{"id":5402,"date":"2021-04-19T09:30:00","date_gmt":"2021-04-19T09:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.runwithcaroline.com\/?p=5402"},"modified":"2022-09-08T10:40:00","modified_gmt":"2022-09-08T09:40:00","slug":"when-will-parkrun-start-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.runwithcaroline.com\/when-will-parkrun-start-again\/","title":{"rendered":"When will Parkrun start again? 5 things you need to know"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>img#mv-trellis-img-1::before{padding-top:149.92679355783%; }img#mv-trellis-img-1{display:block;}<\/style>\n<p>Parkrun was postponed in March 2020 following lockdown restrictions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>More recently, plans were unveiled by the government to ease lockdown, leading many to ask: &ldquo;When will Parkrun start again?&rdquo;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the absence of Parkrun, many runners have embraced the #notparkrun movement and have gone for a run at 9am on a Saturday morning and posted their results on social media. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This just goes to show the popularity of the event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With over 7 million people registered as Parkrun participants in the UK, Parkrun really has become running&rsquo;s biggest success story. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not only that, Parkrun is held in over 1,000 locations and over 30,000 volunteers support Parkruns across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Shortly after the government announcement in February 2021, Parkrun unveiled its plans to resume races again in April and throughout the summer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.parkrun.com\/uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Parkrun UK website<\/a>, their plan is for the 2km junior Parkrun to start again from Sunday 11th April. The full 5km Parkrun will return from Saturday 5th June.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There will be new guidelines when Parkrun starts again to ensure the health and safety of all its participants and volunteers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When I first read these guidelines I was a bit skeptical as to whether Parkrun could even work during times of social distancing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are five things you need to know about the return of Parkrun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.runwithcaroline.com\/what-to-expect-at-your-first-parkrun\/\" class=\"rank-math-link\">What to expect at your first Parkrun<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.runwithcaroline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/when-will-parkrun-start-again-1-683x1024.png\" alt=\"when will parkrun start again\" class=\"wp-image-5403\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.runwithcaroline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/when-will-parkrun-start-again-1-683x1024.png 683w, https:\/\/www.runwithcaroline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/when-will-parkrun-start-again-1-200x300.png 200w, https:\/\/www.runwithcaroline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/when-will-parkrun-start-again-1-768x1152.png 768w, https:\/\/www.runwithcaroline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/when-will-parkrun-start-again-1.png 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 48px), 720px\"><\/noscript><img loading=\"eager\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%20683%201024'%3E%3Crect%20width='683'%20height='1024'%20style='fill:%23e3e3e3'\/%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" alt=\"when will parkrun start again\" class=\"wp-image-5403 eager-load\" title=\"\" sizes=\"(max-width: 760px) calc(100vw - 48px), 720px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/www.runwithcaroline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/when-will-parkrun-start-again-1.png\" id=\"mv-trellis-img-1\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.runwithcaroline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/when-will-parkrun-start-again-1-683x1024.png.webp\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.runwithcaroline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/when-will-parkrun-start-again-1-683x1024.png.webp 683w, https:\/\/www.runwithcaroline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/when-will-parkrun-start-again-1-200x300.png.webp 200w, https:\/\/www.runwithcaroline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/when-will-parkrun-start-again-1-768x1152.png.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.runwithcaroline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/when-will-parkrun-start-again-1.png.webp 1000w\" data-svg=\"1\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>When will Parkrun start again? 5 things you need to know<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>#1 All runners must pre-register<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before lockdown, you could choose not to register for a run but this would mean you wouldn&rsquo;t receive a recognised, named time on the final race results. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The new guidelines mean all runners must pre-register with a valid email address so they can be easily contactable for test and trace.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>#2 Runners will be asked to minimise travel to part in events<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Runners will be encouraged to arrive on foot, bike or car and told to minimise travel on public transport to take part in Parkrun. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some Parkruns there are hundreds of participants so I think this is a good move, but will undoubtedly mean some Parkrun locations are full of cars. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>#3 Pre and post-run gatherings won&rsquo;t be allowed<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before the pandemic, Parkruns were seen as a social event as well as a sporting event. Many people would make plans to run together then go to a coffee shop or pub after the race.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, with the introduction of these new guidelines, runners will be asked to minimise the time spent at the start line and races will begin promptly so runners don&rsquo;t congregate which was so often the case before.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The pre-run briefing is also affected. Social distancing measures will apply and each briefing will be limited to two minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All may not be lost though. According to recent research conducted by disease experts, the risk of contracting Covid-19 at a Parkrun event is &lsquo;relatively low&rsquo;. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The research found that Parkrun events are overall likely to be &lsquo;very safe&rsquo;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>#4 Courses may be made longer<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Where permitting, courses may also be made longer so to maximise space at the start and finish line. Distances could now range between 5km up to an additional 500 metres.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The start and finish lines at some courses may also be moved to maximise available space.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During the run, runners will be asked to avoid bunching and use all available space. Runners will also need to informally &lsquo;seed&rsquo; themselves, with the fastest at the front and the slowest at the back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There will also be a ban on spitting which isn&rsquo;t a guideline that I&rsquo;m against!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>#5 The finish procedure will change<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Perhaps one of the benefits of the post-lockdown Parkrun, is that the finishing process will go contactless. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Volunteers will use a virtual app from their phone to record finishing positions before runners hand in their token.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Runners will also be asked to maintain social distancing once they have finished and asked to avoid all non-essential post-race gatherings.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There will also be a ban on high fives, which will be strange to police on the day. I feel sorry for any volunteer that has to tell someone off for high fiving!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Parkrun was postponed in March 2020 following lockdown restrictions. More recently, plans were unveiled by the government to ease lockdown, leading many to ask: &ldquo;When will Parkrun start again?&rdquo; In the absence of Parkrun, many runners have embraced the #notparkrun movement and have gone for a run at 9am on a Saturday morning and posted &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4648,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","disable-in-feed":false,"article-schema-type":"","disable-critical-css":false},"categories":[53,76,182],"tags":[46],"mv":{"thumbnail_id":4648,"thumbnail_uri":"https:\/\/www.runwithcaroline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/24-300x300.png"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.runwithcaroline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5402"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.runwithcaroline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.runwithcaroline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwithcaroline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwithcaroline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5402"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwithcaroline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5402\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8664,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwithcaroline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5402\/revisions\/8664"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwithcaroline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4648"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.runwithcaroline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwithcaroline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwithcaroline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}