In many parts of the world, but especially the UK, parkrun has become a phenomenon. The “free community event where you can run jog, volunteer or spectate”, is 5KM long, but not a race.
Yes, despite the fact we have finishing times and positions, parkrun does not advertise itself as a race. This is a very specific choice, to encourage as many people to run as possible. Someone who turns up to walk the course may then decide to jog sections, and eventually start running.
The primary mission of parkrun is to build a community and get people exercising. But is there a place for incorporating parkrun in triathlon training?
Well, the message is pretty clear, parkrun is for everyone. There are several athletes who turn up and run 5K in around 16 minutes each week, you can be as competitive as you like, as long as you don’t start barging your way through slower runners, or otherwise being hostile towards them.
Using it as a fitness test
The ideal use for parkrun is as a baseline for our run threshold. Rather than relying on our GPS watch, we can run a measured 5K route, knowing our time will be accurate.
We can also use runners ahead of us as targets and motivation to keep pushing and not let up, even when our lungs and legs are screaming at us to stop. We really want to turn ourselves inside out and it’s much more motivating to do this when surrounded by others trying to achieve the same thing, rather than solo.
It’s also nice to be able to do so on a course you know will be quiet and designed for fast running. Where you won’t have to worry about crossing roads or giving way to other path/road users too much. You still need to share the path at parkrun, but most people will have the good sense to stay away from 100+ runners heading straight toward them.
Benefiting from the community
Triathlon can be a lonely sport, which is why I have created my free online triathlon club. But let’s be honest, there is no replacement for being face to face with your fellow athletes.
parkrun has created an impressive community, where hundreds or thousands of runners across the world converge on events each week to run together. The vibe is (almost exclusively) friendly and one of community. Where for some of us parkrun may be a 20 minute time trial, for some it is what their week revolves around, staying long after the last finisher to catch up in the cafe.
While not many triathletes tend to lean into the community quite that heavily (though it’s not unheard of), many will still attend to feel like part of something bigger once a week.
This can conflict with our training schedules though. It is only 5K at the end of the day. And many of us will have a long run scheduled for the weekend which will be much longer than that. Which is why I encourage athletes to incorporate a parkrun into a long run if they enjoy the community aspect. The timings have to be done just right to ensure you arrive with enough time to make sure you make the start, but not so long as to leave you standing around at the start line getting cold and tightening up. As a result, you may want to start, or finish your long run with a parkrun. If only so you can chat to people and enjoy the community at the start or end to make the most of it and catch up with friends.
Conclusion
While parkrun is not the first thing that jumps to people’s mind when they think of triathlon training, it is still worth considering as a tool to help you track fitness, or to benefit from the community of.
Something I would encourage any triathlete to do however is to respect the event for what it is. Don’t barge past walkers, talk through the briefing (yes, I know some run directors love the sound of their own voice), and consider volunteering on a deload week to give back to the community. These events wouldn’t happen otherwise.
