Parkrun Removes Age and Gender Records // More or Less Inclusive?
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- This week has seen parkrun make the national news in the UK over the removal of age category, age grading and historical performance statistics from its website.
This is supposedly in the name of inclusivity. But how inclusive is it to bin 20 years of carefully curated stats in the belief that they put off new parkrunners?
Have a watch and tell us what you think.
![Running Poole parkrun #600 [] Full POV of 3rd Fastest UK parkrun [] Can I Go Sub 20 In Wind? []](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/t0_EnSHOIS8/mqdefault.jpg)
![Running Poole parkrun #600 [] Full POV of 3rd Fastest UK parkrun [] Can I Go Sub 20 In Wind? []](/img/tr.png)
![Manchester Marathon 2024 Race Vlog [] Why Did I DNF AGAIN?? [] The FULL Answer](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Z8dZe-dkqnw/mqdefault.jpg)
How pathetic. Can't believe Parkrun caved in to this nonsense.
The problem was that men were stealing the course records from women. Unfortunately, PR decided to kill a gnat with a hand grenade.
Sadly, it's not the organisation it was. I'm sure many will still love it, but it definitely takes something away for lots of parkrunners.
Agreed 👍
0:22 --> Orwellian memory hole dump from woke HQ.
@@bradford_shaun_murray Interestingly it's the anti-woke, right wing that caused this change. The "woke" are absolutely fine with Parkrun's gender self-id system.
Parkrun - 'We're doing this to be inclusive!' - 'But only for certain people'....
The natural conclusion to this is to get rid of timing and positions as well. Why even bother running 5k? Just turn up at the park, run any distance, go home.
Maybe that's coming...
All people are included but some people are more included than others. George Orwell.
From the outside, looking in, it seems as though the organisers are really keen on pushing the "it's not a race" line, to keep it inclusive, whilst ignoring the fact that for a big proportion of participants it's treated either as a race or a time trial. You might be racing to win, beat your previous best, win a certain category or beat some friends. It means different things to different people, so to alienate a large section of them seems a bit short sighted.
Exactly. A sad decision by parkrun.
What a f@&king dumb idea.
People in their thousands should boycott this fiasco.
Start the petition Running Brooms: Bring Back the Stats. I'll happily sign it as would thousands of others 👍
Ha ha. 😀
I'll sign
I’m 110% certain that somebody will start a petition.
I'll sign it
I have signed it. And I am boycotting ParkRun until sanity is restored.
And I will never get a record. I have previously run it over 100 times and volunteered 30 times. But a) I respect women b) I respect people who are record holders.
I do not respect men who cheat and trample over women’s aspirations.
It's just poor comms in a log line of poor comms. I agree that the motive for removing the records doesn't fit with those statistics being a barrier for participation. I've introduced well over 25 different people to parkrun and not one of them even looked at the records before taking part, let alone seen that Jonny Brownlee did 14 minutes at York so they couldn't possibly run there! It's been a sledgehammer to crack a very small nut. No body 'wins' at parkrun, but this week we've all lost.
Wise words, Neil!
100% agree with all the points you’ve said. Don’t believe for a second that having records discourages new participants. Didn’t discourage me or 9 million+ others. If you don’t like the records, no-one is forcing anyone to look at them. They’re (were) fairly hidden away.
Exactly.
2:52 " focus groups" code words for woke brainstorming. It's the brave new world of woke - everybody gets a medal whilst dumping history down the memory hole.
If this is an important issue then runners, and more importantly, volunteers should just not turn up at parkrun, not buy any products.
There may well be a drop off.
I love parkrun and I’d urge people not to take it out on their local Parkrun due to this crazy decision from Parkrun hq- I’m sure the volunteers by and large don’t agree with this nonsense.
Don’t know about UK, but in my state in Australia people were so angry and upset about it that a couple of Parkruns broke their attendance records the last couple of weeks and all of them are getting more attendances than normal! In general I would say people here don’t care about the changes, don’t even hear any talk about it.
As I’ve got older and less quick it was nice to see how I fared within my age group .
If stats put people off why record a time at all…?
Yes, ranking in time order would be more off-putting than age order. Although none of it has ever been mentioned as bothersome by the many we know who have joined parkrun.
Age group rankings remain. It's only all-time records that are affected. If you're not aiming for sub-17 mins, it won't have any effect.
Parkrun has made a very bad unilateral decision. Some sponsors might reconsider their support. Parkrun should now be renamed "Parkwanderaboutaimlessly"
They should have done a survey amongst the majority of Parkrunners, not just the complaining few. I do agree with the need to protect women's interests.
another wonderful result thanks to focus groups, sigh.
