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Is a parkrun a race, a time trial, or something else?!

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Dvorak Dec 2012 1:12pm, 19 Dec 2012 6,110 posts	Quote Pin Dvorak SOD, parkruns have a risk assessment, a weekly pre-event course inspection, a pre-run briefing with an outline of hazards and a reminder that parkrun is run at your own risk. Short of not actually holding the event, I'm not sure what could be done to address your points. On the semantic points, it is relatively recently (within the last six months?) that RDs have been run directors, not race directors and the events have had first finishers rather than winners. And my local run (Falkirk) was measured (on a voluntary basis) by an certified course measurer, as have several other Scottish courses. The original distance (measured several times by wheel) was in fact slightly long (it had been set to ensure it would not be short.)
Frobester Dec 2012 1:14pm, 19 Dec 2012 21,357 posts	Quote Pin Frobester Oh, here we go again. Why does it have to be one or the other. Tell you what, perhaps it should be neither. Call it a timed jog and everyone's happy, right? But no, it HAS to be a race. Why the big beef, SOD? Surely the organisers don't want to call it a race because, er, they don't want to call it a race, because they think it might put people off in the same way some people feel about joining a club? Inclusivity is the name of the game, and whether you agree with them or not, they believe by calling it a run it's more friendly and open. But no, there has to be another reason.
SODIron © 2002 Dec 2012 1:15pm, 19 Dec 2012 10,287 posts	Quote Pin SODIron © 2002 Take a look at this...this is one of the reasons why parkrun insist on branding it a run and NOT a race. events.runbritain.com If they call it a race then they would need to adhere to the standards set out in the document which would probably mean a radical reduction in the number of parkrun 'events' run the UK. One has to ask though...if the worst happen would/could a good barrister convince a court of law that a parkrun 'event' was a race and not a 'timed run'? and if so, would they then hold the organisers of the 'event' liable for not taking appropriate steps to ensure the safety of the participants?
Puddington Dec 2012 1:15pm, 19 Dec 2012 48,322 posts	Quote Pin Puddington Well, parkrun themselves tell you when you've run a pb, and it goes on Power of 10 as a PB. So I don't think there's an issue with recording parkruns as official pb's, is there? I'll just say pb again. pb.
PQ Dec 2012 1:15pm, 19 Dec 2012 4,916 posts	Quote Pin PQ Not really Richey because who really cares about what's on your profile apart from you ? Our Fetch profiles are there for our own records and to titivate us with nice red figures when we improve and flag up a new pb. They aren't used as some sort of ranking system to get us into Rio so it really doesn't matter what we put there.
Frobester Dec 2012 1:18pm, 19 Dec 2012 21,358 posts	Quote Pin Frobester Doesn't the parkrun RD assess the route every saturday morning and make a decision as to whether it's safe to run or not? His decision is binding, if it's not safe he cancels it. There's your risk assessment, right?
Mrs Jigs (Luverlylegs) Dec 2012 1:19pm, 19 Dec 2012 20,819 posts	Quote Pin Mrs Jigs (Luverlylegs) Why is it so important for one opinion to be right and the other wrong? #knickersinatwist
Puddington Dec 2012 1:23pm, 19 Dec 2012 48,323 posts	Quote Pin Puddington It's quite amusing really. And also maddening. But mostly funny. And mostly blokes
PQ Dec 2012 1:24pm, 19 Dec 2012 4,917 posts	Quote Pin PQ Yeah it's like the ipod debate, just rages on pointlessly forever
Frobester Dec 2012 1:27pm, 19 Dec 2012 21,359 posts	Quote Pin Frobester I guess it's the human condition, MrsJigs, to align ourselves to one flag or another, meaningless as either flag might be!