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Happy FriYAY Team!
parkrun to us at MSGold is in our DNA. We love parkrun for all the well journaled benefits both mentally and physically. Simply put, parkrun is a pillar of our success framework at MSGold. We have met lifelong friends and love being part of such a strong community event every Saturday morning.
Now I'm all for positive changes don't get me wrong. Adapting to change is part of life. In the case of parkrun , its main global appeal is inclusiveness regardless of who you are!
Having taken the time to review and take in various opinions and feedback regarding the recent records and statistics removal under the name of inclusivity.....well, in my very humble opinion, is simply, a poor decision.
parkrun in its beginning was formed and nurtured as a time trial. Not an official race, competitive event, fun run, national or Olympic selection meet, but a free time trial event that encourages you to get a base time, and in most cases, motivates participation to improve your PB. Then with your PB, it would be of interest to a material segment of total participants, to see how you compare to others in your age category and gender.
Now I appreciate that the primary benefits of parkrun are many, but removing a key motivator in public recognition via Age Group records is simply pandering to a vocal minority group. If the parkrun project planning committee is so worried about inclusivity, remove timing altogether and issue all finishers with a token only.
The passionate responses to the changes only demonstrates how much we love parkrun and much it means to us regardless of our paces or how many records we strive for or have. On numerous occasions when Age Category records have been broken on our On Tours, it has been a celebration for the whole team, accomplishments we are all proud of being part of.
Despite the recent changes, we will all continue to love, patriciate, volunteer and support parkrun moving forward.
Find your Fire,
Alli |