Monty Python's 100 metres for men with no sense of direction...
Most people who attend a Parkrun don't goto break any course PBs, but it is informative for us to gauge how fast/slow a course is amongst other things. Unfortunately, rather than confront the issue - common sense didn't prevail. What next? Remove Olympic or world records? Its always the minority ruining it for the very mass majority.
Agreed.
I agree. I’m a slow runner, but use the stats for fastest time to judge the nature of the course and set my own personal goals/ challenges. This will spoil my enjoyment, despite being unlikely to get anywhere close to a record time.
You'll still have a leaderboard for the week - which is probably more useful because you can judge based on weather conditions, number of participants etc.
I'm blind, I'm old and I'm fat, but I love admiring the results of the sub 20 parkrunners. North Lakes parkrun is my local and many people have finished the 3 laps and going through the finish line just as I complete my first lap. For goodness sake, get over it. I compete against myself (or my guide dog lol) so I don't get offended on other people's results, I just admire them. Bring back the results!!!!!
Well said
Worst decision, I earned my first England vest last year and I wouldn't have been the same runner if I didn't see the records set at parkrun where I first started my runing Journey That objective of trying to get records and beat other people's time was part of the thrill of it for me Parkrun was helping young athletes inspire to do better and could have helped a great future generation of runners. This is a huge step backwards and takes the fun out of it for many runners now.
Well said. Sadly, it seems parkrun doesn't want people like you or us. Well done on your England vest!
The wokesters have killed it!
I'm slow and 50. Why can't I see what others of my age do as motivation? Am I average or shocking? I want to know for my own personal growth.
Because parkrun has decided we're not adult enough to cope with this if their reason for removal is believed...
Go back 15-20 years when runners and running clubs were asked to assist in new event tests and set-up; they were the people needed and have contributed massively in getting parkrun to where it is today. By default, I would say that these runners from back then now hold most of the 50+ category records and with a flick of the switch, the hard work, training and passion has been binned. I feel that 50+ competitive athletes as well as keen runners are sadly not wanted at parkrun anymore and it hurts!
Yes, we remember those early days.
@@tworunningbrooms running clubs even helped fund some parkruns to start up. My own club bought our local one it’s defibrillator. Another club in the town provided its PB bell. All the clubs provide volunteers.
They’ve lost the plot. And the fairness noise isn’t going away until they either sort the categories out or stop put listing results in race format. This week’s decision has changed nothing on that issue.
@@kenjude1 activists have no end game, NOTHING is ever enough, you give in a tiny bit and you are done
I've cancelled my parkrun Forever subscription and won't pay again until Age Group stats etc are reinstated.
It's sad when it comes to that and they upset so many longstanding and loyal runners.
Good move!
The way it's going if everyone does that Parkrun will just be a handful of tr people showing up with records just for them now.
I feel the same as the running brooms on this. What a shame to remove all the historic data. Demotivation for parkrun activity for me
Yes, clearly, they're not interested in certain groups.
What will be next, do away with our times in the name of 'inclusivity'? No more PB's because some imagined person may be unhappy that they can't beat it?
Maybe that's the way they're going, a parkrun with names completed on each Saturday but no time...
I'm really not convinced that these fairly specific stats were a barrier to people going to Parkrun. Most people new to Parkrun are probably looking at their position and time only.
I agree, I simply want to know did I improve or did I slow down. Where I am that week, everything else is on Strava
Yes, stats are easy to ignore, but there if you enjoyed looking at them...
100%
I was a quicker runner and didn't even check / discover the other site pages for a long time. There's a fastest 500?
@@moaningpheromones There used to be a list of the fastest 500 runners in the history of every parkrun.
People don't have to look at the stats if it doesn't interest them.
Exactly.
Just waiting for them to remove the word RUN from the name. I already go very little and will go even less now.
500 may happen in another decade now as I doubt I'll stick to 12 a year.
It's sad it's put existing parkrunners off.
@@tworunningbrooms age cat and wava records were nice to have and to compare against
Senior age group runner, won't be bothering anymore and that includes volunteering, no competition makes it pointless.
What a shame. parkrun has definitely made a mistake.
It's a 10 mile drive to my local park run. Will just run against my watch locally instead, such a hardship, beach and bush. @@tworunningbrooms
There is still competition. You can still compare your times to other people in your age group category
It’s shocking way Parkrun have gone about this. I know I’m never going to be the fastest on a course but I like to see who is! Think we all know it’s not a race but the stats help to improve us for races and a benchmark for where you are to where you want to be
Yes, it's sad they've taken a good element away!
