Who runs 7K?
Me!!! To get all 4 elements, I needed a 7K route
You can literally step out your front door & do a 5k at any time you wish…
.
Or a 10k,or a half marathon,or a marathon,on an Ultra.or a century ride and for some, any distance triathlon they like. Why bother with organized events at all?
some people like interacting with other humans, now I think those people are weird and I avoid them. I first discovered park run when the dog and I would run past most of them on our Saturday long run
You can literally step out your front door & do a 5k at any time you wish…
.
Or a 10k,or a half marathon,or a marathon,on an Ultra.or a century ride and for some, any distance triathlon they like. Why bother with organized events at all?
True. No one has to, but some of us are still attracted to organised events/races.
Take away all these events and running would still persist as a reasonably popular activity.
Conversely, take away organised triathlons and the sport would cease to exist.
There’d still be swimmers and cyclists and runners out there, and a relatively small number of people who do a couple or all of the activities, but triathlon would be no more a thing than any other random collection of physical activities.
Triathlon is a peculiar sport like that.
As to why I still bother with organised events, however minor those events may be; they provide motivation and goals, they’re social, and I still find a lot of enjoyment in racing, … despite, or possibly because of, the inevitable and unwelome challenges borne of age and injuries.
You can literally step out your front door & do a 5k at any time you wish…
.
Or a 10k,or a half marathon,or a marathon,on an Ultra.or a century ride and for some, any distance triathlon they like. Why bother with organized events at all?
The longer the distance becomes (26.2 mile run or 100 mile bike ride, for instance) or logistically more complex (triathlon), then having an organized event makes sense (for some, me included).
But there is nothing, again literally, less complex than running 1.55 miles in one direction then turning around & running back to your starting point.
Americans like free stuff, but only if we think we’re getting something for nothing
If it’s already free, we see no value in it
If someone was to promote a 5K with regular entry fee of $30, BUT if you registered in person on race-day, it would be free ---- we’d be all about that
I could be wrong
.
You can literally step out your front door & do a 5k at any time you wish…
.
Or a 10k,or a half marathon,or a marathon,on an Ultra.or a century ride and for some, any distance triathlon they like. Why bother with organized events at all?
The longer the distance becomes (26.2 mile run or 100 mile bike ride, for instance) or logistically more complex (triathlon), then having an organized event makes sense (for some, me included).
But there is nothing, again literally, less complex than running 1.55 miles in one direction then turning around & running back to your starting point.
I’m pretty sure running 2.5km, turning around and running back is less complex.
1 Like
But there is nothing, again literally, less complex than running 1.55 miles in one direction then turning around & running back to your starting point.
I’m pretty sure running 2.5km, turning around and running back is less complex.
Gonna go with satanellus on that one
.
I also want to echo what mncharlton said about effort required. It’s true that, once a parkrun is established, for the vast majority of participants and volunteers, it’s no more than an hour’s commitment on Saturday morning. But it’s much more than that for a few selected people, like the directors who shepherd those volunteers, do publicity and outreach, process results, answer emails, etc. And it’s particularly laborious in the early stages of actually setting up the parkrun, where you have to canvass for team members, get approval for your course from both parkrun USA and your local landowner, etc. It’s incredibly common for someone to contact parkrun USA saying, “Hey, I want to start a parkrun in my hometown!” and then back out once they realize how much they’ll have to do to get started. I’m not saying that it’s wrong to have requirements, of course, but it takes quite some effort.
I’m wondering if it wouldn’t be possible to work it from the inside out?
Suppose I gathered half a dozen friends of mine at our local park (the one with the pickleball tourneys, let’s say?), marked out a 5K loop and went for a run
No amenities, no rewards, no Winners, per se, and only semi-official timing
Afterwards, we could say “come back next week and bring a friend”
The next week there’s a dozen; the next week maybe we’re up to 15-20
BUT - it’s not a running club, not group training run
If this continued for a significant length of time - through the summer, perhaps - and grew to a substantial number of participants, could the people who started it just *call it *a parkrun? Or does it have to be “registered?” If you’ve already established a consistent product, does that make it more acceptable to @parkrun where they’d say “Ok you’re in?”
