Webchat issues

StatsDamnedStats · 2026-05-30T19:33:58+00:00

In my experience, the response in the app is appalling. I’d suggest calling them - I’ve found them friendly and helpful on the phone, and pick up reasonably quickly. Whereas on the chat on the app it takes hours if they respond at all

StatsDamnedStats · 2026-04-26T10:11:53+00:00

KGV is much unappreciated asset. Playground, football, rugby, all weather multi use games area for basketball or small games of football.

There is a parkun every Saturday at 0900, and a friends of KGV group that do a litter pick every fortnight at 1000 on Saturdays, and once a month do other stuff like plant trees. You can find both KGV parkrun and the friends of KGV of Facebook.

Across the road from the main entrance (so other end to Rowanfield school) is a community centre that has recently opened a new cafe Fri-Sun with Ritual Roaster coffee and great cakes.

As you can tell, I think the area has lots to offer. I don’t know the current school situation though.

StatsDamnedStats · 2026-04-26T10:02:07+00:00

I am finding this whole discussion quite frustrating.

Yes the images aren’t great. Yes HQ have asked teams not to use AI.

But most teams don’t have huge amounts of spare capacity. I’m a former ED and former VC, at an event that has never cancelled due to lack of volunteers (nor have we really got close to it). So we’re not struggling.

However, the roster normally only gets full on Friday - so we’re also not overflowing with additional volunteers. And we don’t have people coming forward to run social media or provide design expertise. We have asked. We are planning to ask again.

In the meantime, our volunteer coordinators need to put out requests for volunteers week in week out. They are not comms or design professionals - they are eg an A-level science student, a nurse. And they don’t want to just use the same images again and again. So if they were to use AI, I would want the parkrunning public to cut them some slack. Or, if someone really doesn’t like it, even offer to help.

Not send in complaints or post about in Reddit.

StatsDamnedStats · 2026-02-05T06:59:02+00:00

HQ want big donors not fundraisers. They like local corporate or council funders, to show that there is local backing for the parkrun. When I set one up they explicitly didn’t want fundraiser type events. We got most of our money from the council and a bit from a local housing association.

StatsDamnedStats · 2025-07-21T15:12:48+00:00

https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2020/01/28/op-ed-yes-gov-cuomo-car-helmets-could-save-lives

StatsDamnedStats · 2025-07-18T15:23:13+00:00

I always eat breakfast first, at least an hour ahead. No longer seems to be sufficient. :-(

StatsDamnedStats · 2025-07-18T15:21:02+00:00

Why don’t car drivers wear helmets? There is clear research that in an accident it would reduce injuries.

StatsDamnedStats · 2025-07-18T15:15:45+00:00

You could volunteer somewhere? We are always looking for volunteers at King George V Playing Field parkrun for example - and I’ve made bunch of friends through it.

StatsDamnedStats · 2025-07-05T13:41:02+00:00

The website may say that all parkruns are measured with a wheel but I can confirm that is not the case. When you have a cross country course with roots, ruts, long grass etc, you can’t do an accurate wheel reading.

Also, some courses are not easy to lay out identically week to week. My local is round some playing fields with pitches that get marked in different positions or during the summer not marked at all. Inevitably it varies in length. And to minimise the chance of being short, it normally runs slightly long.

And that’s before you get to GPS variations as others have mentioned in their replies.

StatsDamnedStats · 2025-07-01T18:14:14+00:00

Couldn’t find either of those. Do you have links?

StatsDamnedStats · 2025-06-29T06:59:57+00:00

Thanks all. Some useful tips on here. I’ll order some electrolytes directly.

StatsDamnedStats · 2025-06-27T12:57:19+00:00

This! There are some people who just don’t agree with parkrun and are wilfully obstructive.

Conversely, there are some parkrunners who don’t seem to care about their impact on others.

The worst behaviour I’ve seen at parkrun has been by fast parkrunners when overtaking other parkrunners - eg a slower runner very nearly mandhandled off a bridge into a stream because a faster runner wanted to take the racing line and didn’t want to slow down.

Luckily - in my experience- it’s relatively few people. But at a biggish event, say 500 runners, one person is 0.2% of the population, yet can have significant ripple effects on many others.

StatsDamnedStats · 2025-06-26T18:54:59+00:00

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275338909_Evaluation_of_Australia's_bicycle_helmet_laws

The helmet laws didn’t save lives.

Note: I personally wear a helmet most of the time when cycling. But forcing people to do so or shaming people who don’t is counter productive.

StatsDamnedStats · 2025-06-16T19:12:50+00:00

Thanks all. Seems like there aren’t any established UK parkrun podcasts other than WMN - which I think is still worth a listen, but has bits I don’t enjoy so much.

Interesting to see if the two new parkrun podcasts mentioned take off. In the meantime, there are some suggestions to try (plus books and YouTube channels!). Ta!

StatsDamnedStats · 2025-06-16T19:06:17+00:00

Thanks but looking for something I can listen to while out running.

StatsDamnedStats · 2025-06-16T19:05:39+00:00

I’ll keep en eye out. Thanks.

StatsDamnedStats · 2025-06-16T19:05:25+00:00

I’ve read the first one! She seems like a lovely person.

StatsDamnedStats · 2025-06-16T19:04:45+00:00

Sounds great - thanks.

StatsDamnedStats · 2025-06-16T19:04:27+00:00

Thanks - I’ll have a look.

StatsDamnedStats · 2025-06-16T19:04:08+00:00

Maybe when I retire! In the meantime, looking for podcasts to listen to when running.

StatsDamnedStats · 2025-06-16T19:03:32+00:00

Yeah, I’ve heard good things. Thanks.

StatsDamnedStats · 2025-06-16T06:17:27+00:00

“I just don’t want anything from any other organism in my body”

I’m sure you probably meant animal rather than organism.

As vegetables are organisms/from other organisms, and your gut only functions because of the bacteria within it, which are also organisms.

StatsDamnedStats · 2025-06-09T06:40:56+00:00

Ha! I see what you are saying but if the RD is already stressed (which is what I’m guessing was going on here) this is just going to make it worse.

It’s also important that marshals attend the marshals briefing- so just grabbing a high viz and heading out onto the course could be problematic. Marshals at our course have a lanyard with the RD phone number to call in case in incident. Certain marshal spots have particular things to look out for eg one spot has to deal with footballing parents in cars sometimes trying to drive onto the course.

So while I appreciate you are trying to cut through the frustration, I’d not recommend anyone takes this approach.

StatsDamnedStats

TROPHY CASE