I’m not at all into races, and am a slow runner, but use the fastest times to help judge the nature of the course and set personal challenges. Also like to see who does well in my local runs.
I am not a fast runner, but the stats were all part of the fun and good for motivation. Removing them is very shortsighted and diminishes enjoyment. They've not just taken away the gender records but also the most events table, beloved of parkrun tourists, where gender has no bearing. It's just ridiculous. Furthermore, parkrun began as a time trial. Yes it has become more than that, but playing down that aspect is making it less appealing to the people for whom it was originally intended - runners.
Appalling decision made by parkrun HQ. In fact sheer lunacy! Who on earth thought this would be good idea? parkrun have thrown parkrun under the bus. Oddly enough, I had to reluctantly accept a local parkrun's decision to refuse to put me on their core team when there was a vacancy purely down to the fact that I was a male of pensionable age when they felt pressured to have someone who didn't have my personal characteristics! This was an event I had volunteered at for many years and had acted as a guest RD in the past. Agree, once again, a minority who, I have no doubt, a destructive agenda have ruined it for the majority of us.
Yes, we know many club runners who started early parkruns and whose hard work current success was built.
Thanks for letting us know, that’s sad news, I was coming about fourth overall in my age group 55-59 & my park run times have been up in the 82% in my age group, is that all gone now? Rip off!! 😞
It's a bad decision by parkrun.
The stats you mention here should still be in place (for now)!
This change only affects the "course records" and fast finishers lists.
No also affects the top 500 age grade records so us oldies that could bang out a good age grade % but slow time relative to the young uns affected.
Really poor decision in my opinion. One of the reasons I enjoy doing Parkrun especially when visiting new parks runs is to see what times my age group record is and see how close I can get to it.
For me, taking the stats away, makes doing Parkrun less appealing for me.
Agreed
Yes, for many from we've read.
I think its crazy. Everyone I know takes great pleasure out of the stats. It's harmless free fun!
Agreed!
Oddly enough, now I’ve got to the 70-74 age group, I had thought of returning to parkrun, but a few things had been putting my off - I’ve always done more than my share of volunteering, but changes, such as using your own phone for timekeeping etc had been putting me off, along with an unwillingness to have a ‘fair usage’ system in place (people with well over 200 runs to their name, but not volunteered once, for what is described as a ‘community’)
I think this latest bombshell has finally convinced me that I have far better things to do on a Saturday morning - thanks for the video!
I'm sure others will do the same.
I think a more useful ‘change’ would be 25 runs then you must volunteer before you can do the next 25 or zero result recorded. Guess that would be easy enough to manage software wise although some people would just use multiple accounts. Big challenge running an honesty system’
It is a sad reflection of today's world. Even parkrun seems to be pandering to a small minority, and I will guess really small percentage, and ultimately damage the competitive nature of parkrun.
Yes,. many like.to compete in different forms such as head to head with friends, club mates, people.in their age groups etc..it seems parkrun does not want this even though it's where it all began.
Just a point of correction please on the video @3m 25s ......
Mara Yamauchi didn't actually say women's records should only be held by those "assigned at birth" as the sex of a woman ......
This term "assigned at birth" is part of trans ideology, and is something Mara is definitely not signed up to. But she did say that it should depend on your sex at birth as to which category you should take part in.
Thanks. Stand corrected.
Great video - I'm dressed as an elf at 35 seconds waiting to give first timers briefing at Hull! It's a shame to ditch the historic stats. Parkrun seem to be trying to attract new people while ignoring their core audience. Cancelled my parkrun forever payments a while back due to a terrible parkrun HQ appointment and can see many more cancelling as a result of this. May as well stop timing people and let us record our own times. Ludicrous. Best thing parkrun could do is to stop results counting towards Run Britain rankings if they want to make it less competitive.
She sure did, unless you interpret her direct speech in this video news very differently to how anyone else would interpret Mara's wording; ruclips.net/video/ef8CuEK3XD4/видео.html
@@stevemccurrach1413
Steve, Mara did not say "assigned at birth" as that phrase is part of the Trans ideology which is anathema to her thinking on women's sport.
I once raised an issue with parkrun and got zero support from anyone in the RUclips or other running community to help change the issue and this is another load of corporate horse sh*t. Unless you all STOP going to parkrun, nothing changes.
True
It will be interesting to see if numbers drop.
@@callmeal4183 glad you agree
@@tworunningbrooms there may be change short term, but long term pr has enough irons in many corporate fires to keep going whatever their numbers are.
The main Park Run rationale makes no sense: Concern that fast runners participating will put other runners off taking part...? Last I checked some fairly handy athletes run the London Marathon - and that seems to be a fairly popular event with other runners.
