parkrun, lap two

robinph · 13-05-2021 10:35am

robinph wrote: »

22nd May has now been confirmed for USA parkruns to be permitted to return, depending on local state requirements. Very unlikely to be all of them, but really doesn't matter for any US parkruns if they return on different dates as nobody is touring like in the UK.

... And whilst several US parkruns are confirmed for the 22nd May, the one event which I had a mild influence in inspiring through getting family involved in visits to the UK has now been confirmed for the 29th.

They had permission from the local parks department, but needed a change to the state rules as they were falling under the rules covering a back yard BBQ, now they have managed to get things changed so they fall under the rules for an amusement park instead so can restart. Weird rules, but I should just have enough weeks left to complete my 50th virtual parkrun with them.

Still need a lot more England events to get permission for the June restart to happen.

Pawwed Rig · 13-05-2021 10:58am

Any word on junior parkrun? GAA and scouts are back as is school so I don't see any reason why parkrun cannot go ahead?

robinph · 13-05-2021 11:18am

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

Any word on junior parkrun? GAA and scouts are back as is school so I don't see any reason why parkrun cannot go ahead?

I've not seen any noises from parkrun HQ in relation to Ireland yet, other than they latest blog post did claim that despite not hearing anything about other territories they were working on it, honest 'guv.

I guess it is this line with is preventing the likes of parkrun "Outdoor sports training can start again in pods of up to 15." but GAA and team sports can get around by saying each team is a separate pod.

In the English restrictions it is still a limit of 6 people or 2 families for meeting outside for sport or socially, but the bit that enables parkrun to go ahead is that "organised sport" is exempt from all restrictions, and the definition of what constitutes organised sport is left very vague.

opus · 13-05-2021 11:30am

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

Any word on junior parkrun? GAA and scouts are back as is school so I don't see any reason why parkrun cannot go ahead?

From looking at this Roadmap for Reopening Society & Business doc, it would suggest early Aug for a possible parkrun resumption, no idea if they will separate junior & 5k events though.

Just read that doc again & realised it's from last year

Pawwed Rig · 13-05-2021 11:34am

robinph wrote: »

I guess it is this line with is preventing the likes of parkrun "Outdoor sports training can start again in pods of up to 15." but GAA and team sports can get around by saying each team is a separate pod.

At our scouts the other night the different troops (ie pods) were rolling around on the ground wrestling each other. I am not sure that this is what the regulations on pods had in mind :pac:

average_runner · 13-05-2021 4:49pm

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

Any word on junior parkrun? GAA and scouts are back as is school so I don't see any reason why parkrun cannot go ahead?

I think the difference with other sports they have the contact tracing. That isn't there for junior parkrun. Even though risk is low outside.

robinph · 14-05-2021 5:35pm

juniors return to NI from 23rd May:

https://blog.parkrun.com/uk/2021/05/14/uk-update-14-may/

Tombo2001 · 17-05-2021 10:46am

A lot of press coverage in the UK this weekend about Park Run not returning, facing difficulties.

It seems the issue is that the parks wont sanction it.

This affects a lot of sports - that lockdown might be ending, but a lot of venues will decide they dont want to hold events any more nonetheless.....

Would be annoying if it was ok to play full contact GAA in a public park, but not allow a park run.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/may/17/great-british-farce-if-parkrun-does-not-return-but-clubs-and-casinos-do

robinph · 17-05-2021 11:02am

There is a number of venues which have cancelled, private park held by a trust which thinks it can get more money from charging for it's own weekly 5km event/ university where the number are quite high and worried about damage to playing fields, couple of others that have been cancelled for unknown reasons.

No problem with those events being withdrawn (although the private trust with the park thinking they can make money from a weekly 5km really doesn't understand what they are trying to do) and it was inevitable that there would be a few events at this point which would end up being cancelled. These events would have probably been cancelled at some point over the last year or so anyway, just the pandemic close down brought thigs forward a bit and gave an easy opportunity to make a decision.

