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Parkrun..

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  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,043 Mod ✭✭✭✭robinph


    I think you are missing the point that parkrun has reached a point over the years where there are far more people walking than running, and it's no longer parkrun, rather "parkwalk/run/whatever suits".
    With an average time of 32 mins + where does that leave the higher range of times, 40+ mins, now if someone is taking 40+ mins to cover 5k they aren't running.

    This is acceptable to the organizers as their main concern is growth and popularity rather than people actually improving.

    There is nothing like more people walking than running. Even in South Africa where the ratio is much more towards the slower times, they are a long way from having a majority of walkers.

    The main concern of parkrun is participation. By getting people to participate they are getting them to improve from their previous sedentary Saturday morning lifestyle. There isn't anything I've seen to suggest that once someone starts doing 5km at parkrun they then become slower at covering 5km.

    The individual becomes faster, but parkrun becomes slower due to the increased range of times.


  • Registered Users Posts: 12,839 ✭✭✭✭average_runner


    i008787 wrote: »
    Parkrun is probably the best health initiative of the past 10 years. It is truly a wonderful concept. It is deeply treasured. Your harsh and inaccurate words won't stop the return of parkrun. It caters for the top athletes to people like my 86 year old Dad who still parkruns every week.

    Parkrun is a run and not a race. To top athletes it doesn't offer much but that was never the aim.

    It's a social gathering to help people get fit and it achieves that.


  • Registered Users Posts: 12,839 ✭✭✭✭average_runner


    robinph wrote: »
    There is nothing like more people walking than running. Even in South Africa where the ratio is much more towards the slower times, they are a long way from having a majority of walkers.

    The main concern of parkrun is participation. By getting people to participate they are getting them to improve from their previous sedentary Saturday morning lifestyle. There isn't anything I've seen to suggest that once someone starts doing 5km at parkrun they then become slower at covering 5km.

    The individual becomes faster, but parkrun becomes slower due to the increased range of times.

    I would like to.see the evidence on that. My parkrun times are getting slower each year:)


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,043 Mod ✭✭✭✭robinph


    Parkrun is a run and not a race. To top athletes it doesn't offer much but that was never the aim.

    It's a social gathering to help people get fit and it achieves that.

    Define top athletes?

    There are a fair number of UK internationals who participate whilst still in the prime of their career. The female parkrun record having been broken a couple of times by internationals within the last year. The male with the most different parkrun course records will be running in the elite field in London next month, and regularly volunteers, I got handed my finish token by them at a London parkrun a couple of years ago with them dressed as spiderman.

    If meaning just local top level runners there are plenty of the winners of local actual races who I'd regularly see at various local parkruns. One of my more recent first finishers at a local event was thanks to a regular first finisher walking parkrun that day as they were then running in the national road relays later in the day. As was I, but their team won a national medal, we just managed to get around with only getting lapped the once.

    There is plenty at parkrun for the full range of athletes.


  • Registered Users Posts: 12,839 ✭✭✭✭average_runner


    robinph wrote: »
    Define top athletes?

    There are a fair number of UK internationals who participate whilst still in the prime of their career. The female parkrun record having been broken a couple of times by internationals within the last year. The male with the most different parkrun course records will be running in the elite field in London next month, and regularly volunteers, I got handed my finish token by them at a London parkrun a couple of years ago with them dressed as spiderman.

    If meaning just local top level runners there are plenty of the winners of local actual races who I'd regularly see at various local parkruns. One of my more recent first finishers at a local event was thanks to a regular first finisher walking parkrun that day as they were then running in the national road relays later in the day. As was I, but their team won a national medal, we just managed to get around with only getting lapped the once.

    There is plenty at parkrun for the full range of athletes.




    Yes its a social group. All the above points to that. Times are not important or a part of parkrun.


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  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,043 Mod ✭✭✭✭robinph


    Times are not important or a part of parkrun.

    Times are pretty important part of parkrun if you have international athletes running the same time in a parkrun as they do in a road 5km or for a track 5000m during 2019:

    https://www.thepowerof10.info/athletes/profile.aspx?athleteid=17290
    https://www.thepowerof10.info/athletes/profile.aspx?athleteid=57843

    Think they care about the effort/ times that they have put into parkrun, despite the fact that they are not getting prize money for running them. They are still doing equivalent efforts.