We all know few are put off by fast runners at the front. Most would find it inspiring, I would think.
If you choose to be a new gender that you weren’t born with at birth then ask park run officials to create a new park run gender group along with the hermaphrodites. Don’t force the cancellation of historic run data. If looking at historical gender/age run data records offends you then don’t look but don’t prevent others.!!!
parkrun HQ could've done something to suit all. There was no need to take away stats.
Are you saying that women standing up for their rights are toxic?
No.
Thank you Running Brooms! I totally agree with you. After all we run/walk parkrun for a short time on Saturday morning but for the rest of the week can spend many happy moments trawling through the statistics in idle moments
Yes, it's just a bit of fun that folk emjoyed, removed.
How can records put off the slower runners? You had to mindfully look for them on the course website, they didn't just pop up in your face.
Exactly!
Ii totally agree with you. I hope that this isn't the thin edge of the wedge leading to more changes which will ultimately spoil our Saturday mornings. I don't think that the stats would actually put someone off. I really like them even though I never stood a chance of figuring in them. I always like to look at the course record as it is/was a good indicator of how tough the course was. I also enjoy seeing the record and saying 'how fast...how is that even possible?' !! What a shame....🙁
Sadly, with these negative changes, it is already different from parkrun that was. Who knows what's next...
It’s a shame!
Though it’s a long time since I went along to my local parkrun. As long as I can still run and record it on my device, share it online, train and enter a few races a year, I’m okay. Changes happen and we adapt to them, but, yes, it’s a shame.
Yes, change is inevitable. It's just a shame parkrun didn't communicate the real reason. 😕
It looks as if there are going to be a lot of interesting observations made this Saturday morning, nationwide. I'm not aware of anybody who objects to the data parkrun collects or how they employ it. Furthermore, being a septuagenarian, I take an especial interest in my age gradings.
I'm not impressed with the reasons given for the changes, following "consultations" with various interest groups. It comes over as PR-babble.
I will be dropping HQ a line. A caustic one.
Agree it's very much a bad decision by parkrun HQ! As mature runners, we, too, loved the age grading tables.
John and Dawn, well done and thanks for opening a discussion in this via your video. Its way more than Parkrun did. Judging by the amount of views and comments, its a very emotive development.
Thanks.
Yes, we feel a large number of parkrunners feel strongly about the stats being removed. It also for many feels like a slippery slope towards the end of the timed parkrun.
I'm coming up 67 been running 51 years still do half a dozen fell races a year do park runs I'm not bothered what anybody else does in the race or park run that's my choice. Doing away with the records and stats isn't going to attract new people to running I'd bet most people who are new to running do a park run because somebody who does them asks them to go and surly these new people will want to compare times etc to see how they are doing to keep going. It seems to be a cancel culture we live in so I'm not surprised this has happened it's happening in every walk of life
Yes, sadly, all good things come to an end.
Cheers Dawn & John. I'll be honest and say, I'm a bit upset about this and Id go as far as to say, the event has been ruined forever. Think it's an absolute ridiculous decision but typical how society is at the moment.
ParkRun boasts itself on being all inclusive but now seem to want to demonise faster runners and take away records people have spent years building up. It’s completely unfair.
You just know it won't be long before they take the timing away too and that really will be the end.
ParkRun apparently isn't a race but there is nothing wrong with running competitively if that's what you desire. Suggesting fast runners could stop people taking on ParkRun is ridiculous.
My first ParkRun time was 32:47. People ran it in 18 minutes that day but I couldn't care less.
This crazy puts me off ever doing ParkRun again and I hope they consider views of the majority and reverse this crazy decision.
Great post
It would be a big move for them to now reverse the decision... And yes, we can see a time where results will be done alphabetically rather than by time...
@@tworunningbrooms sadly that will be the end of Parkrun for me. I’m already hugely demotivated by just these changes.
I booked a few runs yesterday with run through and they’ve changed their categories, woman have their own category and everything else is lumped into one category which is about 5 sub categories. Make of that what you will
Interesting move.
Great video guys, sums up my feelings. However, the biggest loss to me, as a tourist, is the most events table. Really can’t understand how this could put people off parkrun. Indeed most non tourists don’t even know it exists 😢
Sadly, all good things come to an end.
A very good point. I’ve been parkrunning for 8 years and only discovered this table six months ago. Since it didn’t include any time info I’m totally at a loss as to why the data in it would put people off participating. It’s just ga-ga.
Totally agree. I've been Parkrunning for almost 8 years and enjoyed reading the stats and competing against myself and some others on a weekly basis. It's harmless and no one I know has ever highlighted any problems. If it isn't broke don't fix it.
