Howdy, Stranger!
Categories
Parkrun Midlands
The materials in this website are in no way intended to replace the professional medical care, advice, diagnosis or treatment of a doctor, qualified personal trainer, therapist, dietitian or nutritionist Runners's World, Part of the Hearst UK well-being network © Copyright 2017
Comments
Midlands parkruns:
Cannon Hill Park:
yes, Mary is looking at the 28th of August as a potential launch date; this is still to be confirmed by parkrun though.
Reasonable interest & Volunteers already registered, including 4 people prepared to be Race Director.
Brueton Park:
2nd event race results - there should be an update on wednesday. Rob, acting RD, has updated those results he's been made aware of & these changes will be included in this update.
rather than lots of little updates, parkrun recommend doing an update mid-week that encompasses all feedback received from the runners.
i've been told that the post race barcodes were scanned in the wrong order, which is why people ended up with the positions that they were scanned & not finished & is why we also ended up with 10 unknown runners.
Still no volunteers for Brueton Park but i've emailed both Knowle & Dorridge and Centurion Clubs & am hoping that they can work something out amongst themselves...
& Once Cannon Hill launches there will be no help at Brueton Park!
Sutton Park:
was supposed to be the first after Coventry & parkrun we're in discussion with someone local who pulled out.
this has just delayed things slightly, as i think it's fair to say that 'parkrun' in Sutton Park will be an inevitability, once Brueton & Cannon Hill are established.
The start was delayed for some reason (didn't understand why) and the chap in charge stood and whinged for 5 mins about something else I didn't understand, complained about having to thank the sponsors and said he was going to nominate himself to win the monthly trainers as he'd done so much. Not a great welcome for first timers. He also didn't describe the route other than saying You all know the way don't you, at which point several of us said NO! But no further description was given.
Some marshalls were great, but some weren't wearing fluorescent tops so I didn't realise. One Marshall didn't even look at us as we ran past and continued to stare in a completely different direction, which was a shame, but others cheered us on, which is what I do when I volunteer.
At the end I had no idea what to do with my bar codes as nothing was explained. A group of young women almost left without registering their chips as they didn't know they had to. I found him in the visitor place which was finally opened, a bit too late for the toilet, doing things very differently to the other two parkruns I've been to. No lap top, and very long winded, which was annoying as we'd already been delayed at the start.
It's now Sunday night and I haven't had my results through, and the Coventry ones usually arrive in about an hour or so. They also did for the London one I did.
Sadly, I agree with andy in earlier comments that I won't be back. It's a shame as it could have been an alternative with Coventry as I'm midway between.
Coventry has proved itself to be an excellent parkrun thx.
Running Elephant:
I read your post an hour ago, after my email told me that someone had posted a comment on this thread & to be honest, i was insulted by your comments & had typed a complex reply, to each of your points, only for this site to lose it for being too long. So, i attempted to leave it until tomorrow & went to bed but, have returned, as i know i won't be able to sleep until i've replied to what is basically a very ill thought out post on a public forum...
I found your comments ill informed, on the basis that it is impossible to compare Coventry parkrun (which has been running successfully for well over 6 months & will have set up a full, co-ordinated team of Race Directors & Volunteers) with Solihull on it's 3rd event with absolutely No Local Volunteer Support!
i will reply individually, to each of the points you have raised in your post above, paragraph by paragraph...
I neaded the loo by the time we arrived. Sadly there were none available and one of the marshalls suggested I went behind a bush!!
Toilets: parkrun FAQs
What facilities are at my local run?
A.Facilities vary greatly from event to event - most have toilets and many have a cafe nearby. Please check your event's website for more details.Q 3.6Where are the toilets?A.Not all events have convenient access to public toilets (although most do) - please check your event's Course page for more information.& there is no mention of facilities on the Brueton page because, quite simply, there aren't any!The Visitor Centre & Cafe 'officially' opens at 10.00 & i understand that this is run by the Wildlife Trust.I don't see where you get the impression that they are under any obligation to open their doors for parkrunners before 9am?Please be aware that Solihull Council Leisure Services Department had requested that the Visitor Centre's Cafe open earlier & they had agreed to open at 09.30, on a trial basis. Last Saturday was the 1st time in 3 weeks that the Cafe was open by this time & it actually opened at around 9.20am.The start was delayed for some reason (didn't understand why) and the chap in charge stood and whinged for 5 mins about something else I didn't understand, The start was delayed by no more than 90 seconds, at most & the reason for this was the RD organising volunteers who he had only managed to 'collar' 5 minutes earlier as, unlike Coventry, there aren't any Local Volunteers...If you'd paid attention & listened to the '5 mins of whinging', it would have become crystal clear that the RD (me) was putting out a plea, for the 3rd consecutive week, for the local running community to actually 'step forward' & help run their 'own local event'. People listening would have heard how that without the support of Solihull Leisure Services (whose Staff had 'volunteered' to help get this project off the ground, by giving up their time for 3 weeks) & people who had volunteered to help set up & run Cannon Hill parkrun (about as local to Solihull as Coventry is) being 'volunteered' to actually get involved, there would be No Brueton Park & that any support would disappear in 3 weeks time!Myself, Members of Solihull Leisure Services & other Volunteers fromn Cannon Hill have put a lot of time & effort into ensuring that Solihull has a successful parkrun & speaking personally, i would hate to see it fold, through lack of local support, as i want to be able to return & run on it's anniversary for many years to come...Hardly a whinge!
