Dear Russ Jefferys and the parkrun trustees,
Thank you for your letter last week and we are glad you are aware of the petition. However, your response does not show that you have read or fully understood any of the points we made in our letters, despite stating you are listening to our feedback.
You have not given us evidence that the course statistics that you removed were barriers to participation. In contrast, we have provided you with a range of evidence to show that the course statistics inspired many in our communities.
Our petitions have over 24,000 signatures – just an indication of the strength of feeling. This is the largest petition in parkrun history and has attracted a lot of interest in parkrun communities, media and online. The course statistics did not even get a mention in the article published in BMC Public Health, entitled “Barriers to initiating and maintaining participation in parkrun” on 13 January 2022. Anecdotally, from the tens of thousands of comments on social media, press and conversations the petitioners have had, the support for the change has been negligible – nobody has told us that they found these statistics off putting. You say that this change is proportionate – to what, and how?
You acknowledge that the change was not communicated properly, but we can reassure you that the lack of communication has no bearing on our request for the course statistics to be brought back. There is no misunderstanding or misinformation on our part.
Following the changes, you messaged your staff on 14 February with a document entitled “Frequently Asked Questions – Changes to the presentation of information on the parkrun websites”. Only within this internal document do we find any validation of the points we have put to you in our previous two letters, with the following two questions being the most significant.
- "The statistics motivated many people - how will we re-engage with them/how is this inclusive for them?"
Your answer only includes what has not changed, and ignores the important point you made yourself in the question – the removed statistics motivated many people. - "Can you share more rigour behind the sentiment around not displaying the performance data prominently and removing functionality to find that information? What evidence does parkrun have that the removal of the statistics will help achieve strategy and goals?"
You say that ‘feeling too unfit’ is 'commonly cited…as a barrier’. Your fact that ‘almost 40% tell us that one of the key things that appeals to them…is that “it isn’t a race”’ strongly indicates that there was no need to remove course statistics to make this point. You do not state or give any evidence that anybody considering parkrun looked at the course statistics pages, nor were put off by them.
We appreciate that you are working towards a five year strategy of doubling in size. Since the course statistics were an important motivator for many, their removal will only reduce the growth, by diluting the attraction of parkrun events. The previous presentation of parkrun results with course statistics has undoubtedly proved to be an incredible success over the past twenty years and offered real USPs.
In your open letter about the changes, you say “parkrun only exists to inspire people, from any background, to come together, to be social, and active, in the great outdoors. That’s it.” This does not explain why the course statistics would be removed. On the contrary, the course statistics did inspire people to come together in the way you have described.
Please find in the appendix of this letter a small representation of the reasons people submitted as to why they had signed the petition. It gives a flavour of why these statistics meant so much to people. There are many more people who feel the same as them, and the full list is available by request or by viewing them directly on the petition page, if you would also wish to read them all.
You have also ignored our suggestion to hold a fair online vote of parkrunners and volunteers on this issue. There are other solutions, like an ‘opt in’ link to view detailed data. Leave the default results as they are now, but offer participants the option of accessing the detailed data if they wish to do so. Could this be something that would achieve your goals and allow the statistics to be reinstated?
We strongly believe that the number of people negatively affected by this change monumentally outweighs the number of people that would benefit from it. Without any significant and genuine justification to show otherwise, we continue to request that you return our course statistics. Listen to your community and bring back the stats.
Respectfully submitted,
Will Hartley, Woking parkrun, England
Mary Taylor, Author of the Bring Back the Stats petition
Mark Purvis, Author of the Bring Back Access to Australian parkrun performance data petition
Jérôme Benhadj, East Coast parkrun, Singapore
Claire Stevens, Druridge Bay parkrun, England
Kamil Wolosewicz, Warszawa-Ursynow parkrun, Poland
Janice Whittle, North Lakes parkrun, Australia
Alexander Smotrov, Wormwood Scrubs parkrun, England
Celèste Booysen, Durbanville parkrun, South Africa
Deirdre Parnell, Lough Key parkrun, Republic of Ireland
And 24,017 more parkrunners and volunteers from around the world.
Appendix – A selection of the reasons given for signing the petition to bring back the stats
“I love stats and browsing. I’m a slow runner/walker but I love seeing people breaking records and achieve PBs. It’s a great topic of conversation each week at parkrun too!”
Patricia Kelly McGarry
“Gamification through stats is known to help motivate various neurodiverse groups to engage in exercise particularly those with ASD and ADHD. This is a highly discriminatory stance taken in the name of inclusivity but you cannot be inclusive through exclusion.”
Andre Gilburn
“It is an important part of parkrun that older runners who are never going to win a run can at least win their age group.”