Exactly all a bit of fun. Badly handled by parkrun!
I agree. It’s a real shame. I’ll likely never get a record, but it’s great to watch friends strive for local records, etc. Sadly, i think the trans issue is a pivotal reason. I’m with Mara Y. Her want is a lot more fair than the current (now recent) scenario.
Yes, fairer, but it seems parkrun has taken the easy option.
@@tworunningbrooms That’s not something that shocks me. ☹️
I think it has made parkrun less relevant now, it will most lessen
attendance
It's sad as parkrun has always been a positive thing!
Bring back the stats. No consultation with RD's in Australia. Real issue is inability of parkrun HQ to deal with people who don't identify as male or female, with a threat to their financial bottom line in the UK.
Make sure to sign all the petitions. Yes,.bring back the stats.
Commenting from an Australian perspective, I wonder how many potential participants are not participating in Australian parkruns because of the "off-putting" stats, as a couple of weeks ago we broke the Australian record for participation!
2 simple solutions are - 1 add another category to register for parkrun ie male, female, other and 2 dont display the records "so prominently", so those off-put would not view them unless they searched for them.
Given the most events records have been removed, it also must be considered "off-putting", therefore should the wearing of milestone shirts be discontinued to not make any of the "global working group - people who had registered but not participated and those who registered and participated once" feel off-putting and anxious
I can imagine anyone is put off my stats they probably didn't even know existed. We all know it's not the true reason for their removal.
It’s another example of the modern woke world. We can’t have anything nice. Once again the minority overrule the majority. For me at least this has dampened my enthusiasm for parkrun. Sad times.
Yes, it's obvious that many folk are not happy with this decision.
We all know the real reason why they have done this, but we can't mention it or we will be labelled trans-phobic.
As usual it is pandering to the very small minority, and spoil it for the majority - so we all suffer
They've certainly upset a lot of parkrunners.
Don't stress about being called stupid names by stupid people
World has gone mad! I absolutely agree with you on this. It is beyond frustrating :o(
Sadly, a change not done for the benefit of the majority.
I don't think it has been mentioned that parkrun hq have also removed the "search" facility for "data protection" reasons, I understand. So no more searching on a Saturday evening to see where The Brooms, and other friends, have run, and their times and age grading.
Yes, changes that parkrun HQ did not feel needed to be communicated to the parkrun community.
Hard to believe - those in charge need to remember that diversity means also including all views even those you don't like and I'm pretty sure that the majority are not in favour of this
Yes they're all over the place on inclusion.
I suggest everyone asks their Run Director to take a vote before the next run and send results to HQ
Good point.
Saw that news yesterday. I guess it's welcome to 2024 where inclusivity is more important than common sense.
Except it takes away the inclusivity for some, sadly.
@@tworunningbrooms I totally agree. It's a shame that they backed (or were backed) into this corner.
Anyway I hope you guys are well. 💪
Many people go to parkrun to keep fit and want to get fitter. Times are a way of judging this and although people will still get their own times, the other stats interest most people
Yes,.but to parkrun HQ, that is now being too competitive, sadly!
"If you tolerate this then your timing will be next " ... ...
No doubt there will be further changes, but what, who knows...
Thank you for the video. I completely agree with all you state in it.
Poking in “the rabbit hole”, it seems that a small minority of transgender dictates an overwhelming majority of males and females of all ages that they must not be listed anymore with their achievements and motivational records.
To me it does not appear encouraging what Park Run does, neither is it in any way fair or “democratic”.
We should gather and form a new database, a private initiative of runners, and put it online. Some information may be lost, but with information that can be salvaged the foundation for a new motivating and “democratic” data base for all can be laid.
It's all a bit of a mess that parkrun needs to sort. There will probably be more changes, though, as their actions have not solved the real issue.
Thank you for the video and bringing this to everyone’s attention. I have just sent Park Run HQ an email on this ridiculous decision and told them that I feel excluded and will not be doing another Park Run until the history is re-instated.
Well done on sending the email. Hopefully, the thousands signing the petition will also show parkrun the unhappiness this has caused.
Parkrun means different things to different participants , those at the very fast end like to compete and chase records , its not wrong or elitist or not inclusive. How patronising to adults that you think they will be put off by seeing times they know they can never do. How pathetic
Indeed!
And thousands of parkrun runners don’t care about the stats. They are just interested in,if they are getting quicker, or don’t care about their time and just enjoy the Saturday morning get together for a run. I personally never dwell about the results, as I use my parkrun as a tempo run, or include it as part of a long run. I do the monthly pacing, or will just hold back and run with a slower friend.
