In a bid to improve safety and reduce risk, parkrun is changing its rules for runners who participate with their dogs.
From Saturday, April 2, runners will no longer be permitted to use waist harnesses when exercising with their pets a UK parkruns.
It comes after "clear evidence" shows an increased risk to people's safety when running alongside another participant with a dog, with some becoming tangled in or tripping over the dog's lead.
A statement reads: "We carefully record and review all parkrun-related incidents, and our global incident database allows us to make operational decisions based on the reality of what’s happening in our parks and open spaces.
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"Over ten percent of incidents at parkrun events involve dogs, and as such we have spent significant time considering the nature, frequency, and severity of dog-related incidents.
"Our evidence shows that, when participants use waist harnesses, there is an increased risk of serious incidents, particularly trips and falls, compared to when using handheld leads.
"These are typically associated with dogs running in front of other participants, and are occurring when people are together in groups, when people with dogs are overtaking others, and when people with dogs are being overtaken.
"Unfortunately, the nature of parkrunning with a waist harness is such that the lead allows dogs to move from side to side, in front of the participant, which can result in the dog suddenly and unexpectedly crossing in front of other participants on the course."
Under the new rules, dogs should be kept on a short, handheld, non-extendable lead by the side of the participant and should remain within reach at all time.
As always, only one dog is allowed per participant and care must be taken to avoid tripping other parkrunners.
The statement added: "Since the earliest days of parkrun, we’ve openly welcomed people participating with their dogs.
"Paul Sinton-Hewitt, the founder of parkrun, would participate in the Bushy Park Time Trial with his, and we’ve always felt that it was not only something that emphasised the informal nature of our events, but provided an opportunity for dog owners to participate where they otherwise might be excluded.
"Over the last 17 years however, we have grown from a single event into a global movement, with hundreds of thousands of weekly participants, across 23 different countries.
"As such we continually review our processes in order to balance accessibility and inclusivity with the safety of our participants and other park users.
"Importantly, we remain of the belief that, overall, the benefits of allowing participation with dogs far outweigh the risks of doing so.
"Our commitment has always been, and always will be, to support participation with dogs wherever it is appropriate to do so."
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