Graham Wickham
“I enjoy looking at the stats. Today for the first time for 12 years I cannot look at most parkruns in my age group at Huddersfield. This is just one example. Parkrun comparative stats are very important to regular parkrunners. These have nothing to do with times.”
David Harpin
“The other week I clocked a 16:13 at my local parkrun which ended up as the 7th all time fastest on that course. It’s taken hard work to do a time like that. I was so proud of myself...got it taken away. In addition, I became my parkruns all time first finisher. Again, taken away from me. It’s not fair.”
Daniel Smith
“Shame on you parkrun. I am not a fast runner but love to see the records. My daughter had the junior parkrun record and is so upset that this has been deleted. Another very dissatisfied park runner.”
Georgina Briffett
“I’ll probably never be a sub 20 finisher but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to celebrate those that are. It can be parkrace, parkrun, parkjog, parkshuffle, parkwalk. It’s whatever you want it to be. Don’t take away the record of those that have achieved something amazing because of a fear of it feeling like a race for everyone. That’s not what parkrun is about. Bring back the stats!”
Dana Lowe
“It is completely disingenuous to say that the stats are offputting for new runners. The fast times and the people who turn up and run them are very inspiring and something to look up to... I wouldn’t go out of my way to go take part in a parkrun anymore which is sad. I have nearly 200 appearances down the years and many friends who I only know from being parkrun regulars. I can go out for a jog anytime I like on a Saturday, I suspect others feel like this too.”
Peter Holmes
“The recent removal of age graded records is NOT the inclusive community that parkrun has always been. It makes those runners that strive to run to their best definitely feel unwelcome. The previous results database enabled runners to assess their level of performance against the same aged runners on that course. I have always felt welcome and accepted as a fast runner at parkrun, but now I am being told that it is wrong to be competitive with myself, to strive to be my best. Parkrun has got this totally wrong!”
Stuart Mills
“I believe this is making Parkrun LESS inclusive, not more inclusive. I’m a slow ‘runner’ and volunteer and have always found parkrun very inclusive ... In addition, instead of seeing a course record and knowing there’s lots of slow people nowhere near that time, I now only see an ‘average’ finishing time which is much faster than my time and really puts me off running. Such a backward step by parkrun which I hope they reverse quickly before the damage is irreversible.”
Fiona MacNab
“After months of training and trying, I finally made it onto the sub-20 list!! ... And then 2 weeks later the list is gone.”
Julia Murphy
“My teenage daughter has lost all her stats. She found them extremely motivational and was aspiring to try to beat other runners in her age group - it was keeping her moving and motivated!”
Karen Walpole
“I am both a parkrunner, Event Director and parent of a junior parkrunner, statistics are not there to discourage anyone. They are useful to anyone who wishes to track their progress and celebrate others success. I for one will never be a first finisher, I hold no ill will for those that do, I applaud them. My son is now a 4-time county winning athlete thanks to running a 5k parkrun for the first time aged 8. He has always loved to review the stats of fellow runners to understand how he can progress”
Mark Smith
“I’m autistic and I love stats they keeps me motivated.”
Danny Smith
“As a parkrun tourist it’s interesting to see how challenging a course is compared to your local races and the age category records or fastest 500 are a good benchmark to see if it’s a course that is suitable for you as a beginner.”
Cornelia Doll
“My step son is devastated that they deleted his records”
Jonathan Parkyn
“I will never come even close to any of the parkrun course records but still find the age-grade
records inspiring, especially for the runners in higher age groups. The record holders are our local celebrities. Let’s continue celebrating them along with every other parkrunner and parkwalker around the world!”
Ewa Szymanska
“Trying to break age group records is part of the fun of parkrun”
David Ogden
“The stats are a harmless feature which bring joy and satisfaction to many of us sad geeks out here. Please don’t marginalise us even more.”
Malcolm Clark
“Age group records are motivating for me but especially for my mum who is now in the V75 category. We were all so proud when she claimed an age group record having only started running at the age of 70. This has been taken away from her and so many others. How can this be inclusive?”
Jennie Pickard
“The statistics are part of what made parkrun great! Me and my partner travel near and far to complete and complete lots of parkruns and love checking out the stats before and after we go.”
John Dodds
“My son is/was a course record holder, Parkrun was the reason he started running and now running is his whole life. People of all abilities at Parkrun love Sam and his enthusiasm for running, and were so proud of him for his records. I feel he’s been stripped of something he’s worked so hard for. Inclusivity for all at Parkrun? No, it seems not.”
