It is time to spend a bit more time about the parkrun Voronoi map, since it is now accessible much more broadly.
In April and May 2024, a feature that has long been used by parkrun enthusiasts via the Chrome extension has finally become available for people who can or prefer to use apps only.
I have written about the Voronoi map in my post covering parkrun challenges in detail and I have also written a summary about the most commonly used parkrun apps.
The parkrun Voronoi map is a fun feature, since it allows to pick which events to visit while visually filling up the area of region, county, country or anything you fancy. Some people also like to connect sides of the country or areas where they have different bedrocks of their lives. As anything related to parkrun challenges, you can do anything you want out of it. It is a way to add enjoyment to our weekly addiction and to feed the little kid inside us who loved colouring books, I guess.
What is a Voronoi map
A Voronoi map, also known as a Voronoi diagram, is a way of dividing a plane into regions based on the distance to a specific set of points. These points are known as “sites” or “seeds,” and each region on the map corresponds to the area closest to one particular site. When it comes to parkrun Voronoi maps, event locations are used as ‘seeds’.
The boundaries of these regions are equidistant to the nearest two or more active parkrun events, forming a unique network of polygons. This geometric concept, named after the Ukrainian mathematician Georgy Voronoi, has applications in various fields such as meteorology, urban planning, and, notably, in the visualization of geographical distributions.
In short, a Voronoi map provides a visual representation of how space is partitioned around multiple points, reflecting the influence each point has over its surrounding area. For instance, in the context of parkrun events, a Voronoi map would illustrate the catchment area of each parkrun location, showing which park is closest to potential runners in different regions. By turning abstract mathematical principles into practical visual tools, Voronoi maps offer a fun way to track our explorations and an incentive to visit new events for another, totally pointless but entertaining reason.
There are plenty of papers and simple articles online if you want to delve further into this tool. It looks simple, but the maths behind it can get pretty complicated fairly quickly.
The original parkrun Voronoi map
A parkrun Voronoi map has been around for a long time and it used to be only available via desktop on Google Chrome through the great Running Challenges browser extension.
This picture shows an example of how the parkrun Voronoi map looks on the Chrome extension. It is taken from my original post on parkrun challenges and it reflected my exploration in and around London as of May 2023.
Unsurprising, the map looks great on a laptop. With the larger screen, you can zoom in and out easily, there is no denying that. And the Chrome extension is great: it has been available forever, it is updated frequently and it covers most standard challenges people might be interested in.
However, not everyone might want to use a desktop or laptop computer for their parkrunning hobby. Personally, I can now do most of what I need to do outside of work on my iPad or on my phone. The laptop/desktop are relegated to work tasks or more complicated software. Even video editing lives fully on my iPad these days!
This is why I think seeing the parkrun Voronoi app finally available on the main apps is great. It makes using it or playing with it possible also for people like me. Warning: read further at your own risk. You might end up addicted to yet one tool that will doom you to endless parkrun tourism!
On which parkrun apps can I see my Voronoi parkrun app?
The Voronoi map is now available on both the 5K app and the Running Achievements app, If you don’t have either of them, be ready and enter a new world of totally pointless and arbitrary (relatively healthy) addiction:
- 5K APP => iOS dowload link
- Running Achievements => iOS download link
Now for some practicalities. How do we get to the new Voronoi map feature on each app?
Voronoi map on the 5K app
On the 5K app, the Voronoi map has been implemented as an optional layer on the main map. To activate it and play with it, follow these simple steps:
- Open the 5K app and tap on the 3 lines menu on the top left of the screen
- Select ‘Events’ to get the map on the first picture below
- On that screen, tap on the square icone with an additional side of the square pointing down… it shows layers, doesn’t it?
- This will open the menu shown on the second slide. Tap ‘Voronoi’
- Here you are. It will be zoomed in on where you are at the moment. Zoom out to see more of the area and have a view similar to the third slide
- If you keep zooming out, you will eventually see a whole continent and more. Handy if you want to start drawing international lines!
So, what do I think?
Well, this is clearly a great addition and it was the only app providing this for a few weeks. The polygons will look a bit different from what you were used to on the Chrome app because the developer has used a slightly different algorithm to create them. Not a problem at all, it is all for fun anyway.
The only problem at the moment is that this layer loses the event name in each polygon, making target venue discovery a bit less obvious. Again, fairly easy to get used to, if you zoom in and know the area.
Well done to the 5K app developer, thank you!
Voronoi app on the Running Achievements app
On the Running Achievements app, the Voronoi map has been included to the already existing ‘Map Options’. To activate it and play with it, follow these simple steps:
- Open the Running Achievements app (doh’)
- Select Map in the bottom menu
- Top on the Map Options box on the upper right corner of the map, as seen on the first slide below
- Select ‘Show Voronoi’ on the contextual menu that will open up
- Tap on the box again to get rid of it and zoom out to see your local area, getting an image similar to the one on slide 3
- Zoom-out to your heart’s content to see your international targets
For what it’s worth, I think Running Achievements got a slightly better implementation here, with parkrun names still visible and a subjectively more enjoyable colour scheme.
That said, I am sure I will keep using both and we should be grateful to the developers who keep maintaining and improving this fantastic free apps for the parkrun community!
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