So parkrun being inclusive will cater both for those interested and uninterested in the stats?
@@tworunningbrooms yep, this will all be forgotten about in a couple of weeks and we will all still enjoy, the meet up and run on a Saturday morning..
Why change a winning formula? This change is a slap in the face of loyal parkrunners who have spent years and years supporting parkrun. I am sure the sponsors won’t be happy with so many disgruntled parkrunners and walkers. I have never heard a single negative comment about the stats during my 456 parkruns at 103 different venues. I have fielded thousands of positive questions and interest in the stats. People love the stats and many are motivated by them.
Agreed.
Such a pity that Parkrun has removed these stats. And they are not fooling anyone with their absurd reason for their decision. Come on Parkrun. Do the right thing and return the stats!
Agreed 👍
This change affects less than 1% or Parkrunners. The only thing these records do is massage the egos of the people achieving them. You'll still get your age grading, position, gender position - you just won't see who is the top male/female record holder. Very few people doing Parkrun are aiming for that position or even looking at it.
If you want an official record, join an official, timed race, not a casual Parkrun.
These have been part of parkrun since its inception nearly 20 years ago. There were obviously good reasons for having them for all those years. It's not the people objecting to the change who have made a massive unexplained pivot here. Thanks for watching
Seems to me that the reason given for this by Parkrun bosses i.e " so as not to discourage new parkrunners" is just smoke and mirrors to deflect away from the transgender issue that you mentioned. This is something that I suppose they rightly cannot ignore, but sad that it should put a damper on Parkrun for so many, including myself, who enjoy following my stats.
Yes, it could've been dealt with differently
Better communication being one....
Its the annual dumb decision from parkrun 'management', which has been poorly communicated, again. Last year they thought a former Sun newspaper editor would be great for inclusivity.... which they soon realised was nuts and ditched. Now this. parkrun needs management that knows a thing or two about running a global business. I can see an argument for removing fastest times stats, but the wholesale removal of all stats is crazy.
Why have listed times if they want to make people feel comfortable....
I am very sad. Thank you for your point of view. I think HQ could have off loaded the stats to a third party, and hope they will.
I'm sure there could've been a way around it, but sadly, they saw fit to not bother.
I agree with you. They’ve got rid of something that was crucial to parkrun culture.
Do they care? Sadly, no.
Well constructed piece. I agree with your thoughts. Pleased to see my local parkrun on your video, Clumber Park. Also think I might have spotted Rother Valley on there?
Thank you. Yes, Clumber is a regular for us. Correct on RV, too. How many different events in that area have you done?
@@tworunningbrooms Only Sherwood Pines and Mansfield. Need to get some more on my list. I live in Worksop. Only none local ones I've done are Dishley and Beacon Hill Country Park, my son is at Loughborough University. I'd recommend Beacon Hill, if you haven't already done it. ☺
I think we all know the reason why. Of course it’s not positive. Makes me glad I run solo
Thanks for watching.
Well done for highlighting this debacle! Again the majority are being affected by a small minority! Get a life parkrun as I know from being one of the middle pack runners that we get great enthusiasm taking part in something which includes quality runners and no one is put off joining in a parkrun. The proof is the great growth of this Saturday morning venture and the vast numbers taking part. Being 72 I look forward to seeing age grading as my times aren’t going to substantially increase at my age but I may just clip a % off!
Exactly. There never has been any issues with folk throughout the parkrun field enjoying those stats!
Nutty world. In an attempt to appease everyone they just annoy (almost) everyone
Indeed, they've certainly upset a few.
This decision is the initial seeds of parkrun's downfall. (Go woke - go broke)
My experience of parkrun is that it is the most competitive non-competitive event I've participated in.
A huge value of parkrun rests in it's inclusivity, and the stats allow you to see how you are going for your age and gender, and compare one's progress over time. All the current stats today allow you to get a perspective on your results, and helps with personal encouragement.
As a soon-to-be 68 year old, I don't want to be compared en mass with 25 year olds - that would be truly discouraging.
Indeed it as competitive as anyone wants to make it, and taking the stats away won't change that, so I'm really not sure parkrun will achieve their outcome here.
This move is the very opposite of "going woke"
You can still compare yourself to other people in your age group category
The removal of stats is completely wrong. Seeing the amazing achievements from fast runners is inspiring. I don't know anyone who knows of anyone who would be put off by records. I'm concerned about what this will lead to.
Exactly. Maybe heading towards the French model to grow it more worldwide...
It has been observed that people who often complain that they're being 'excluded' from doing something, don't really have the interest in the first place. All the thousands of people already here weren't put off, by the way it is.
the lack of authenticity is more off-putting than course records
It's all a bit of a mess!
