Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

parkrun defending their position

780 replies

Funtime2 · 26/04/2026 11:52

I used to be a parkrunner and do not understand how parkrun can defend their position of allowing trans identfying males into the female category.

I read that 280 published race winners in the female category are actually men identifying as women. How is this fair to women? Some women don’t care about this but some women do, just as some men take it as a race and care about the rankings and some men don’t

The other option of course is they could stop the timing, stop recording winners and records?

AIBU to genuinely not understand why parkrun claim not to be a race when they time the runners, publish times by category, rank times and runners, and have record holders by category.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
21
Sirzy · 26/04/2026 12:06

As much as I don’t agree with it the way people register for parkrun does make it impossible for it to be policed.

I don’t know what the answer is but it would be very hard to stop someone registering as male
or female if they wished to.

araiwa · 26/04/2026 12:03

Make them return all the prize money and trophies

Original poster
Funtime2 · 26/04/2026 12:01

I don’t understand, genuinely I don’t.

It’s so blatantly wrong but people defend this in the name of inclusivity.
How would it affect trans identfying men to register by sex. They know their sex, they just pop in on their registration as they would if they filled out a form in hospital and then get on with their day and run identifying how they feel comfortable. That’s inclusive for all, surely.

OP posts:
Okiedokie123 · 26/04/2026 11:57

"Another argument is that it is inclusive for everyone and by this they mean that everyone should be able to run, which is fantastic but registering your actual sex on the form wouldn’t mean a trans identifying person couldn’t run would it? It would still be open to all."

Exactly. But that wouldnt suit their agenda.
Who is at the top of parkrun - the management committee etc. Is that mainly men or women? Why are they so keen to be part of the nonsense? Someone should chuck them some copies of Fair Play by Sharron Davies.

Original poster
Funtime2 · 26/04/2026 11:53

To Add

The arguments seem to be that’s it’s not competitive but it is very much competitive for some people and parkrun facilitate this competition by posting times and winners as well as everyone starting together and having barcode timings.

Another argument seems to be that they can’t check or police the categories, but that is not a reason to make the rules unfair. Most people abide by rules and I’m fairly certain trans identifying men wouldn’t break the rules if parkrun required everyone to register by biological sex.

Another argument is that it is inclusive for everyone and by this they mean that everyone should be able to run, which is fantastic but registering your actual sex on the form wouldn’t mean a trans identifying person couldn’t run would it? It would still be open to all.

OP posts: