Parkrun, at it's core is a social event. Yes, it's a running event, but anyone who goes to Parkrun can also choose to do a free 5K run or 5k walk at any other time. The hundreds of thousands of people across the globe who turn up every week aren't really there for a 5K most of the time, they're there because it's a scheduled thing they do that lots of other people also do.

The problem with scheduled social events, is that like all human social events, they come with unspoken social rules. These hidden ways of acting can be incredibly daunting and scary when you're not yet clued into them.

This guide is here to demystify the social etiquette conventions of most Parkruns to help you feel much more clued in on how to act.

This guide is not to send to your friends when they break these rules, or to validate your opinion after someone at Parkrun has annoyed you. I only want to put this information out there to help any and all shy runners attend their first Parkrun.

Not all of the etiquette guidance here has been explicitly stated by Parkrun, but that doesn't make them any less true.

Source: I've done 300+ Parkruns and love everything about Parkrun. I believe it is a true and rare net positive thing for humanity, so I want to share any help I can that encourages others to go.

#1 Don't be a knob, at any time

This the overarching guideline for attending Parkrun. You can internalise this rule and stop reading here if you'd like, this is the foundation of everything else here.

Parkrun isn't a race, did you know that? What makes Parkrun brilliant is the incredible social community that surrounds and engulfs it.

Part of maintaining a strong, friendly and healthy global running community, is remembering that without everyone else, we wouldn't have a community.

Other people, other runners, volunteers, dogs and kids are the lifeblood of Parkrun. So they deserve your respect and consideration at all times.

#2 Start roughly where you think you'll finish

This will of course depend on the specific Parkrun you're doing. The idea is simply to start the Parkrun roughly in the order you think you'll finish.

Starting too far forward, or too far back, means you'll either be overtaken by lots of people, or have to overtake lots of people.

If you start too far at the front for example, everyone just behind you will have to dodge you right from the start and it just causes chaos. No one thinks you're fast because you started at the front and got overtaken by everyone.

If you start too far back and have to zig-zag through the crowd at the start, you're just going to cause chaos. No one thinks your fast because you start at the back and overtake everyone.

This rule is especially important if:

  • The Parkrun has really narrow, tight or congested sections

  • There is a big speed difference between you, and who you're starting near

  • The route has several laps

The one caveat: If you want to try really hard for a PB, starting closer to the front is a genuine advantage because Parkrun is essentially gun timed only. If you do want to edge a bit closer to maximise your chances, do it but just be considerate, start at the front but out to the side for example.

#3 This really isn't a race

This rule breaks down into two important pieces that hopefully resonate with different types of people. The general idea here though, is that Parkrun is not a competitive event.

If you feel you're too slow for parkrun:

This is a reminder that Parkrun isn't a race. No one there is judging you or even cares about how fast you finish, unless you happen to have bad friends who are there too of course.

Start at the back, walk the whole way, it's ok and you're as much a core and vital part of the Parkrun community as everyone else.

If you try to race everyone:

This is a reminder that Parkrun isn't a race. No one there, unless explicitly stated, cares about racing you. When you create competition with those who never asked for it, the only person who loses is you.

This is especially egregious if you create unwanted competition with people who are clearly not going to win. This does nothing but degrade their effort and makes you look like a bit of a tosser.

Comparing yourself to others is healthy in moderation, and healthy, wanted competition is genuinely good for improving, but the key word there, is wanted.