This is true, because, as i'm not local & don't know the park well, one of the volunteers from Solihull Leisure Services was supposed to do this, but that didn't happen & i certainly did not hear anyone saying 'No'; especially when i said 'Any Questions?' & finally, is 'Everyone Ready' before starting the Event. On top of this, the route had been marked out with signs & actual Marshall's (the few i'd collared a few minutes before the start) had been asked to stand at key points on the route.Some marshalls were great, but some weren't wearing fluorescent tops so I didn't realise. One Marshall didn't even look at us as we ran past and continued to stare in a completely different direction, which was a shame, but others cheered us on, which is what I do when I volunteer.
I can't comment on Coventry's Fluoro Vests but parkrun has provided Brueton with Three.I also can't comment on the actions of those individuals who were press ganged into action on saturday...What i can say is, that for the previous 2 weeks, i have marshalled the tight left hand corner at the end of the 1st lap loop, which turns you back towards the start line &, anyone who has run in the 1st two events will confirm that my encouragement has been extremely vocal, just as it was as the runners passed the start line area 3 times.
As i've already mentioned, for the past 2 weeks, the Cafe did not open at 09.30, as had been agreed with the Council. This week, the Manageress opened in plenty of time for me to locate the 'Post Race Registration' there.I informed the lady handing out the Finish Place Barcodes that this was where i would be as the 1st runner came home. This information was supposed to have been relayed to the runners as they finished.However, i take issue with your comment about the group of young women not knowing about registering their barcodes, as this was also covered in great detail during my '5 minute whinge/waffle', as the previous weeks registration had been carried out incorrectly, with barcodes being scanned in the wrong order. I know for a fact that this was covered, because, i broke off my 'spiel' midway, to collect the laminted sheet that last weeks RD put together, to prevent the same error happening again & i clearly emphasised that the runners barcode had to be scanned 1st, followed by the positional barcode at Post Race Registration.So, i must apologise if my pre-race announcements bored you, as you appear to have missed most of the pertinent information. No lap top, and very long winded, which was annoying as we'd already been delayed at the start. Again, the delayed start that wasn't & if you'd listened to the pre-race announcement, you would have heard me explain the problems encounteered on the 2nd Event (clearly discussed & also explained in the posts above!). Hence, the manual duplication with post race registration which ensured that these errors weren't repeated. NB: the laptop isn't necessary post race, coventry probably use it as the have more than 3 times the runners than Brueton & at least 5 times the potential runners. Ideally, i would've liked to have had someone assisting me with this process but as my pool of volunteers is Zero; that proved to be yet another 'Brueton wouldn't it be nice to haves'... It's now Sunday night and I haven't had my results through, and the Coventry ones usually arrive in about an hour or so. They also did for the London one I did. It's now very early on Monday morning & i'm typing a reply to your post, when i should really be fast asleep, preparing myself for a busy day at work... Again, during my pre-race waffle, i mentioned that 'post race', i would be leaving for Burton on Trent (to actually spend time with my Family) & would try to get the results published for saturday night. However, due to my movements, i did say that this might not be possible (as i don't always have access to the net) but i did guarantee that the results would be published sunday night & i kept my word!Sadly, I agree with andy in earlier comments that I won't be back. It's a shame as it could have been an alternative with Coventry as I'm midway between.
For you information, Andy did return this week, finished 3rd & recorded a course PB!
Enjoy Coventry, as i have serious doubts about whether or not Brueton will continue; especially if potential Event Directors, Race Directors & Volunteers are put off by ill advised posts, appearing on the net...