I guess I’m also asking “How lo-fi/DIY can do with your local before @parkrun says ‘um, you’re kinda poaching our brand here?’”
I think the thing with this is we don’t have a cross country running culture here for adults. When I looked at “running” clubs in PHX before I moved to Dallas their websites made them seem exclusive and for elites. Which is way different from Tri-Scottsdale which was free to join until USAT changes the insurance structure. Still a no-dues club after the club fee which goes mostly to USAT. I failed to join that club but they were everywhere.
There seems to be some type of track culture and some clubs, but much harder to find than Master’s swimming clubs. Or that’s how it feels.
But the UK has a huge cross country running culture where hundreds of adults will go run a 5k, but I’d say I have no idea where you’d hold a meet in most cities except for golf courses.
I think the thing with this is we don’t have a cross country running culture here for adults. When I looked at “running” clubs in PHX before I moved to Dallas their websites made them seem exclusive and for elites. Which is way different from Tri-Scottsdale which was free to join until USAT changes the insurance structure. Still a no-dues club after the club fee which goes mostly to USAT. I failed to join that club but they were everywhere.
There seems to be some type of track culture and some clubs, but much harder to find than Master’s swimming clubs. Or that’s how it feels.
But the UK has a huge cross country running culture where hundreds of adults will go run a 5k, but I’d say I have no idea where you’d hold a meet in most cities except for golf courses.
look at USATF for cross country races. there is an adult scene here and the races are cheap! ~20$
Parkrun discussed (briefly) early on in today’s Ten Junk Miles podcast
ETA: Can threads be moved into the appropriate sub-forums? Like, can this got into Running? I doubt any Triathletes are interested in local 5Ks, but ST newbie Runners might be?
I tried flagging it for “something else” and asked to move it to running. Seems like the easiest way to ensure an admin/mod sees it.
German here but I’ve been living in Australia for 23 years. Parkrun is wonderful. I live in Sydney and have 2 within 3km from my home. I can’t make it there too often due to kids sport or it not fitting into my training.
The volunteer culture and general willingness to volunteer is much greater here than in continental Europe.
I believe the weather also helps but that doesn’t explain ParkRun’s popularity in Britain.
1 Like
They’re motivational just like any group workout - lots of us use the local Parkrun on Saturdays in training. One of the great things is that pace is totally up to you, this means I can jog over there put in a tempo effort and jog back. Or I had a long run/walk last time and just ran/walked with the crowd for 5k and said hello to a couple of friends on the way.
1 Like
Some of the things that attract me to races are:
- Tradition
- Competition
- Entertainment
- Travel
- Prizes
Tradition: I do the Fire Cracker Run every year the week of July 4th to celebrate independence. I run the Turkey Trot every year to celebrate all that we have to be grateful for, etc. It is something that comes once every year and when the days start to get hot in the summer I get excited about the Fire Cracker Race, and when the air starts to get chilly in the fall I get excited for the Turkey Trot. Parkrun doesn’t check this box.
Competition: Are my rivals going to be at the race? Is the race going to be timed on a certified course? Are results going to be posted online for all to see? Those are all things I look for. If Parkrun has certified courses and you are timed with results posted online then that would be a plus. If you don’t have head-to-head competition with your rivals though then its only holds the value of a time trial that you do in a workout, but not a race. If you are doing a virtual Duathlon (as I did in 2020 when live races were canceled), having the ParkRun option for your time trial would be nice. ParkRun checks some of this box, but probably not all of it.
Entertainment: At the Zoo Run I pay $20 to do the 5K but then my whole family gets into the Zoo free (which would cost us $60 any other day of the year). Plus we all get free hamburgers, soda, and chips which would be an additional cost any other time we go to the Zoo. Races like that give us the opportunity to do things we enjoy to do that we may not normally get to do. There are races that get you into places what you can’t get into any other time of the year. There are races that have live music (that is actually really good) or other type of performers. Etc. I am guessing that the ParkRun events don’t offer free entries to amusement parts, aquariums, air shows, etc as races my family and I have done do.
