Parkrun to scrap age grading

[AlMorr]

Is it true that parkrun is to scrap age grading?

[Yesletsgo Administrator Graduate10]

I googled this, haven't yet worked out if they are scrapping it but came across this argument that age grading is just a way of appeasing slow, old people. Well, I'm old and I'm slow and yep, easily appeased 😂

letsrun.com/forum/flat_read...

[HeavyFoot Graduate10 in reply to Yesletsgo]

Yup. Looking at the age grading is the last, desperate resort!!

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate10 in reply to HeavyFoot]

True HeavyFoot, for example a 90 year old runner runs 5K parkrun in a time of 40 minutes and gets an age grading of 59%, at the same parkrun a 35 year old man gets a time of around 26 minutes and gets an age grading of 50%., I read a post of a mother and daughter having an argument about age grading, although the daughter had faster running times than her mother, the mother always had a higher age grading which annoyed the daughter, just yesterday at the parkrun I was a marshall a 62 year old lady ran in a time of just over 37 minutes with an age grading of 52%, her 34 year old daughter also ran but in a time of just over 30 minutes, her age grading was just under 50%

[Dexy5 Graduate10 in reply to Yesletsgo]

That’s a very one sided view of age grading and not at all the ethos of parkrun. 😂

This is the official definition.

support.parkrun.com/hc/en-u...

I for one am very happy to view my age grade each week and see that it is improving as I get older despite the slower times.

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate10 in reply to Dexy5]

Thanks for that information Dexy5, like you I am very happy to get an age grading of over 60%

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate10 in reply to Yesletsgo]

I don't mind age grading Yesletsgo, especially if I am over 60%, the only time I have been below 50% is when I am the tailwalker, most of my (not) parkrun times have been around 55% age grading.

[Yesletsgo Administrator Graduate10 in reply to AlMorr]

Well done for getting over 60%! My best ever was 55.86%. I really hope they keep this.

[LottieMW Ambassador]

Isn’t it just the male/female grading?

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate10 in reply to LottieMW]

Usually the age grading for female runners is higher than for males.

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate10]

Lots of chat about this.. but: this was released by PR on Thursday 8th.

parkrun.com/news/

All will become clearer in time. X

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate10 in reply to Oldfloss]

I also read that Oldfloss, it explains everything.

[Sandie1961 Graduate10]

I think age grading is staying. At least, I got one yesterday, while all the course record info has disappeared

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate10 in reply to Sandie1961]

That is correct Sandie1961

[Dexy5 Graduate10]

Hello Al, they are not scrapping age grading , but they will no longer show the course records for male and female runner and records in each of the individual age groups. For each run you attend you will still be able to view your times and where you stand within your age group, but you won’t be able to see who has run that parkrun in your age group at the fastest ever time.

There is a lot of controversy about this move and I will not go into that on here, but there is also lots of scaremongering which is causing people to object to the move without knowing all the facts.

[RunaroundSue Graduate10 in reply to Dexy5]

Well said Dexy5

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate10 in reply to Dexy5]

Thank you very much for that information Dexy5, much appreciated ✔️

[Jell6 Graduate10 in reply to Dexy5]

"...Based on the conclusions and recommendations of the project group, we will no longer publish data such as most first finishes, sub 17 men and sub 20 women, and age grade or category speed records. Alongside these, as part of our ongoing data protection improvements, the search function has been removed.

Your personalised results email and your individual profile pages will remain unchanged, as will the results pages for every event. The event history page will also stay the same, including the ‘sort’ function at the top that allows data to be displayed in different ways..."

This is taken from Parkrun...

[RunaroundSue Graduate10]

No, individual stats are not changing. They have just removed the course records for times and age grading. So you can still see your own and find your friends easily but you can't see who had the best ever times on that course.

[nowster Graduate10 in reply to RunaroundSue]

About the only thing I've ever used the course records for has been to judge the relative difficulty of a course compared with others.

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate10 in reply to nowster]

I do notice nowster that you run on a lot of difficult courses, well done ✔️

[nowster Graduate10 in reply to AlMorr]

It seems that way, but Katnap and TailChaser have done considerably more parkrun tourism.

I've visited 9 different venues. The two regulars are the one near home and the one near my parents. The others have been either because I've been visiting that area (eg. holiday) or my local one didn't hold a run on New Year's Day.

And I haven't done any parkruns this year. (Family medical emergency and its fallout.)

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate10 in reply to RunaroundSue]

That's good news RunaroundSue

[UpTheStanley Graduate10]

Two points to age grading: compare performance of people at different ages by relation to the world best time for that age (and gender), so settle your mother/daughter arguments; more importantly (for me anyway) to see how my “managed decline” is coming along. Over 9 years (aged 63-72) my season’s best parkrun times have gone out from 22’58 to 24’48, and that trend isn’t going to change, but while I can hold my age grading (at around 71%) I’ll be happy.

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate10 in reply to UpTheStanley]

Thanks UTS, my times from my first parkrun in 2019 havn't changed all that much but my age grading is higher than 5 years ago, back then it was always around 54/55%, since parkruns resumed after Covid they tend to be around 58% and a few +60%.

[UpTheStanley Graduate10 in reply to AlMorr]

Running’s obviously keeping you young, Al