Anna Plummer
“A pupil I teach … grandmother is also a keen parkrunner who holds numerous age grade records across many parkruns in the UK. Indeed she likes to challenge herself to collect these age grade ‘trophies’ and they motivate her to keep running, explore new areas and visit new parkruns! What a fantastic way of motivating the older generation who might have thought that their heyday was past?! Far from demoralising others new to parkrun, stats gave people targets and challenges.”
Michelle Claxton
“Myself and others have had hard earned records discarded overnight. I am proud of my feats but know that others in my age group are trying better them, so this decision effect’s many others across all the categories across the event.”
Cliff Comber
“I’m never going to be the fastest, but consistency means I’m on the most events list. My brain likes the game. I lost some of the joy in volunteering when I lost the volunteer club list. parkrun has given me so much - the most events (and previously the volunteer list) kept me engaged in the difficult times.”
Pippa White
“I have absolutely no chance of ever holding a parkrun ‘record’ but have never felt intimidated by the statistics. In fact I find them very interesting and helpful, particularly when choosing where to go for some parkrun tourism. Two weeks ago, I decided to do Ashton Court parkrun and judging by the course record(s), I knew I would be in for a tough morning and I wasn’t disappointed! Please re-instate the stats parkrun.”
Paul Warrington
“My husband who is in his late seventies really enjoys the challenge of trying to break his age group records, this option has now been removed and now diminishes his enjoyment of competing at parkrun. I will never be good enough to break a record but am more than happy for others to have this opportunity to attempt to break the age records.”
Jacqueline Walton
“My primary motivation, running parkrun, is to move up the Age Graded League Table. I’m very disappointed that this feature has been removed.”
Fay Wells
“The statistics are really helpful and motivating for my son. He has been really disappointed by this change and asked me to sign this.”
Rosslyn Offord
“I have won 88 first female finishers at my local parkrun. This stat encourages me to keep running and training, which is also good for my mental and physical health. My friends at parkrun are always encouraging me to push myself in order to reach my next milestone. This decision to remove all stats has arbitrarily and unilaterally taken these achievements away from me and others in the name of ‘inclusivity’. This doesn’t feel very inclusive to me. What has this achieved? I appreciate that parkrun is not a race but records of personal achievements keep me motivated and wanting to keep running.”
Naomi Maini
“It makes no sense to remove the global and country “most events” lists, which most parkrunners are not even aware of. I have run almost 250 parkruns at over 50 global events. For me, it is an integral part of parkrun that I am able to chart my progress on these lists. Nobody can be offended by these lists - Please reinstate them.”
Paul McCowen
“Like many “weekend warrior” participants, I find the stats at the pointy-end of the field motivating. Granted I will never hit those numbers, but that doesn’t remove the intrigue and sense of amazement. We don’t hide achievement in athletic competition, and whilst parkrun is not intended to be elite competition, it is intended to motivate; something which stats help with.”
Stuart Driver
“I am 75 and have walked 199 parkruns and volunteered on 172 days. The stats helped me a lot. I was always at the back of the field but my percentage put me middle of the road. I know I still get my personal percentage in the results for the day, but I like to look when visiting new parkruns as a tourist to gauge what the “old people” standard might be. Please, please bring back the stats. My mental health was shot to pieces on the day these disappeared!! I have recovered but don’t feel as enthusiastic as normal when thinking of going to parkrun.”
Val Warwick
“I was so proud of my age graded records not only for myself but more for the honour of my running club. To see them disappear is so sad.”
Jane Bremner
“Been parkrunning and volunteering for nearly 10 years now and try to encourage others to take up as much as possible through my running club and indeed conversations generally. I’ve never had a conversation with someone who has been put off doing parkrun because certain stats existed highlighting faster times or age gradings etc in fact quite the opposite for a lot of people. I’ve also been involved in quite a bit of volunteering at junior parkruns and to remove these stats as well is ludricous. I know for sure this was a big motivation for my boy running parkruns which HQ have now removed and consequently will have an adverse impact on my future volunteering. “
Allen Campbell
“I have no motivation to travel to a different park run now and try and get my name added on the website in some capacity.”
Alan Simpson
“These stats are motivating, give sense achievement and are inspirational. I’m a slow runner but not at all put off seeing results of others. They are a benchmark for my fitness levels”
Kim Baxter
And this individual decided to delete his parkrun individual statistics as he was demotivated because he felt the parkrun achievements that he was so proud of were not recognised by parkrun, which he clearly cared about and put a lot of effort into. They were a source of pride for him.
“I’ve gone from 720 runs and 437 volunteer occasions to 0 and 0. Well I lasted nearly 15 years and had some great fun in that time and met some really lovely people. I’ll still go to my old parkrun and give me friends a cheer every now and then.”
Nick Overy