That has now been running well over 6 months & is more than likely to have a full team of 'experienced' volunteers in most, if not every position.One final point, that was passed to me by a very experienced parkrunner at Brueton's inaugural event...If my replies do not satisfy you in any way, shape or form, please PM me your details & i will personally arrange for a Full Refund of All Your Fees to be paid to you, by return.In addition to this generous offer, i will also contribute my combined salary from all three Brueton Park events that i have attended (2 with the full fee attributed to the Race Director & 1 as a lowly, but important Marshall).
Solihull's a brilliant parkrun venue, with parking, café (breakfast panini: perfect recovery diet!) and excellent shopping nearby for 'supporters'. And, above all, friendly volunteers and runners.
Of course there are teething problems and it's the holiday period, but parkrun's for life - so get on www.parkrun.org.uk/brueton/Volunteer.aspx and make it happen!
Blimey, glad you had an hour to cool down, mate!
move on to the next page and start again
bash a company or race for bad service. Have you given them a chance to rectify your problem? And are you posting an accurate version of events? Runner's World Forum Rules on Forum Slamming.
Lurker - that's what really got my goat...
The elephant man had ample opportunity to raise his issues at Brueton or right afterwards.
he could even have emailed the brueton office account...
he followed none of these actions & therefore, i felt duty bound to reply to each of his points; many of which would have been answered, if he could have been bothered to pay attention & listen.
anyway, all resolved my end now & i've made 'parkrun' aware & they fully understand...
matter closed my end
Moving forward...
parkrun back at Brueton this Saturday (14th) & next (21st) - then, who knows!?
parkrun Cannon Hill launching Saturday 28th of August!
planning meeting thursday 19th 4-5 followed by a trial run of the course
doesn't say where in the park but i assume near the mac??
anyone know?
Lurker;
i think our training may be taking place in the cafe?
(not sure if that's MAC or our deisgnated Cafe over by Station?)
will confirm details with Mary tomorrow & then post reply.
Ti
K
Volunteer and become part of the solution.
You get what you pay for and by that measure I got great value out of my Brueton run. Well done to all the volunteers.
Well said Max.
Oh, and the weather wasn't so bad in the end...
hmmm - just realised - i may be expected to get up and help out in inclement weather - i have not thought this through have i?
You're committed now Lurker - no backing out! At least the volunteers have the umbrella option, or if you're in Mary's good books she might allocate you a job in the station. I wonder if she's open to bribery...
Having run the first 3 races at Brueton Park I did my bit and volunteered my services for this week. Looking out the window this morning i did wonder if I had done the right thing but it all turned out well.
If Brueton Park is to survive runners do need to accept that once in a while they will need to support the event by volunteering or as I did this week draft in family and friends to help.
Lets Hope Brueton goes from strength to strengh.
Well done Larry.
Brilliant Brueton parkrun will go from strength to strength because it's in the right place - as the numbers for the first three weeks demonstrate (particularly in holiday season when even established parkruns have to press-gang volunteers).
In case anyone hasn't noticed, bruetonHelpers@parkrun.com is the place to volunteer!
Cheers,
Andrew Kew Brown
hello
I hardly ever post on RW these days but was at Brueton today and heard about this thread
I think the whole parkrun concept is marvellous and i think Brueton is a lovely course(Ive done several other parkruns in various locations)
I would like to extend my thanks to ALL the volunteres who give up their time to help make this happen
Ruth xx
Hi PH - I recognise the name from various threads in the past (BBCHM, for example), and I'm not sure, but I think I've put the face to the name. A fellow could get himself into trouble walking up to a stranger and calling her a plodding hippo!
I'm not likely to be at Brueton for several weeks now but may see you at Cannon Hill parkrun.
Well done to all the runners and thanks to all the volunteers this morning. Fingers crossed Brueton parkrun remains on the local running calendar.
Yes i agree there was problems in the first 2 park runs but its running smoothly now, hopefully one of the local clubs will come forward and help with the running of the race,its a beautiful park to run around and last week we enjoyed a cup of tea and a piece of cake in the cafe afterwards.
I would like to thank the organisers and his volunteers who gave up their free time just so we can run,thanks guys the weather as been rough the last couple of races!
I hope cannon hill park run goes well and i am sure that after my 2 weeks holiday i will be paying it a visit in early September
Hi Road kill
Im usually a fan of marathons, but this damn parkrun caper has got me doing 5ks
Heal quickly Andy and enjoy the hols
Im going to upload my photos from today on my Flickr site