    But you are right that at the same time parkrun times don't matter, the fact that the times are recorded matters (regardless of if the individual cares about it at the time or not). The option of someone seeing their time is an important motivation to show progress from having picked the options to parkrun of a Saturday morning rather than stay in bed, and it's also important for the elites to see what they are doing, and for those of us in the middle.

    The time is important because it doesn't matter unless you personally want it to, but it is essential that it is timed in case you do.


  • Registered Users Posts: 12,839 ✭✭✭✭average_runner


    robinph wrote: »
    Times are pretty important part of parkrun if you have international athletes running the same time in a parkrun as they do in a road 5km or for a track 5000m during 2019:

    https://www.thepowerof10.info/athletes/profile.aspx?athleteid=17290
    https://www.thepowerof10.info/athletes/profile.aspx?athleteid=57843

    Think they care about the effort/ times that they have put into parkrun, despite the fact that they are not getting prize money for running them. They are still doing equivalent efforts.

    But you are right that at the same time parkrun times don't matter, the fact that the times are recorded matters (regardless of if the individual cares about it at the time or not). The option of someone seeing their time is an important motivation to show progress from having picked the options to parkrun of a Saturday morning rather than stay in bed, and it's also important for the elites to see what they are doing, and for those of us in the middle.

    The time is important because it doesn't matter unless you personally want it to, but it is essential that it is timed in case you do.




    Enjoy the run when it comes along. Could be awhile before Ireland see it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,831 ✭✭✭Annie get your Run


    parkrun/parkwalk panders to the lazy who need a social outlet for their once a week shuffle.

    I can't quite believe you came in here to insult every person on this thread that participates/participated in parkrun, many of whom run it as part of their 30/40/50+ a week mileage, along with the thousands of others not on this thread who also run regularly and participate in parkrun. Not to mention those 'lazy' people who never ran before and started doing parkrun and are now running regularly. But yeah, parkrun = lazy people.... :rolleyes:. In fact most of the core team members I know are fast marathon runners, ultra marathon runners, adventure racers etc.
    Parkrun is a run and not a race. To top athletes it doesn't offer much but that was never the aim.

    It's a social gathering to help people get fit and it achieves that.

    Curious to know then why so many top athletes took part every week?

    Yes it's run and not a race, but there are many top athletes, fast club runners, competitive club and non club runners that were taking part in parkrun regularly. People used it as part of their marathon training including parkrun in long runs, tempos, race prep etc. The fantastic thing about parkrun, and the thing I miss the most is the large mix of people, fast, slow, etc. all learning from each other, all passionate about something that, in my opinion, caters for absolutely everyone.

    I am so looking forward to its return, I don't think that will be any time soon but nonetheless it will eventually be back.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,640 ✭✭✭rovers_runner


    I can't quite believe you came in here to insult every person on this thread that participates/participated in parkrun, many of whom run it as part of their 30/40/50+ a week mileage, along with the thousands of others not on this thread who also run regularly and participate in parkrun. Not to mention those 'lazy' people who never ran before and started doing parkrun and are now running regularly. But yeah, parkrun = lazy people.... :rolleyes:. In fact most of the core team members I know are fast marathon runners, ultra marathon runners, adventure racers etc.



    Curious to know then why so many top athletes took part every week?

    Yes it's run and not a race, but there are many top athletes, fast club runners, competitive club and non club runners that were taking part in parkrun regularly. People used it as part of their marathon training including parkrun in long runs, tempos, race prep etc. The fantastic thing about parkrun, and the thing I miss the most is the large mix of people, fast, slow, etc. all learning from each other, all passionate about something that, in my opinion, caters for absolutely everyone.

    I am so looking forward to its return, I don't think that will be any time soon but nonetheless it will eventually be back.

    Get off your high horse and actually address some of the facts I stated about the regression of times over the years and how parkrun does nothing to promote healthy lifestyles or actually improving personal fitness.

    It's a social event run by a limited company.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,831 ✭✭✭Annie get your Run


    Get off your high horse and actually address some of the facts I stated about the regression of times over the years and how parkrun does nothing to promote healthy lifestyles or actually improving personal fitness.