The likes of local authorities having such varying ranges of time scales and requirements for parkrun to get permission to restart what they were previously doing isn't on though. These are park spaces that are owned by the public and the local councils just look after them for the population. Unless there is some really good reason for the previous permission to be withdrawn (works being done in the park, it's currently being used as a testing/ vaccination centre/ there are now 5 thousand dog walkers in the park at 9am on a Saturday morning) then it should just be a case of parkrun restarting. Obviously permission is still needed from private landowners, but most of them seem to be giving the permission, or cancelling the event totally. It's the local authorities which are delaying things or coming up with stupid requests on what they want from parkrun to just start doing what they have always done.

The stuff about isolation tents and the temperature of volunteers bibs being washed at is just ridiculous.

The Black Oil · 20-05-2021 8:53am

Just heard Sebastian Coe on Radio 4 saying that parkrun was caught up in a 'bureaucratic swap' and being asked to jump through hoops that aren't being applied to other activities.

https://twitter.com/sebcoe/status/1395053288911945745

robinph · 20-05-2021 1:24pm

More government ministers and shadow ministers brining it up in Parliament today and saying they are going to be applying more pressure on local authorities, London mayor getting involved as well.

Potential for the start to get pushed back a week in England if there is enough publicity this weekend. Hoping it doesn't get delayed until the 26th though as that then risks more delays as not all restrictions will be lifted on that date and some venues, such as Bushy Park in London have said "when all restrictions lifted" which is just constantly kicking the can further down the road.

Going to try a different juniors event ourselves this weekend and head to a new one in Wales, I think I'm allowed over the border.

aquinn · 21-05-2021 9:58am

According to the Guardian this morning the return of parkun in England has been pushed back until the end of next month.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/may/21/parkrun-return-england-delayed-venues-reluctant-reopen

Murph_D · 21-05-2021 2:11pm

Once again, parkrun brass underestimating the extent to which the event is reliant on on the partnerships forged between local authorities, venues and event teams, as much as the top-down organisation between parkrun and parkrunners.

peter kern · 21-05-2021 4:24pm

i would say many authorities are underestimating what a positive impact park runs can have in reducing long term costs in for the NHS in this case .
i guess its an fair assumption that some 150 000 runner in the uk would prob not run without those parkruns and the saving for the NHS will likely be millions and milllions every year in mental health and pysical health. ie if i was the health secratary and get free support to keep my costs down i would make sure to make sure that authorities dont create more red tape than needed. i struggle to think of anything that would reduce health costs more than park run for the given cost. of course open to corrections.
ie governments have more to lose financially than parkrun.
of course many authorities dont understand that.
https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-017-4620-1 etc etc

robinph · 21-05-2021 5:04pm

From listening to the latest Free Weekly Timed podcast it seemed like they had significant movement in the type of responses they were getting on Wednesday and Thursday, despite parkrun knowing by that point that the 5th wasn't going to happen, and local authorities were suddenly asking how they could make parkrun return rather than questions about washing volunteer bibs and isolation tents.

robinph · 21-05-2021 5:16pm

Potential for Northern Ireland events from the 26th June:

https://twitter.com/parkrunUK/status/1395742267042930695?s=19

robinph · 22-05-2021 5:42pm

parkrun returned in the US today, and Anthony Fauci went along to check it out.

https://twitter.com/s_parkrun/status/1396129251305345026?s=19

The volunteer team had encountered him and his Secret Service detail along the route last week when they were doing their course check and had a quick chat with him about parkrun, so he returned again this week.

opus · 26-05-2021 11:04am

Some nuggests of hope in this.