Travel: This is similar to Entertainment. Races give me the opportunity to go places that I enjoy seeing that I would not go to otherwise. It may just be going to the 5K at the Peach festival two hours away one week and to the black berry festival two hours in the opposite direction the next week and seeing a half dozen communities at their best while they are in celebration by the end of the summer. It also could be a destination race though. I don’t know many who do destination races for a 5K but for Triathlons and Marathons it is very common. My wife used to tell me of parts of the country she had never been to that she wanted to see and ask me if there were any races there that I could do in the following year. It was a reward for all the hard work that goes into training, getting to race in a place that you have always wanted to visit. I am guessing that ParkRun is not something that is getting people to communities that they wouldn’t get out to otherwise.
Prizes: So…I have definitely signed up for races just because they advertise that their is something like a $200 cash prize for the overall race winner. I have won some of those prizes in the past. It pays for a new pair of shoes. I also have defiantly signed up for races because I have got a free entry (i.e. free local elite bib, free entry through a running club). I also have got over the edge to sign up due to race directors offering me a significant discount code. The less it costs to race the more races I can do. While I really like standing on that podium to receive that cash prize for first overall master and all the guys who came in behind me asking me about my training schedule, pacing strategy, equipment choices, etc. Free works just as good on the race budget. Free is a great thing that ParkRun has going for it. I have so many metals, and race shirts that I never use or look at that if there is ever a no-frills option I always sign up for it because I just need a race time post on-line for me to remember the event, not another coffee mug that won’t be used. Prizes can go hand-in-hand with competition though. If there is a $300 prize you know that all of your rivals are going to be at the race which makes it that much more attractive to sign up for.
So…ParkRun has some things going for it, but is missing a lot of the things that attract people to a 5K or any other type of race.
1 Like
That’s a very well-thought response, thanks
The only note I’d have is that maybe some of the things that you posted as being important to you, might be not so much to someone else, or perhaps downright intimidating to a novice
I see Parkrun as a “gateway” if you will to bigger & better things, not necessarily something to excel at, specifically (although the guest on TJM podcast - from the UK, BTW - admitted to throwing down a 17:xx 5K, which ain’t shabby at all)
YMMV
1 Like
And the “some things” to which you refer are the other “things that attract people” (a different set) to a 5K wekly run with and for some ‘against’ others.
- It’s a social occasion
- Physical and mental health
- It’s enjoyable…
- A sense of achievement
- parkrun is for everyone
https://running101.co.uk/why-exactly-is-parkrun-so-important-to-so-many-runners/
I assure you in UK that lots of triathletes (Pros are most visible) run the occasional Parkrun, for FUN. Looking at Power-of-10 lots have a 'best time shown.
Yee 13:57
Potter 17:13
Brownlee (J) 14:43
Milner 15:24
Matthews 17:12
LCB 16:25
Skipper 16:39
So, Parkrun is for getting beginners into racing and a social run for Elites but not a legitimate race? …I like group runs.
Parkrun is not a race per se, it’s about participation, and running in the same time place and speed as others. And a challenge against yourself: frequency, no miss, number overall, personal best or differential. If there’s a bit of no kudos competition at the front end or the back, or anywhere in between, that’s fine too and may help increase motivation.
Most of my running is alone for fun and training, but running with others is worth going out of my way for. Parkrun offers that with organisational ease, regular as the moon phases and as frequent: 9am every Saturday, wherever I am in the country.
Together as a family we’ll run next weekend. Will my daughters try to beat my sons? Probably. Will I try to beat any of them? Looking back I managed that 7 years ago: now, not a chance. Will my wife have fun running with several of her her local Tuesday night group peers? Sure. Will she be racing? Only against herself.
1 Like