    It's a social event run by a limited company.

    Facts? Are they from the DJT school of thought? :D I see nothing factual in your post, I see your opinion to which you are entitled but zero facts...


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  • Registered Users Posts: 712 ✭✭✭Duzzie


    Get off your high horse and actually address some of the facts I stated about the regression of times over the years and how parkrun does nothing to promote healthy lifestyles or actually improving personal fitness.

    It's a social event run by a limited company.
    Oh the irony after your previous posts. Perhaps high horse riding is the preserve of "proper runners"

    As has been pointed out previously, the increase in average finishing time is due to the increase in participation numbers rather than increased individual times. Typically individual times decrease over time as they get fitter and faster. The rest of your assertions are your opinion, not fact. You may not like the parkrun concept, that is your prerogative, but your dislike of parkrun does not give you the right to denigrate those who do or those that benefit from it.


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,043 Mod ✭✭✭✭robinph


    Get off your high horse and actually address some of the facts I stated about the regression of times over the years and how parkrun does nothing to promote healthy lifestyles or actually improving personal fitness.

    It's a social event run by a limited company.

    Think we already covered why they promote the average times getting slower and how that isn't a sign of individual people getting slower.

    How is encouraging a wider spectrum of society to become active not promoting healthy lifestyles? They also regularly have food and recipe information in they emails over the last few years, although I don't pay them much notice that doesn't mean they are not there. The have a partnership with the Co-Op in the UK for the last few years and have been promoting healthy food choices, and that partnership has recently been extended.

    As for the limited company bit, anything in particular you want explaining about their setup and group of companies? Perfectly normal for charities to be limited companies, perfectly normal for a charity to own a for profit limited company that trades to raise money for the charity.


  • Registered Users Posts: 10,398 ✭✭✭✭Murph_D


    Yiz are getting sucked in, folks. This is someone who likes to complain about ‘townies‘, ‘fatties’, and now ‘parkrunners’. It’s a pity he doesn’t like his local parkrun event, which could do with a bit of support from club runners in a town with a decent running tradition.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,640 ✭✭✭rovers_runner


    Murph_D wrote: »
    Yiz are getting sucked in, folks. This is someone who likes to complain about ‘townies‘, ‘fatties’, and now ‘parkrunners’. It’s a pity he doesn’t like his local parkrun event, which could do with a bit of support from club runners in a town with a decent running tradition.

    I'm not a club runner and never was, don't have the talent to be, so can't answer for them.
    But I can assure you club runners are out putting in the hard miles on a Saturday morning as I see them.
    They aren't the type to jog 5k at walking pace and spend as long afterwards eating cake.


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,043 Mod ✭✭✭✭robinph


    But I can assure you club runners are out putting in the hard miles on a Saturday morning as I see them.
    They aren't the type to jog 5k at walking pace and spend as long afterwards eating cake.

    I resemble that remark!


  • Registered Users Posts: 10,398 ✭✭✭✭Murph_D


    I'm not a club runner and never was, don't have the talent to be, so can't answer for them.
    But I can assure you club runners are out putting in the hard miles on a Saturday morning as I see them.
    They aren't the type to jog 5k at walking pace and spend as long afterwards eating cake.

    Imagine thinking you have to be talented to be a club runner.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 29 Dental Floss


    rovers_runner.... you haven't a clue, and you've really shown yourself up. Maybe stick to the elite racer threads so you can swing your dick around, because you're obviously too good for the parkrun thread. What a plonker


  • Registered Users Posts: 12,839 ✭✭✭✭average_runner


    Murph_D wrote: »
    Imagine thinking you have to be talented to be a club runner.

    Woohoo I have a talent


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,640 ✭✭✭rovers_runner


    Murph_D wrote: »
    Imagine thinking you have to be talented to be a club runner.

    Club running is for competition.
    If you want to wear a club bib and jog around its up to you.


  • Registered Users Posts: 320 ✭✭eoinín


    Club running is for competition.

    No its not.

    In the course of 3 or 4 posts you have managed to show your complete ignorance of 2 huge elements of the running scene in Ireland: parkrun and running clubs.

