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May 2021
5:19pm, 5 May 2021
49,333 posts
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McGoohan
Sorry in advance about the enormous post…
I’ve been thinking about this one size fits all approach parkrun are doing. It seems they’ve dialled back from ‘if they can’t all reopen then none will’ to ‘if the majority can’t reopen then none will.’ I think someone quoted 500 out of 589 as the threshold. That’s still quite a tall order.
Here’s Squerryes parkrun.
I did it in Feb 2020 and it was a quagmire. As I understand it – I think aubernette may have set me straight when I blogged about it – the landowner is Squerryes Estate and Vineyard. It’s completely private land, bounded by the M25 to the North and the A25 to the South. Over to the West is the super-posh though small town of Westerham. I would think the landowner would be very happy to have parkrun back. The after-parkrun coffee is in the deli-outlet on the vineyard. The car park also opens up onto wine sales/bakery/fancy shops etc. Parkrunners must make a big positive impact on their Saturday income and also provide good word-of-mouth to other potential customers.
I would think that’s a no-brainer, ‘yes, reopen it’ decision.
Here’s Reigate parkrun, normal course and wet-weather course.
Rather different: surrounded by Reigate. In more normal times, the regular course goes by the tennis courts, BMX track and around ‘Rugby Tots’, then down to the side of the lake with people all a-feeding the ducks, into the woods where everybody is walking their dogs, then doubling back out of the trees to go above where Go Sport outdoor fitness are having their classes and then around where British Military Fitness are having theirs. Repeat all that for a second lap, then finish next to the children’s playground.
On a regular Saturday that was as busy as anything, pre-Covid. Since restrictions were lifted (and then came down again, then were lifted again), enterprises like Go Fitness and British Military Fitness had to change their operating model somewhat. They came back with limited numbers of participants, socially distanced etc. The playground was sealed up for a while, as were the tennis courts. The council erected big barriers around the BMX track.
Slowly, those things have come back, a little bit at a time. Landowners are not the only ones to persuade, nor volunteers, nor parkrunners. There are a lot of people in this country who ‘do’ parkrun in some form. But the majority of people don’t.
Like it or not, ‘how it looks’ is of enormous importance. If these other businesses and enterprises have had to slowly creep back, sticking to social distancing, limiting numbers, etc it looks really bad if 300 runners all turn up on 5th June and ‘take over the park’. The wet weather course would be worse because it sticks to all the made paths.
I would think – for someone sat in Reigate and Banstead Borough Council – that’s a no-brainer ‘no way’ decision.
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May 2021
5:22pm, 5 May 2021
14,202 posts
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larkim
I think to the council, is there any real difference between seeing those 300 take over the park on 5th June or 26th June? The optics will be the same whenever it starts.
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May 2021
5:22pm, 5 May 2021
49,334 posts
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McGoohan
Yes, fair point. I think parkrun are buggered to be honest.
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May 2021
5:24pm, 5 May 2021
49,336 posts
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McGoohan
(Although I think their position would be easier to argue)
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May 2021
5:33pm, 5 May 2021
912 posts
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BK brighter days ahead
Although after 26th May event teams would not have the added pressure of working out a safe, spacious start/finish that can accommodate an unknown number of participants turning up on the day and dealing with those who may feel such measures are not required and ignore/become anti social. As well as adapting the course to avoid bottlenecks ( I recall quite a large one at Reigate ).
If the landowner asks whether the event can comply with the HQ framework I imagine that there will be several ED who would not be able to say yes.
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May 2021
5:34pm, 5 May 2021
120 posts
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Steven G
Jda,
Ad hominem means "against the man", so would be things like calling someone ugly or smelly, or maybe stupid, or a self-important twat, or a dick. Those kind of things.
Simply attempting to represent a person's apparent opinion/position isn't ad hominem. You appear to strongly dislike parkrun, or at least some parkrun staff, or maybe just some of the things you have heard them say; and you are entitled to those opinions of course. Not everyone dislikes parkrun though, and not everyone dislikes parkrun staff.
I did think Nick P's lawyer comment was poor judgement, but haven taken the time to read/listen to just about every bit of communication that has come out of HQ since the pandemic began, it's all been pretty reasonable imo.
Some were critical of the attempt at an October restart, but remember some of us weren't. I've personally been in the Barrington camp since quite early on, hence strongly opposed to a large amount of lockdown measures, especially with regards to outdoor activity since we learned quite quickly how low risk such activities are.
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May 2021
5:37pm, 5 May 2021
121 posts
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Steven G
Having*
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May 2021
5:41pm, 5 May 2021
49,337 posts
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McGoohan
BK - yeah - it's got a couple of bad bottlenecks, especially where the course either doubles back in or out of the trees and again at the bit near the lake where the out and back meet each other.
I don't think the 'wet' course is at all viable currently - it almost sticks you in Morrison's car park.
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May 2021
5:45pm, 5 May 2021
22,362 posts
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Dvorak
Out of interest, Steven G, if parkrun had restarted in October, would you have supported its uninterrupted continuation throughout the last seven months and attended all through that time?
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May 2021
5:51pm, 5 May 2021
122 posts
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Steven G
Me personally yes. I'm only a physicist so it isn't really my field, but a few months after the first lockdown I became quite convinced by the evidence that was showing us this is a virus transmitted indoors, and the risk of transmission outdoors is orders of magnitudes lower, especially with basic physical distancing.
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parkrun Café
Jun 2025