Also talk of the Freyne challenge (250 different events) being in doubt. Heard stories of runs that weren't done being edited to include them in the results to inflate their event count. Not sure how you'd do that without global access to the results system, but that's the rumour going around
Great news, its mainly a British thing from what i can see, loads of saddos flooding events chasing number sequences
Isn't Pobalscoil na Tríonóide parkrun named as such to stop alphabet chasers flooding Youghal?
parkrun hq now take the names from Google Maps pretty much although I'm sure the Y name did cross their minds!
Oranmore cancelled as a tree is blocking the route.
The numbers things are a bit silly and definitely impact on events, with an old but fairly small event in the UK coming close to one of the numbers in a couple of months. Doesn't stop anyone doing these things themselves, but the "challenges" being promoted via the various apps is certainly a problem.
Have seen details of people having emailed events previously to claim that they ran somewhere that they didn't, but being found out as they did it across what they presumed was massively far apart events (like several thousand miles apart) and didn't realise that the various EDs knew each other well and had photos of them genuinely finishing at one event and video of the finish at the other event (to assist with result processing). But other than a handful of idiots causing unnecessary hassle, those people are not going to become a major issue, and I don't see how removing the likes of Fryene would make the slightest difference. People going for those numbers of different events will have their own lists and likely the various apps show incorrect numbers anyway due to events being renamed and cancelled over time. My 70 odd different events shows as three different numbers depending on which stat on which app or page of the parkrun website I look at.
Any inputs on which course to pick for a “fast” time (my fast around 20 mins) - Malahide or marlay (this coming Saturday?). I’ve narrowed it down to these two based on some other threads and how easy there are to get to for me
Kilcock is practically flat out and back on the canal.
Naas is pretty flat, gentle hill you hit twice but a nice decline 3 times for the finish
Corkagh pretty flat too
Goosed in all of the above if anyway windy though
Great suggestions, but I’ve got a hotel in the city center, so trying to factor in how to get there etc :-)
Get the dart to shanganagh parkrun
Donabate. Get the train from Tara or Connolly. Flat with two fast downhills. I got my pb here.
Thanks Guerilla. That’s very do able. There were only 4 people under 20 at the last Donabate event. Hence why I thought Malahide might be easier (bigger field to follow/ be pulled by!)
Donabate is slightly faster imo. Both fast though.
Fantastic! when I don’t get many chances at running parkruns in Ireland, I obsess a little over the choices. The dirt paths of Malahide I am curious about - given rain over next days, if they’ll be a mess/ ok.
I would get out to Ringsend or Fairview. Neither are too far from the city centre.
Thanks py! I scratched Fairview because I read it is hilly (3 x inclines) and on grass (wet would be slow). Do you disagree?
Ringsend? Do you mean poolbeg? I did that once during a storm and i have nightmares of that 180 turn around at the top of the hill :-)
I did mean Poolbeg. It would be my go to if near city centre though I'm unsure what conditions are like this weekend. The hill in the middle isn't all that bad. Rest of it is flat. Agree on Fairview.
Thanks so much! I hated having to turn so sharply. My experiences are coloured by Storm Deirdre - i do not know what possessed me to go when the weather was that bad hah
I would have thought Poppintree might have suited. Always found it very fast and an easy commute from town.
Maybe not as picturesque as Malahide or Donabate though
yep - you're right - the course looks great and flat. But so few running around 20 min mark - hence why i ruled it out!
If there's strong winds, I would have an alternative in mind. It is quite exposed along the coast.
It is a mental illness. One which many of us seem to have. I recall being nearly bent double running into the wind on one parkrun. Don't recall which but it was probably St Annes. Another time in Sligo the rain was torrential with a puddle at the start finish area that was nearly up to my knees. That was my first top 10 finish tbf as only 8 other people were lunatic enough to attend 🤣
And 5 of them were probably the volunteers.
Being in the valley below the M50 toll bridge, would that shelter Waterstown or make it a massive wind funnel?
It can be windy down in the valley in Waterstown at times, but not that often. You're far more likely to hit a headwind in the last 400m as you climb back towards the top.
As mentioned above
Went to malahide. Absolutely awful weather for July. Not a storm but chucking it down. Reminded me of your comment on the lunacy 🙂
thought the course was fantastic overall. I got confused as I expected to be able to follow someone and it was a little more spare self attended. My advice to anyone doing it for the first time and maybe a bit towards the front - do have a look at the route properly first :-)
I wasn’t sure where some of the turns were and the person ahead of me was just a bit too far ahead and I couldn’t see where he’d gone.
re the grass: it’s not much. Even in the pouring rain, it was the slightest thing to deal with. Rest of the surface is super. Route in my view is as flat as you need.
and I got my sub 20 so now I love the course 😆
I've done some pretty wierd and twisty courses, and one in particular in Forest of Dean was actually far easier to run when in the lead that when a place or two back.
If you are leading then the course is very well marked and you easily spot each of the permanent markers for the course setup by Forestry England. If you are following though your brain switches off and you don't pay attention to the route markings and just follow the person in front, which means the moment you lose sight of them around a corner you become lost. Even once I'd done the course a few times and knew the route, I'd still get confused if the person in front was occasionally visible.
If there is no one to follow the brain works harder to figure out where you are.
I have been on some course without marshalls or signage where the leader needs to turn and ask which way to go. Waterstown would be a good example. Luckily they have a resident fast guy who can lead the way. Your brain working harder doesn't help when you don't know whether to turn or go straight.🤣
Bushy Dublin parkrun is cancelled for the next few weeks (maybe longer, could be months) due to parts of the park being closed. They are trying to get an alternative route agreed.
Been meaning to visit that one, if nothing else but to get a selfie with the excellent chalk art they do every week.
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