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Thread: Are Park Runs Destructive ?

  1. #21
    Master Witton Park's Avatar
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    Re: Are Park Runs Destructive

    It's not that easy Heathens, as I've said above. Park Run (I assume) isn't paying for the use of the parks it uses - if we tried to do that at Witton, we wouldn't get away with it. £75 before we start.
    As clubs, we have responsibilities and have to follow certain procedures, often in place for good reason.

  2. #22
    Master Antisocial's Avatar
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    Re: Are Park Runs Destructive

    As one of the original points to this thread was that park may detrimentally affect the number of runners at fell events, is it worth pointing out that there have been many discussions on this forum about the fact we don't want the sport to expand too much in order to protect the environment etc.
    Coniv-8 not knowingly evidenced to improve performance

  3. #23

    Re: Are Park Runs Destructive

    Quote Originally Posted by nikalas View Post
    Totally agree, the more people we can get off their sofas and running the better.... I doubt whether a lot of the Park Runners would enter a full blown race anyway so I can't see how it's impacting on race numbers and I don't think there's been a noticeable decline in entries.... stop your moaning.
    I agree, anything to promote general fitness, the rising obesity crisis and consequent ill health/strain on finite NHS resources is a good idea I reckon...also I know loads of very fit people who when you mention fell running say words to the effect of "you run up hills....thats just madness" so not sure we have much to worry about actually
    and we run because we like it through the broad bright land

  4. #24
    Master Witton Park's Avatar
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    Re: Are Park Runs Destructive

    Read the first post - it's not about the effect on fell running, more about the effect on clubs.

    Of course it's unlikely to have any effect on fell running.

  5. #25

    Re: Are Park Runs Destructive

    aye...i caught up eventually....but the effect on fell running was mentioned at some point and my points re health are still relevant, it would be a shame if running clubs were effected adversely however some might argue that promoting running might outweigh the costs? alternatively as someone else suggested, clubs could look at new ways in which to compete with such events....anyhow I am no expert but I do think that by making running events less elitist there could be benefits to us all as a society.
    and we run because we like it through the broad bright land

  6. #26
    Master Witton Park's Avatar
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    Re: Are Park Runs Destructive

    Sadly sport is being mixed up with Leisure - the London Marathon and GNR have a lot to answer for when the chicken gets more coverage and credit than the first male Brit. It's no wonder that standards have dropped.

  7. #27
    Senior Member idler's Avatar
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    Re: Are Park Runs Destructive

    The lack of red tape attached to Park Runs sounds rather refreshing. Kind of like a fell run, no?

    I'd probably join in if they were nearby, nice to know they're always there. There's a midweek multi-terrain club series here in September. Turn up, pay a quid, no faff, run, results and all that malarkey. Great stuff. You could equally argue it's a shame you can't get non-club runners involved in those, it's a great entry into the sport. They're all just different entry points.

    Clubs might be threatened in specific circumstance by Park Runs, but attacking them generally is missing the point. It's about running and runners, not clubs. Realistically clubs only cater for quite a small % of People Who Run.

  8. #28
    Senior Member dylan's Avatar
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    Re: Are Park Runs Destructive

    my wife is a former schools xc champion,(1974)
    two children and 35 years later she has started running.
    at the park run we turned up at 08.45,short warm up,ran,finished,she was 2nd to last,we were home by 10.
    like most new runners she is in awe of proper runners,and the park runs meet her low key approach.
    she now has a target of not being 2nd to last,improve her time,then,and only then she wants to make the step up to 'proper races'
    i think you will find most of the new runners are suffering from low self esteme,usually brought on by the arrogance of some of the elite runners.
    my wife is fortunate that by watching me at fell races she has rubbed shoulders with some of the nicest runners around,yep,the fell runners.
    hence her aim for fitness and the ultimate step up,to race a fell race.

  9. #29
    Master Witton Park's Avatar
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    Re: Are Park Runs Destructive

    Like I say above, sport is being mixed with leisure.

    Football is about going to Wembley, cricket playing at Lords, swimming is the Olympics, cycling the Tour de France. The people that get there are produced almost exclusively by a club structure. They have to be - it requires a talented and driven individual to achieve and they need an extensive support network around them.
    At our level,even a BG attempt needs support.

    Our elite athletes past and present are part of a club system and this system has (in my opinion) been undermined in the last 20 years by Govt led, top down policies handed down through the Sports Quangos to UKA and it's predessesors.

    Athletics is in the main a cheap sport - you only need to follow some of the threads on here complaining about the odd higher than normal race entry fee. One reason it is cheap is that club members come together and put on road races, fell races, relays events and track meetings to race a little money to put back in to the club.

    The ability to put on such events has been chipped away at over the years. Track costs have risen, road access is far more difficult and incurs more expense. So it is already more difficult for clubs to survive.

    Park Run is another, perhaps small initiative chipping away at that.

    It is inevitable that in the Manchester area, with 3 Park Runs on every Saturday morning, that attendance at road races and cross country races will be affected. Some road races will go from the calendar, some XC leagues may fold.
    Without the race to race funds, clubs may go.

    It does not affect me at BBH at the moment and perhaps won't. Bur earlier this year a gentleman from Low Fell Running Club called Alan Elders created a stir when he asked for Parkruns to be boycotted.
    "What is the point in clubs organising events and paying levies and fee for their members?...There seems to be one rule for clubs and another for others...Can I suggest your club does not support them or add links to their web pages"

    Parkrun get around some of the costs and restrictions by saying they are not races, but timetrials. You can run around whatever time you like. However, they now have official start times, advise that all times given are based on this, so they are a race by all but name.
    They appear in the Power of 10 rankings.

  10. #30
    Senior Member idler's Avatar
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    Re: Are Park Runs Destructive

    I have sympathy for club events under threat, but going with your analogy you'd also ban middle aged blokes from playing 5-a-side leagues and reporting their results on the web. What about a Race For Life on the same day as a club 5K? Is it alright if I do a sponsored bike ride with my brother or would you prefer me to line up alongside the dual carriageway to enter a Club 10? Just a different catchment I think, you can't make people enjoy club events. Interesting debate though.

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