parkrun organise free, weekly, 5km timed runs around the world. They are open to everyone, free, and are safe and easy to take part in.
Junior parkruns are also ran throughout the country. junior parkrun is a series of 2k runs for children aged between 4 and 14. They are held in areas of open space around the UK. They are open to all, free, and are safe and easy to take part in.
- Paddy_o_furniture
15 comments
Scorpion
18 Apr 16#15
Quite how a council can justify this I'm not sure. Councils nowadays are responsible for public health spending, not the NHS, the budget moved over to them. They're the ones responsible for things like stopping smoking, encouraging a better diet and.... yes, you couldn't make it up, helping ensure people get exercise.
If this story says anything about Stoke Gifford, it's that they aren't fulfilling their obligations to providing it's community with public health services. Like many councils, now the money is out of the NHS, it's probably going on pot holes.
jamgin
16 Apr 16#12
Parks used to be a place to relax and get away from the noise and stress of life.
What the Parkrun runners don't appreciate is the amount of noise,smell and congestion that is created by several hundred runners rocking up to the park(in cars!) every Saturday and taking over the park pathways. Selfish people who don't give a damn about other users of the park. God knows why people feel the need to herd together like lemmings to run. Alan Sillitoe's Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner was written to no avail...
Adamz to jamgin
17 Apr 16#13
For one hour once a week at 9am. Surely you could just arrange your visits to the park at any other time if you know it's going to bother you.
Paddy_o_furniture to jamgin
17 Apr 16#14
parkrun expects runners in all its events to give way to other park users.
My local (Whitley Bay) I'd say less than 1/4 of the 300 or so runners rock up in cars, many live local so walk or run there. Running in a group is far easier for some people. I'll run a 5k quicker at a parkrun than I would if I ran the same course because of the competition.
Stoke Gifford Parish Council have done themselves no favours with all the negative publicity that has followed from this story.
Paddy_o_furniture
15 Apr 165#11
The thing is 300 people could rock up at the park and run a 5k and they wouldn't be charged so long as they weren't under the park run banner. Parkrun is free for everyone, they don't charge subs like football clubs etc.
Parkrun encourages everyone from the community to get out and run, not just club runners. My local parkrun has dog walkers (who run) kids of all ages, old people, people pushing prams. I'm guessing a large number of these people wouldn't run 5k if it wasn't a mass event. My daughter (9) runs a parkrun and junior parkrun (2km), I know for a fact she wouldn't just run 5k even on the same course if other runners weren't there.
It's massively short sighted by the parish council and the decision has been condemned by many. When we're in the midst of an obesity epidemic EVERYTHING should be done to get people living healthy lifestyles.
andycrab
15 Apr 16#10
They see him trollin', they hatin'
Sell Me
14 Apr 167#8
Parkrun is one of the best free things ever! Stoke Gifford Parish Council should be thinking about the positives that excercise does to people's health and wellbeing. If you want to put pound-signs against it, then it helps keep people out of hospitals...so can actually contribute to saving money.
How ridiculous that they talk about it being unfair on non-runners having to contribute to wear-and-tear costs of the park! Does that mean that people with young children should pay for their kids to use the swings? It would be unfair on people without young children to fund the maintenance of the play area. What about people with dogs and bikes using the park.? Or people with fast walks...surely a study should be conducted to see if they wear out paths more than slow walkers? Councillors are a funny lot...presumptuous wannabe megalomaniacs!
JJ69 to Sell Me
14 Apr 16#9
bit of a difference with a couple of hundred runners every weekend, most sports clubs pay for a pitch so why not the same for an organised running event? if damage is caused the council have to repair it or close the park for fear of someone suing them, this draws fundong away from other areas (though this is not as wide for a parish council)... ultimately someone pays along the line, with local government at every level having years of cuts it isn't unexpected that they say no or charge... i bet there were plenty of bonfires and fireworks cut last year due to the same issues.
fubuwarrioh
14 Apr 16#7
Yeh mate sorry
brychris
13 Apr 16#3
I think when people want a freebie, they want something they'll enjoy not a burning sensation in there lungs and legs then followed by a heart attack on the finish line :laughing:
fubuwarrioh
13 Apr 168#2
Not free in stoke grantham
benjammin316 to fubuwarrioh
13 Apr 16#5
Heard that on the radio today too, good old BBC Surrey
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Opening post
Junior parkruns are also ran throughout the country. junior parkrun is a series of 2k runs for children aged between 4 and 14. They are held in areas of open space around the UK. They are open to all, free, and are safe and easy to take part in.
- Paddy_o_furniture
15 comments
If this story says anything about Stoke Gifford, it's that they aren't fulfilling their obligations to providing it's community with public health services. Like many councils, now the money is out of the NHS, it's probably going on pot holes.
What the Parkrun runners don't appreciate is the amount of noise,smell and congestion that is created by several hundred runners rocking up to the park(in cars!) every Saturday and taking over the park pathways. Selfish people who don't give a damn about other users of the park. God knows why people feel the need to herd together like lemmings to run. Alan Sillitoe's Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner was written to no avail...
My local (Whitley Bay) I'd say less than 1/4 of the 300 or so runners rock up in cars, many live local so walk or run there. Running in a group is far easier for some people. I'll run a 5k quicker at a parkrun than I would if I ran the same course because of the competition.
Stoke Gifford Parish Council have done themselves no favours with all the negative publicity that has followed from this story.
Parkrun encourages everyone from the community to get out and run, not just club runners. My local parkrun has dog walkers (who run) kids of all ages, old people, people pushing prams. I'm guessing a large number of these people wouldn't run 5k if it wasn't a mass event. My daughter (9) runs a parkrun and junior parkrun (2km), I know for a fact she wouldn't just run 5k even on the same course if other runners weren't there.
It's massively short sighted by the parish council and the decision has been condemned by many. When we're in the midst of an obesity epidemic EVERYTHING should be done to get people living healthy lifestyles.
How ridiculous that they talk about it being unfair on non-runners having to contribute to wear-and-tear costs of the park! Does that mean that people with young children should pay for their kids to use the swings? It would be unfair on people without young children to fund the maintenance of the play area. What about people with dogs and bikes using the park.? Or people with fast walks...surely a study should be conducted to see if they wear out paths more than slow walkers? Councillors are a funny lot...presumptuous wannabe megalomaniacs!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-36040737