at the same time a race is on.

jimmii · 04-08-2020 6:22pm

Have any events been happening in Ireland? In Scotland we've had some going ahead and theres a few planned for August. The biggest I know of was 199 people split into groups and then they went out 15/minute to keep people seperated. Seemingly it worked well enough with that many people I'm not convinced though.

robinph · 04-08-2020 7:10pm

No events have been happening anywhere under the parkrun banner outside of New Zealand. Whatever has been done in Scotland is most definitely being carried out well under the radar of HQ who would be along to stop them if they caught a sniff of it happening.

What various events worldwide have been doing is variations on the virtual /(not) parkrun events and organising meet ups via zoom and different methods of recording the runs to keep people engaged with parkrun.

jimmii · 04-08-2020 11:00pm

I meant any events no one here is going out on their own like that with a parkrun event shoulf have made that clearer! What % of parkruns are multiple loops? Seems quite high just going by the ones I have done so guessing that virtually rules out staggered starts (seen some that are 4 or 5 laps even!). Is it likely that parkrun might even be one of the last events to come back?

robinph · 04-08-2020 11:07pm

Have heard of a couple of races locally doing time trials with 15 seconds or so delay between runners starting. Not sure how many people entered them as so far that's not interested me... I may succumb to the need to race soon but currently think I'd rather hide in the middle of the pack that get over taken by people because I predicted a time the legs couldn't provide.

average_runner · 05-08-2020 12:36pm

robinph wrote: »

Have heard of a couple of races locally doing time trials with 15 seconds or so delay between runners starting. Not sure how many people entered them as so far that's not interested me... I may succumb to the need to race soon but currently think I'd rather hide in the middle of the pack that get over taken by people because I predicted a time the legs couldn't provide.

There was one of these out by Jack Whites last sat. Also a bike time trial.

Just saw it when doing my normal run. Wonder is it a regular thing?

Duzzie · 05-08-2020 1:29pm

average_runner wrote: »

There was one of these out by Jack Whites last sat. Also a bike time trial.

Just saw it when doing my normal run. Wonder is it a regular thing?

It was a St Benedicts Inbhear Mor AC club run. A one off club get together held under Athletics Ireland Covid19 rules. The Wicklow County 5k Championships will be held at the same place in a few weeks time. Not sure what the bike ride was though.

gucci · 06-08-2020 2:46pm

robinph wrote: »

Have heard of a couple of races locally doing time trials with 15 seconds or so delay between runners starting. Not sure how many people entered them as so far that's not interested me... I may succumb to the need to race soon but currently think I'd rather hide in the middle of the pack that get over taken by people because I predicted a time the legs couldn't provide.

I done a session with a friend last night who gave me a 90 second head-start, and still ended up beating me over 5k

it was with about 500m to go, but I was glad it was just one guy and not a stream of folks!

Miklos · 06-08-2020 4:59pm

Duzzie wrote: »

It was a St Benedicts Inbhear Mor AC club run. A one off club get together held under Athletics Ireland Covid19 rules. The Wicklow County 5k Championships will be held at the same place in a few weeks time. Not sure what the bike ride was though.

The bike ride was the Danny O’Shea Memorial 10 Mile TT, held there every year.

crisco10 · 07-08-2020 9:15am

No date for parkrun return, but the guidelines have been published.

https://volunteer.parkrun.com/principles/open-with-covid-19-management-system

NO massive changes that I can see, but no messing around at start/finish and increase the space as much as possible at start/finish.

Oh, and route can be up to 500m long to accomodate this.

robinph · 07-08-2020 9:19am

Hand sanitiser to be provided for volunteers and compulsory usage of the virtual volunteer app so everyone is using their own device.

Mostly the guidance is just don't be an idiot.

Annie get your Run · 07-08-2020 9:24am

They mention a few times that because everyone is required to register online they are able to quickly communicate with participants in the event of an outbreak, I didn't see any mention of how to deal with people that turn up without registering or that don't have their barcode with them or did I miss that?

I think it's probably the best they can do given the circumstances and I think the use of the virtual volunteer app is a good idea. Volunteers could wear a face mask too if they wanted to (I think I would if I was scanning). It'll be interesting to see when now...

robinph · 07-08-2020 9:30am

Guess they are classing anyone who doesn't register or bring their barcode as just other park users and nothing to do with them, even if they take a finish token.

opus · 07-08-2020 11:17am

Annie get your Run wrote: »

They mention a few times that because everyone is required to register online they are able to quickly communicate with participants in the event of an outbreak, I didn't see any mention of how to deal with people that turn up without registering or that don't have their barcode with them or did I miss that?

I think it's probably the best they can do given the circumstances and I think the use of the virtual volunteer app is a good idea. Volunteers could wear a face mask too if they wanted to (I think I would if I was scanning). It'll be interesting to see when now...

I was wondering about that part as well. Obviously no results without a barcode but imagine the person would still go through the finish line & get a token etc.

Annie get your Run · 07-08-2020 12:05pm

robinph wrote: »

Guess they are classing anyone who doesn't register or bring their barcode as just other park users and nothing to do with them, even if they take a finish token.

I don't think they can simply say 'nothing to do with us' as clearly these people turn up to run their event.

opus wrote: »

I was wondering about that part as well. Obviously no results without a barcode but imagine the person would still go through the finish line & get a token etc.

It's more about the idea that parkrun can contact 'everyone' that attended their run in the case of an outbreak. That's not strictly true, I guess RD's will have to reiterate the importance of being registered and having your barcode at the pre run briefing to make people more aware.

It won't stop the events from taking place, it's just an observation really. I'm sure HQ realise how many unknowns they have every week but maybe just decided not to cover that in their risk assessment.

DeepBlue · 07-08-2020 12:15pm

One issue with the guidelines is emailing participants in advance of an event re-opening. That assumes that participants have set their home parkrun correctly in their profile.

Parkrun..

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