A woman is considering quitting her local parkrun after a group of competitive runners made the event unpleasant. The newcomers allegedly pushed people out of the way, swore at them, and shouted at them to let them through. She said their behavior was not in the spirit of the event and was sad to see it turned into a 'glorified race'.
Frustrations Shared Online
The runner took to Mumsnet to share her frustrations: 'My local parkrun has been overtaken by drama this week, after some men attended and basically turned the entire thing into a glorified race for themselves. They were pushing people out of the way, swearing at them and shouting at them to let them through.'
She added: 'I always thought the point of parkrun was to go and enjoy a 5k run and some socialising after. But it seems that across the country they’re being overtaken by people who are obsessed with winning it and getting the PB as a chip time. I understand the sense of achievement you get from getting a PB, but I don’t think parkrun is the place to do it. Myself and many other women who have been attending for years are now considering not going again because it is so unpleasant.'
Mixed Reactions from the Community
One reply read: 'The shoving isn't acceptable but racing and trying to get a PB is fine. I know lots of youngsters that try and better their time each week.' Another said: 'Why can’t it be a competitive race for those who want it to be and just a fun run for those who don’t? They can start first and then everyone else behind? Like the London marathon does. Then you won’t get this sort of behaviour as those people are long gone.'
A third wrote: 'There was a parkrun event in my area the other week. I was actually tutted at by a few of the runners because I was in their way on a public footpath despite moving as far as I could to the side. The entitlement was outrageous.' A fourth chipped in: 'I think different runs have different cultures - some, the slower runners start at the back and the front runners position themselves to allow overtaking, or not. Others, it’s more of a community jog than a race. When people start touring to collect parkruns, the cultures clash.'
Parkrun's Official Stance
According to the official website, parkrun is a 'free, community event where you can walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate.' It is described as 'positive, welcoming and inclusive' with 'no time limit and no one finishes last.' The website adds: 'We believe that almost everyone participating in parkrun, whether a runner, walker, volunteer or a spectator does so with passion, enthusiasm and the best of intentions. Whilst every event is unique, we aim to ensure that everyone participating at a parkrun receives a positive experience. However, sometimes things can and do go wrong and we believe it’s important to have a defined complaints procedure to follow when that happens.'