    Could you do us a favour and define how you think a runner should behave, what their motivation should be, what kind of events they should attend or avoid etc? And then try to estimate what percentage of people out running regularly actually meet your criteria once you've eliminated all the parkrunners, non-elite club runners and whatever other elitist criteria you have decided to impose. It will be quite a small percentage.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 2,640 ✭✭✭rovers_runner


    eoinín wrote: »
    No its not.

    In the course of 3 or 4 posts you have managed to show your complete ignorance of 2 huge elements of the running scene in Ireland: parkrun and running clubs.

    Could you do us a favour and define how you think a runner should behave, what their motivation should be, what kind of events they should attend or avoid etc? And then try to estimate what percentage of people out running regularly actually meet your criteria once you've eliminated all the parkrunners, non-elite club runners and whatever other elitist criteria you have decided to impose. It will be quite a small percentage.

    People don't need to fit either of what you mention above.
    I'm sure there are many thousands who don't.

    Although it does play to that rag Irish runner's target market by aiming at people who run 5k in the week and consider themselves runners.
    Sure let them keep lowering the standard and soon there will be an "Irish runner tie your shoelaces memorial run" .


  • Registered Users Posts: 320 ✭✭eoinín


    People don't need to fit either of what you mention above.
    I'm sure there are many thousands who don't.

    Although it does play to that rag Irish runner's target market by aiming at people who run 5k in the week and consider themselves runners.
    Sure let them keep lowering the standard and soon there will be an "Irish runner tie your shoelaces memorial run" .

    you seem to be, perhaps deliberately, missing the point that at least 2 people have clearly explained above - the reason that the "standard" is being lowered is not because parkrun, Irish Runner, etc are telling existing runners that its fine to not try as hard as they used to, or that its fine to have a slower time in a race than they used to, it's that the overall number of people regularly running is going up and there are a huge amount of people starting out and running more slowly than others, therefore diluting average times and "lowering the standard". If you genuinely still think, after this issue being clearly explained to you again, that parkrun and Irish Runner are telling individual runners to slow down, can you please show me where this is happening?

    Another question for you: would you rather have, say, 1,000 people in Ireland able to run 17 minutes for a 5k, giving an average national 5k time of 17 minutes, or 1,000 people in Ireland able to run 17 minutes and another 10,000 people running much slower because they have decided to try to improve their health and wellbeing and become healthier people through exercise. One consequence of the latter is a slower national average 5k time. But surely that's a small and rather irrelevant price to pay for increased activity and health, right?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 29 Dental Floss


    No reply, says it all...


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,640 ✭✭✭rovers_runner


    eoinín wrote: »
    you seem to be, perhaps deliberately, missing the point that at least 2 people have clearly explained above - the reason that the "standard" is being lowered is not because parkrun, Irish Runner, etc are telling existing runners that its fine to not try as hard as they used to, or that its fine to have a slower time in a race than they used to, it's that the overall number of people regularly running is going up and there are a huge amount of people starting out and running more slowly than others, therefore diluting average times and "lowering the standard". If you genuinely still think, after this issue being clearly explained to you again, that parkrun and Irish Runner are telling individual runners to slow down, can you please show me where this is happening?

    What I said was they don't encourage improvement, they just want to have larger numbers.
    Also they launched parkwalk and added operation transformation people so no, running alone is not their aim, growing their brand is.
    Adding to that you can take part without registration or a bib it makes it a free for all in terms of returning to running events post covid-19.


    Another question for you: would you rather have, say, 1,000 people in Ireland able to run 17 minutes for a 5k, giving an average national 5k time of 17 minutes, or 1,000 people in Ireland able to run 17 minutes and another 10,000 people running much slower because they have decided to try to improve their health and wellbeing and become healthier people through exercise. One consequence of the latter is a slower national average 5k time. But surely that's a small and rather irrelevant price to pay for increased activity and health, right?

    Why pick 17 minutes?
    Why not use the real figures from parkrun? Their averages are in the 30's, hence there is a lot more people walking/jogging than running.
    Why claim they rest are running when they clearly aren't.
    People who run a social 5k a week and nothing else from Sun-Fri is not increased activity, it's the same as the ones who pay a few hundred euros in Jan to a gym and go the odd time.


  • Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 4,940 Mod ✭✭✭✭GoldFour4


    More people are getting out and getting exercise and improving their health.

