Parkrun pacer event organiser

The Problem

Parkrun is an event where people get somewhat obsessed with their own personal best (PB), myself included. Many of us have a target time and though we could pursuit a data-driven approach to lowering our times I doubt there is greater motivation than an individual with a high-vis bip representing own target times running directly in front of us. To that end parkrun will hold pacer events once in a blue moon or rarer. The problem with the pacer events is organising for 20 individuals to be at one event on a certain day.

This is such a daunting task that I am informed, in Southend-on-Sea, the Shoebury event owns the bips. They lent them to the Chalkwell event a couple of years ago and have since never even asked for them back.

The Solution

The digital solution: an interactive table where individual runners can leave a placeholder declaring their interest to run in a pacer bip. When we can get 20 individuals on any one Saturday then we trigger a pacer event.

Also, pacers receive volunteer credits.