The only way they will stop competivness amongst regular runners is if they make us all hold hands and walk in a line across the finish this is totally ridiculous and unfortunatly driven by the reason we must not discuss. The whole reason for doing park run was being able to see any improvment through the full range of stats. in my experience even the walkers get a little competative with themselves aand those around them after the first few weeks.
Yes, indeed you don't have to be fast to be competitive...
It is indeed a strange thing that stats got removed as being something that harms new runners participating and not what we as more regular parkrunners have grown to expect and use as motivation. in the end its just numbers and I see no reason why as a parkrun that this data cannot be continued and that each runner simply opt-in or out from seeing Historical stats. Default it to opt-out and you have the solution of giving new runners less daunting data and those of us who want it, exactly what we have today. its just software in the end and its not difficult.
Good point and solution, which probably shows they weren't after genuine solutions!
I think that is a particularly sensible solution that parkrun hq is unlikely to have considered.
Such a disappointment for all ParkRunners! Nobody is buying the reason given. Please don't lie to us - huge problem I acknowledge - but there must surely be a way to address it without spoiling the fun for so many!
Yes, it's a bad decision
won't take away enjoyment for me on a Saturday, even though I liked to use the most events table. Now the removal of the most events table cannot be related to gender or new participants - so what is the reason ?
It is probably to discourage tourism as it isn't green.
@@tworunningbrooms they should bring the points table back - that encouraged "loyalty" to ones home parkrun (dons tin hat)
That Kipchoge guy running 2 hour marathons is so annoying, exactly half the time it takes me. Triggered, should I retire, I am so young!
Haha
Terrible decision. I currently hold 6 course records. One has lasted since 2012. I was also 2nd male with the most first place finishes 359 out of 368 parkruns. Managed to never finish outside the top 2 places. Travelling to different locations was the highlight of the week. Aiming to set age group and course records was the incentive to take part. I'm not going tomorrow.
How sad they have taken away the enjoyment from you!
Sounds like you're missing the point of parkrun
@@ethandalton6480 I've been doing parkrun since 2008 when it began as a Time Trial. It can be whatever you want it to be. You can try & go for a PB or you can walk around & chat if you like. That's why it's inclusive. At the end of the day someone has to cross the line in 1st position.
@@JAMESBAKER-jm5dv trying to win that particular event, or set a new PB, or compare yourself with others in your age category is fine.
But if you're so competitive that you boast that you've barely ever finished outside the top 2 and hold half a dozen course records, including one for 12 years, and not having those records makes you stop going, I think you're missing the point of PR.
The overwhelming majority of people don't actually care about this change, because most people aren't bothered about course records.
Our parkrun this week still show age gradings, age grade percentages etc. However if in fact this data is removed if future - one small step backwards by the powers that be at parkrun, one giant leap backwards for this great weekly, worldwide event. It would be a sad day.
So many enjoy stats not put off by them. It's definitely ssd to see them go.
Nothing good ever emerges from focus groups.
So it seems!
Why not just have 2 new categories for trans men and trans women going forward?
That topic seems to be a minefield.
Because what stops me from grabbing a trans man/woman record. I am not trans, says who, WTF defines trans anyway. Your idea is stupid and falls at the first hurdle
what's the point of using a registration based run when there's no data. I may as well go out on my own. I don't know but can you compare yourself to your own previous records? I feel it take that little something from runners who are trying to use an official time to better themselves.
Yes, agreed.
Yes, agreed.
Should be optional... not just binned and no option given for if you a) care and want to look at a record. b) aren't as serious and don't really care. Have the records accessible through an application.
Agreed
People will continue to enjoy PR because it's fun. It still is a wonderful way to spend a Saturday morning. PR has no responsibility for the accuracy of participants' personal information and people have been free to declare age, sex, and whatever else they want without verification. That is completely fine; anyone using the free service should understand the limits of what can be done for free. On the other hand, the claim of inclusivity is something that should be addressed and can be done by creating a nonbinary category for anyone who wants to use it. As with all Park Run personal information it will be voluntary and non-verified.
They need to be clear about what the agenda is rather than using stats as being off-putting to new participants. Some people will continue to enjoy, but not everyone. Thousands have signed a petition to state their unhappiness. Stats at parkrun don't affect anyone. If folk don't want to see them, then they don't need to look.
@@tworunningbrooms I agree 100%. They are navigating a somewhat sensitive issue. My advice would have been to not change a thing, ensure that there are categories for everyone, and explain that Parkrun does not police personal information.
