Quote Originally Posted by OB1 View Post
That Preston stat is impressive but does go to show how much the area was 'gagging' for a ParkRun.
And 70% of the field had never done any other Parkrun before. That's a strong stat too (i.e. not too many were 'new event baggers').
Of the 12 NW England Parkruns only 'South Manchester' (OK 'Central' Uni-belt really) at Platt Fields had >100 for their 1st. Although it took them 4 months to equal it. I bet that doesn't happen at Preston.
Even the mighty Bramhall and Heaton (first NW movers) took weeks to get to the 100 mark (6 & 17 weeks).
It has taken Pennington Flash over 1 year to reach >100.
Some NW events like Oldham have been going > 1 year and rarely have >100 (only when other events are cancelled or visiting). Not a bad thing though.
To me, 100 is a comfortable number for a park 5k - Bramhall and Heaton (and to a degree Platt Fields) are getting congested with 300+ runners, so the newer / less popular events appeal to those who dont like it too crowded.
Interesting post OB1

I agree that Bramhall and Heaton Park are getting too busy now. Bramhall's paths are too narrow to cope with the size of the fields that they are getting and the new course at Heaton Park is too much of a squeeze at the start.