Don’t Forget Your Barcode

The favourite hashtag of Parkrun is #DFYB. It is important because if you do forget your barcode your run won’t get timed to your Parkrun account. Getting up that early on a Saturday morning seems a bit wasteful if it doesn’t count towards your Parkrun results. Parkrun is a free 5k timed run that happens at 9am every Saturday and is run entirely by Volunteers. Yes, I know, I think there should be a midday one too just for those odd hangovers 😉

Each Parkrun brings you one run closer to the 50 Club after all (or the 10 Club if you’re a Junior) and you can now get points towards the Volunteer Clubs so each visit counts. When I last Volunteered on a rainy day back in November it was my job to write down the numbers on barcodes that had smudged beyond the scanners capability in the rain. This happens to worn out barcodes with too many creases from pockets.

Forgotten barcodes, worn out barcdodes or torn barcodes are all a worry in a regular Parkrunners life. Having only done 9 I can’t say I’m regular but I like the idea that my barcode won’t fail me when I need it most. As a writer I love paper but lets save those trees.

Instead of printing out a fresh sheet of barcodes each week there is another way. For those snazzy with crafting you could laminate them, of course. However, a few weekends ago I chipped in to the Parkrun brand and bought some of the plastic Parkrun barcodes. The beauty of these is they have the information of health and emergency contact as well. This means if you take it out with you on whatever run you’re doing your information is on your person that a medic or aider could need.

Plus, they look cool. I’ve now been dotting them around on key rings, in wallets and clothing pockets. I tested them out at Ashton Court Parkrun the weekend just gone and it was very easy to scan, I just kept my card in my back pocket as I ran with no hassle at all.

At a small cost of £6.96 for a wallet card and four tokens it’s a perfect present for your favourite runner or a pocketmoney treat for yourself.