I think ducking and diving on the issue of males taking female records makes you look spineless.
That's not the reason parkrun gave.
I don't bother even bother with barcode now. What the point as everything on strava now anyway. It's a negative thing to be competive now a days lol.Dont understand why the removed parkrun tourism as well as it could only be good for the area If they get more visitors.
Yes, changes that weren't welcome by many.
Very disappointed at the removal of the stats. As a more mature runner who is slowing down the age cat records have been very motivating. The records (and particularly the national records) were not prominently displayed so how could they offend anyone? Parkrun in tis drive to be "inclusive" is now excluding people who enjoyed and were motivated by the stats (and of course this group was not consulted). Also removing the stats does not address the issue of how someone registers for parkrun so therefore why remove the stats?
Hi can I ask how is this excluding you,? Have they said you cannot come?
@kophotography895 By the same token then, prior to the removal of the records, did that mean other people were excluded ? And they couldn't go.
Inclusion is more than just attendance. It's about the whole experience.
Hence why they have removed the stats to satisfy those they say are uncomfortable by them. They, too, can just turn up and ignore the stats.
Having had only run local parkrun's since just before turning 50, call it vain but seeing that i still held top 2, 3 best times for these courses (without plated shoes !) I wasn't expecting the 2 min recent 65year age group course record that I got on one of these courses to last 15 years also, having turned 65 last year even if 20.03 is I realise good for my age on any course and Towcester isn't class as very fast.(this time may have been bettered already ) In fairness I only run the odd parkrun as time trials and I will still use Parkrun's for this purpose but will most probably just time myself and not bother with the barcode as what's the point now really. Let's be honest what percentage of participants looked at the everyones results anyway. I assume records for those that want to display the teeshirt with 100 park runs and the like will still be able to collect the teeshirt ? as for a lot of people I totally appreciate it quite an achievement. Ian
It's only when we've done time trials that the stats mean anything to us. On the days we just did an easy or progressive run, they were just there. We've enjoyed a lot more over the years, too, besides stats like visiting lots of new places. It's just the way parkrun has gone about this....
Thanks, I enjoyed the video and the overview from two runners with loads of parkrun experience. I understand that people resent the stats no longer being published but the other options are, 1. for parkrun to ignore the fact that trans women can claim women’s course records or, 2. parkrun starts requiring proof of gender for the start of each run. Maybe there’s another solution I haven’t thought of?
Honesty is part of the registration process.That is, as one example, if you are 33, you don't claim to be 63 and smash the 60-64 category, and if you are a...
Good point. Maybe registration should have a category for people identifying as a gender other than the one they were assigned at birth and they could have their own record too. At the moment, we seem to have moved into an era where we can claim a new gender at will. @@61js
Unfortunately, parkrun hasn't removed the gender issue as you still get an email saying you were x female in a field of...and x age grading in your female group. So anyone wanting to run as a woman can. The only real way to be fully inclusive, as parkrun say they want, is to remove gender categories and list names alphabetically with just your finish time. Is that the way they are heading...
I don't think you can describe the parkrun facebook groups as being 'normal' in any way shape or form
Haha yes. Guilty as charged 😀
I'll bet this is the liveliest comments section you've ever had.
Sadly, it appears so. Gutted. 😁
Great opportunity for a startup to just do what parkrun used to do.
parkrun has taken all the parks...🤣
What a cop out. Unbelievable. Will totally take some fun out of it. Might as well just run round a park with your mates
It was a bad mistake to remove the stats for sure.
Bonkers act by #ParkRun HQ - What next, no running as it puts off people who can't run? Spend your time/money/effort #ParkRun HQ organising defibrillators at all events!
Definitely the wrong decision by parkrun HQ.
As a volunteer will we even be allowed to encourage anyone to move faster, or even move at all ?🤔
Bad decision for many reasons as highlighted by others. They could just remove everything and that would simplify matters.
I think that's the logical end point here. But loads of runners would lose interest. And what would sponsors think?
Absolutely,so they should have left it alone imo and many others.Worked for 20 years no problem. It was never an issue at my park run.
Thanks for the video John / Dawn 👍, I only started & continued parkrun for the stats, especially the age grading percentage,, & seeing where I was for my age category at each event on the leaderboard.. I know you both have put in far more than me over the years running parkrun, & losing these stats is pretty crap to be honest...I'm with you both 100% .... 😎 👍
Yes, parkrun HQ has made a big mistake on this one.
Methinks that there might be more to this then first meets the eye ... I wouldn't be at all surprised that this is a lead-up to offering access to all weekly stats but only by way of payment through a yearly subscription! 🤔
Interesting thoughts...