    Most people are trying to improve their time each week regardless of whether that’s beating a PB of 17mins or 37mins. How anyone could think that’s bad is beyond me.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,640 ✭✭✭rovers_runner


    More people are getting out and getting exercise and improving their health.

    Most people are trying to improve their time each week regardless of whether that’s beating a PB of 17mins or 37mins. How anyone could think that’s bad is beyond me.

    What does that have to do with my original point?

    Parkrun will ruin it for the rest of us who are waiting on properly run events with registrations. Parkrun allows people attend and take part with no bib/registration recorded. It would be a sickner to see this social event ruin it for the rest of the running community


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,043 Mod ✭✭✭✭robinph


    What I said was they don't encourage improvement, they just want to have larger numbers.
    It's possible to do both. They do encourage improvement. PB's are highlighted on your results, they get mentioned in your weekly emails if you acheive a new PB. They even tell you about what your best time during the previous 12 months on that course in recognition of the fact that ageing happens and whilst you may not be able to beat your time from 15 years ago running your fastest time for now is still an improvement.

    There is some questionable loading in the numbers, but they also also recognise the best age grade results for each event each week, and list the best times for each gender/ age/ event.

    What about any of that is not promoting trying to achieve for the individual?
    Also they launched parkwalk and added operation transformation people so no, running alone is not their aim, growing their brand is.
    Not sure that "parkwalk" is an actual parkrun thing. It is just third parties getting together to encourage walking at parkruns, and parkrun doesn't have a problem with that.
    What about getting people off the sofa and out being active is not promoting improvement, even if that is just walking to begin with?
    Adding to that you can take part without registration or a bib it makes it a free for all in terms of returning to running events post covid-19.

    parkrun don't have exclusive use of the parks, in most cases, and don't pay for their use so they can't limit access. It's hardly a free for all though, as unless you are there for parkrun or to walk your dog there really are not that many people out at that hour of the morning to hang out in parks.
    Why pick 17 minutes?
    Why not use the real figures from parkrun? Their averages are in the 30's, hence there is a lot more people walking/jogging than running.
    Think you need to have a revisit of some of your maths studies. Completing 5km in 30 minutes is not walking. You'd need to be doing a pretty determined walk to get around in 45minutes, so if the average is faster than that then most people are clearly still runners.

    But why does it matter if there are more walkers, that is not getting in the way of the person doing sub ?? up the front? The fact that someone is walking doesn't stop anyone from running fast.
    Why claim they rest are running when they clearly aren't.
    People who run a social 5k a week and nothing else from Sun-Fri is not increased activity, it's the same as the ones who pay a few hundred euros in Jan to a gym and go the odd time.
    If their previous activity was zero then yes it does count as increased activity. If they go along to parkrun a few times and that is their only exercise walking round, but then they get encouraged to do more, and go out another time during the week, and then try to beat their previous time walking, and then try running a bit, and then try running a bit more and at some point event maybe get as far as running the whole way round...does that count as improvement?


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,811 ✭✭✭Tigerandahalf


    There seems to be a new parkrun starting up in Trim, Co. Meath.
    https://www.parkrun.ie/porchfield/

    Hopefully a start wont be too far away for all events in Ireland.

    Fair play to Tralee Parkrun - 130 parkruns being recorded despite it not running.


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,043 Mod ✭✭✭✭robinph


    There are a couple of new events which have appeared on the map near me since lockdown, one 5km and one 2km, and I know of at least one more that is hoping to get their final approval done soon which will give us even more options locally. That next new one for me is probably on the back burner now though until the restart actually happens.

    Have seen conflicting opinions on when those new events which are already on the map will actually start and if they will go on week 1 of a restart of parkrun, or wait a couple of weeks. There are very good reasons for either option and will be interesting which way they go, or if it's even the same for all of the new but not yet actually started events.


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  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 22,270 CMod ✭✭✭✭Pawwed Rig


    Am I correct in assuming that junior parkrun will return at the same time as regular parkrun or has that ever been mentioned?
    My poor little girl has done loads of parkruns unregistered but has had a barcode since she turned 4 in May that's waiting for some scanning.

    We have kept our own 2k going every Sunday during lockdown.


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