For Written Answer on : 18/05/2021
Question Number(s): 351 Question Reference(s): 26472/21
Department: Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Asked by: Pa Daly T.D.
______________________________________________
QUESTION
To ask the Minister for Tourism; Culture; Arts; Gaeltacht; Sport and Media if she will engage with representatives of park runs (details supplied) on the holding of trial events given the inclusive nature of the events as outlined. (Details Supplied) Parkrun is a voluntary community led activity and 12,000 participate weekly.Annually approx 80,000 people in Ireland make 650,000 runs or walks.7% of participants have a disability, 17% are from the lowest socio economic percentile and 50% are women. Studies show covid19 transmission risks at such events are minimal.
REPLY
I am open to meeting representatives of Parkrun. The return of parkruns is fundamentally concerned with the removal of the current restrictions on the size of outdoor public gatherings. In recognition of the improving epidemiological situation, the Government announced a roadmap on 29 April for the gradual lifting of some restrictions over May and June, with a particular focus on allowing more outdoor activities. A range of measures are now being eased, with a further easing of measures in June subject to the epidemiological situation at the time. Further detail is available on Gov.ie:
https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/0bd80-new-public-health-measures-announced-the-path-ahead/.
NPHET has advised that this phased plan for the months of May and June can be considered low to medium risk. However, they also advise that a faster reopening over these months would be very high risk. A number of higher-risk activities including outdoor mass gatherings and events (such as parkruns) are not part of the reopening plans for May and June, but they will be subject to further consideration towards the end of June with a view to recommencing these activities as we move through the summer.
I understand from my colleague, the Minister for Health, that there continues to be regular contact with parkrun organisers and detailed discussions regarding a return of parkrun events will commence once Government has taken decisions in relation to the re-introduction of outdoor mass participation events.
Significant progress has been made on suppressing the virus over recent months due to the huge effort of people across the country. By working together, we have saved lives and limited the impact of the disease on society in Ireland. We all must continue to do everything possible to continue to avoid the virus spreading and to support the safe reopening of activities over the coming months.

echancrure · 26-05-2021 7:33pm

"...higher-risk activities including outdoor mass gatherings and events (such as parkruns)..."

Parkruns are higher risks? What data is this based on?

Data from Japan I seem to recall indicate a very low risk for running events (certainly lower any indoor activity)

jimmii · 27-05-2021 8:10pm

The new pink hi-vis have arrived up here although sounds like July 3rd is the planned date for Scotland now which feels ages away.

rainbow kirby · 27-05-2021 11:47pm

Volunteering at South Manchester juniors this weekend. My 5 year old son has run there with me the last couple of weeks and will be elsewhere with his dad this weekend.

Gael23 · 29-05-2021 5:57am

Was their anything in yesterday’s announcement about parkrun type events?

Jim_Hodge · 04-06-2021 9:29pm

Any indication as to when Parkruns in Ireland will be back?
I've a wife here doing her nut with not being able to go for her Saturday 5k.

Murph_D · 04-06-2021 10:03pm

Jim_Hodge wrote: »

Any indication as to when Parkruns in Ireland will be back?
I've a wife here doing her nut with not being able to go for her Saturday 5k.

None yet. The parks are still open though - I’ve done many 5ks on my local parkrun course over the past year, and many more in other places.

Jim_Hodge · 04-06-2021 10:27pm

Murph_D wrote: »

None yet. The parks are still open though - I’ve done many 5ks on my local parkrun course over the past year, and many more in other places.

My wife found it a great mental health benefit with the great comradery. She's really a walker and can walk or run anywhere any time. It's the social aspect and the volunteering she misses.

diceyreilly · 04-06-2021 11:05pm

Ive gone for a 5k or 10k every weekend since its been off. But its just not the same.
You just get the feeling when the government says sports will be back they mean matches. Parkrun wouldn’t have crossed their minds.

Be a fair while yet I’d say

Murph_D · 05-06-2021 1:17am

It’s easy to get disillusioned. We all miss parkrun. I’ve done about 150 of them, and volunteered at about 80. Maybe more. It will be back at the right time, of that I’m very confident.

Pawwed Rig · 05-06-2021 8:50am

Same as that. My running times are much slower than they were in early 2020 and I have not done a high tempo run since then. Parkrun was always my fast* run in the week and I struggle to go faster without the buzz of the crowd. I feel like I am just ticking over at the moment on the solo slogs on the beach.
Also it is infuriating that I have been stuck on 2 runs off a nice round semi milestone for so long. My OCD is in overdrive :pac:

*relatively

Mar Azul · 05-06-2021 3:16pm

Murph_D wrote: »

It’s easy to get disillusioned. We all miss parkrun. I’ve done about 150 of them, and volunteered at about 80. Maybe more. It will be back at the right time, of that I’m very confident.

I wonder will some parks be reluctant to give permission. Take Marlay as an example, it's very busy, even at 9:30am on a Saturday morning. Lots of folks have really embraced the park again throughout covid.
I'm sure this is an extra consideration for councils.

Genghis · 05-06-2021 11:34pm

NI return on 26 June to be confirmed in an announcement on Friday from Parkrun UK.

Link

parkrun, lap two

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