parkrun thread
488 watchers
Mar 2021
10:48am, 2 Mar 2021
13,645 posts
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larkim
It's a similar debate about most charities and their paid senior staff. I've got a personal interest as I used to be one (at at charity). The idea that those at the top ought to somehow give their long earned skills for free in the interest of charity is a worthy one, but in reality when I left the private sector with a salary at X I had mortgage, kids, household costs etc that meant I needed X to keep above water. Being then paid X to work for the charity (i.e. a salary that would have been matched in the private sector) was (to me at least) morally entirely sensible. Of course, if I'd been pensioned off or won the lottery I could have chosen to donate my salary back to the cause, and maybe I would have (though TBH I'd have probably just given up working for a living!), but I don't think it is right that I should have been *expected* to work for signficnatly less than market salary. Ditto parkrun. It's a big organisation. I don't know any details at all about how they recruited some of the names there into paid roles, and I am aware that some of the senior staff did transition from volunteers into paid staff, but I'd bet most of them took something of a leap from a "normal" job to go a work for parkrun so couldn't / shouldn't be expected to be donating themselves to the cause. It's still a small organisation in terms of staff though, so having a "clique" isn't that unusual - after all, they do all have to work together and sometimes present a unified public face. |
Mar 2021
10:48am, 2 Mar 2021
9,551 posts
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jda
I certainly don't think it's always about money. I think it's more to do with the way that power corrupts, and I view this as a more-or-less inevitable consequence of the human condition and not a specific failing of the individuals involved. IMO it's a strong argument for accountability and oversight in general terms. Parkrun developing a leadership clique that spouts off bizarrely is just one more minor example of a general phenomenon. I'm sure they all mean well and I'm genuinely grateful for them for the huge efforts that they have put it, but they are still an unaccountable clique prone to making poor decisions due to a lack of oversight or correction. The case that put these thoughts into my mind is not related to parkrun or even running at all, but some other entity that presented itself as a sporting "club". However due to its history and structure the leadership is not actually accountable to the members so the latter are in fact no more than guests, meaning that concepts such as due process and fairness are entirely at the whim of the owner. He recently came up with a truly bizarre and idiotic policy ("members are not allowed to communicate with each other privately") since no-one in the management team was prepared to say boo to the goose that he is. I doubt that the owner is seeking to cash in on his efforts, and I expect that he genuinely believes he's doing a really good thing out of the kindness of his heart. Indeed he has done a good thing that has brought a lot of pleasure to many. He's still an overzealous control freak in the way that he censors and controls any hint of criticism within his group. |
Mar 2021
10:50am, 2 Mar 2021
91 posts
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Rascal
Also re the above I should add. Some members of my event team have been supportive of hq stance. They have also been flippant about severity of Covid situation. There are plenty of volunteers like me who feel the same. I hope for parkruns sake they don't have a black hole re event support.
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Mar 2021
10:51am, 2 Mar 2021
13,646 posts
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larkim
Road to hell / paving / good intentions springs to mind. You're right to point out that they shouldn't get a free pass due to those good intentions, whether that's parkrun or the other outfit you're thinking of jda. People with a "cause" can often get too singled minded and blinkered; I couldn't argue that parkrun HQ has never done that. |
Mar 2021
11:39am, 2 Mar 2021
6,756 posts
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The_Saint
jda - You have just described the way that golf clubs are run. There is a problematic issue that can arise however even with people whose motives are pure and that is the reply to any suggestion being "I do all this voluntarily, so if you can do better then by all means do so and I'll be off". This is a very clever way of being unaccountable. |
Mar 2021
11:58am, 2 Mar 2021
861 posts
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Tazsedai
Totally agree Rascal. We run a juniors event. The current proposals would mean a potential earlier start date than 5k. Even allowing 4-10yo only, this age group means there are loads of parents about who often run with their kids or spectate. I haven't spent all year sticking to the rules to jeopardise that at the final hurdle as outdoor risk is clearly lower than indoors but there is still a small risk. Bearing in mind the age groups of most parents we are the last to be vaccinated as well. Plus, running is not like swimming, if you want to do a 2k run in our park there has been very little restriction over the past year to do so. I think we'll be responding we'll be happy to wait longer for our jpr.
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Mar 2021
1:05pm, 2 Mar 2021
8,132 posts
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Too Much Water
If anyone has seen the film “The Death of Stalin”, some of the scenes involving the central committee meeting - anyway that’s how I picture parkrun HQ discussing their plans for restarting.
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Mar 2021
2:38pm, 2 Mar 2021
879 posts
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BK brighter days ahead
Taz - I think you make a valid point about the proposed return of JP and also, how can you tell if someone is 10+ ? Somewhat unsure as to why they chose a date two weeks before the end of restrictions road map for the 5k events. Could be that they think that they can because with it being so close to the date nobody in authority is going to be that bothered or prevent it. Not suggesting that Paul and Jo are implicit but there can be a little ‘Band of Brothers’ attitude amongst some in HQ at times. |
Mar 2021
2:44pm, 2 Mar 2021
292 posts
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anthonyj89
Why is everyone anchored to 21 June as the end of restrictions? It might not necessarily come about as planned, and pr will need a back up plan of how to operate within any remaining restrictions, as any other operator would have to.
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Mar 2021
3:05pm, 2 Mar 2021
2,241 posts
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CumbriAndy
BK - I seem to recall there was some sort of argument in the notice last week as to why 'during Step 3' was OK and they didn't need to wait for the Step 4. I can't recall what that argument was but I suspect it has holes in that others can unpick if they wish. If, however, that argument is accepted then they had a choice of dates - going for the one at the end of half term AFTER the bank holiday probably seemed like the one likely to cause the least resistance among/difficulty for event teams.
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