parkstats will be back next Saturday!

It has been noticed there are a few bugs with how results are being displayed in some categories. We're hoping to get this fixed and be live again by the end of the week. Thank you for the overwhelming positive feedback and suggestions. It is great to hear how the statistics positively impact so many people.

Please bookmark and check back in on Saturday!

parkrun: A Community Event For All.

From its small beginnings as a time trial event in Bushy Park with just 13 participants, to the huge, worldwide, inclusive community event that it is today, parkrun's ethos has always focused on three things – free, weekly, timed events that are open to all. Whether you are an Olympic athlete looking to break the parkrun world record, or your aim is to walk the 5km – the choice is yours. For almost 20 years, hoards of runners and walkers have had their lives changed by the Saturday morning initiative. For my wife and I, it was the start of a long running journey which has branched out into races across all distances and a fantastic hobby we can share with friends and family. Without parkrun, we would not be the runners nor people we are today, and we will always be grateful for that – Saturday mornings are the highlight of our week!

What's In A Number?

A large part of the charm of parkrun, for many, has always been the statistics – the tantalising excitement of the weekly email or text, letting you know how you ranked against yourself and others, compared to the previous week, is hard to describe if you have not experienced it. An extension of this is the statistics available about the particular course – such as the fastest times recorded, number of first finishers, and the highest age graded scores. Recently, in a bid to align with their values of inclusivity, parkrun made the decision to remove some of these statistics from their website. It is understandable why they did this – their ethos has always been about access for all, and the phrase 'it is a run, not a race' will be familiar to all parkrunners. There were concerns that this would prevent new potential attendees from joining the parkrun family, something that would be a great shame. However, for many these statistics are of great help. Some use it to motivate themselves in a bid to move up the first finishers leaderboard; others keep an eye on the age grading, a formula that allows them to compare their times more accurately to those who are younger than them. Some parkrunners may even use the statistics to ascertain how difficult a course is, or simply to inspire them, although they may not make the leaderboard themselves. Therefore, it is my feeling that although the decision to remove the data from parkrun's website is completely understandable in line with their ethos, the data should be freely available elsewhere for those who want to see it – hence, parkstats was born!