What is it like to be Race Director for parkrun? Mike O'Brien talks us through his experiences Direction the Pennington Flash parkrun.
I have been involved at Pennington Flash parkrun since 2017. I started volunteering after an injury; first marshalling then moving to first timers brief, and was then asked to be Race Director (RD) over 2 years ago.
I felt it was a great opportunity to put something back into something which l enjoy.
Saturday, March 15th l was RD - however, it does not start on that day. We have all our high-cost items in our “RD” bag - radio’s, defibrillator, lanyards, microphone and loudspeaker plus relevant notes and a QR code for updating finishing positions and times. Luckily, the hand-over from the previous week was seamless with radio’s charged and lanyards updated with my info.
The week before the race, you have a close eye on the volunteer roster. Thankfully, and remarkably, we were full by Wednesday. A downside to this was late Friday afternoon when one of our timekeepers was taken ill, thankfully our local parkrun ambassador, Paolo Dale, immediately said he would stand in - phew!
I print 2 copies of the roster - one for my own use ticking off people when they arrive and one to go in the golf shop/café as volunteers get free car parking. The parkrun system also allows me to check on any volunteer milestones, and we do a social media post to ask for milestones from any attendees on the day who want a shout-out.
I also check on any volunteers l don’t know. We did have a person new to barcode scanning, so I made a mental note to check she had the app and a brief overview of what to do - she was terrific!
Now to the day itself. I arrive at 07:15 and do a check of the course - obviously high winds, ice, snow, flooding are the major concerns - and on this occasion there was an overnight frost, but the course was in good condition. A quick pic and note to the Event Directors, who post an update on social media each week that we are on.
Now it’s back to the car, get the RD bag, drop the volunteer roster in at the golf shop and ask to use the trolley which is stored there weekly. This has the signs, bibs, finish equipment, parkrun flag etc.
It’s about a 7-8 minute walk to the start and the appropriate directional signs are positioned to help newcomers navigate their way to the start. Radios, bibs, small first aid kits and lanyards are laid out for appropriate volunteers and token pouches for our scanners.
Importantly, the defibrillator goes onto the trolley. The Flash flag goes up as well as the parkrun flag.
I make an announcement for tourists/first timers to attend the welcome brief at the flag. Importantly l stand in to make a note of where tourists are from - today Essex, Edinburgh, Shrewsbury, Dublin are just some of the places represented. Next up it’s the RD brief. I learnt this sometime ago and can reel off clearly without notes - although l have a copy just in case of brain freeze. The health and safety is important, l am amazed at other events where there’s no mention of a defib. 2 milestones included - applause for our volunteers, and it’s time to make one’s way to the start about 200 yards away. Timekeepers signal ready, so it’s 3-2-1 and off we go. Once the Tail Walker has passed me l radio our Marshall's we are underway.
Next job is to set up the finish funnel. The course - our trail goes along a bridlepath to a gate where we have a 3 lap loop and back down the bridlepath to the finish. We obviously need the runners to go out before we erect the finish area. The RD needs to position themselves at the finish to manage that area and ensure the timekeepers are in sync with the finish tokens. I also do occasional checks on or barcode scanners, ensuring our debutant was coping - she was.
The Tail Walker radio’s in where they are on the last lap so we know how long left before the last person will finish.
176 runners all home safely - first tick! Next is managing the uploading of info gleaned from the timekeepers and scanners - tick ! Time to take everything down; load the trolley and en route to the golf shop, collect the other signs. Luckily, next week's RD ran, so easy bag handover. We did have somebody token sorting back at the cafe. Next is checking the times and token positions dovetail, and we upload to parkrun HQ for posting on our website.
No incidents today to report, however l did have a discreet word with a runner who had their dog on a waist band - "next time a short non-extendable lead please", which they accepted. Since this ruling came in incidents caused by dogs on waist bands has dropped by 48%.
Once the results appear on our web page and l receive my volunteer email it’s a sigh of relief that all is done and dusted for another week. The RD role is demanding and hugely onerous as you take responsibility for everybody on the day. There’s also the preparation, both pre- and post-event. There is something almost therapeutic and lifting, not only from running parkrun but volunteering also.
Nobody is ever judged, all are welcomed and encouraged to compete or volunteer as best they can. The value and benefit of these social connections l find are priceless and should in no way ever be underestimated or undervalued. Maybe one of you can make the step-up at your local park run - always happy to support you.
— Mike O’Brien
