Parkrun to remove course records

There is an organisation called Xempo that does coloured t-shirts based on times - eg if you run a 5k in 30 minutes you "earn" a certain colour etc. So eg you'd get green for 24 minutes and purple for 27 minutes (disclaimer, these are just examples, I don't know the actual colours).

I thought it was unfair that they don't adjust the times for female runners as it is much harder for them to run a really quick time than it is for men. This was a few years ago. I raised it with them but they just said it meant it was a bigger achievement for a woman to get one of the "faster colours".

I thought the same about swimming awards and having to swim in a certain time for Honours.

Now of course I realise what a can of worms it would have opened!

And here is an example of why parkrun is so important for female sportswomen:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/georgia-bella-from-parkrun-to-world-indoor-championships-final-glasgow-k700rfpf7

@parkrunfirsttimer that's so lovely! My teen DD has had the same reaction when she's 1st woman. Especially actually from the blokes, who have also always been really encouraging to her when she's flagging! She's not fast enough to be among the '1st tier' of terrifying sub-19s! But the older guys still running a really good time will sometimes even encourage her to get past them! It's so great. And I so wish this stupid TWAW idiocy hadn't tainted it for me.

Amazing- well done to your DD

Her name will still be listed as first female for that event under event history and will stay there. It is just that she can’t now see what the female or age grade record was or the historical list of times for her age grade. (If you get the 5K app you can still see some of this).

Well done to your DD, that's a fantastic run and she should be very pleased. Results are still listed in finishing order with sex and age categories so you will be able to see that she was first female when you look at "latest results" on your event.

Screenshot it!

I might go get a screen shot of the two times I was first lady actually. 😆

Teen DD did her first park run today. She was in the top 30 and the first female (based on looks and, now the results have been published, names too). The next woman was about 10 places behind her.
I had heard that it was a friendly and supportive event but was slightly surprised at quite how many people commented on her having been the fastest woman, first female and so on. This was both volunteers and other competitors and it wasn't just the competitors who finished immediately in front or behind of her but a good 15 or so, some of whom called across the car park or doubled back to congratulate her. I got the impression that a lot of those in positions 10 - 35 run there regularly and recognise each other so probably knew DD was new and perhaps wanted to be particularly welcoming but I did wonder if any of it related to the recent changes. Her time won't be listed as fastest woman for this week's event but they certainly let her know that she was.

Oh it'll be to protect the writer from all the "hateful right-wingers".

Only one of those letters withheld the name and address, interesting.

The Guardian have published four readers' letters about the Park Run piece - three of them speaking strongly against Liew's argument. Hopefully, that reflects the weight of responses they've had. The one letter in support seems to think that a right-wing organisation wants to stop transgender people from running at all...

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/feb/15/parkrun-trans-athletes-and-fairness-to-women

Isn't that a lovely picture of Martina Navratilova in the DM article. I love the jacket and the shoes.

Good to see JKR calling this little chauvinist out.

The Daily Mail’s proofreader obviously had the day off, though… 😳

Don't expect a reply. Plenty of comments on X from people still waiting months for a response from Park Run.

Parkrun discussion in Daily Mail that covers JKR's contribution.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13086339/jk-rowling-parkrun-row-Jonathan-Liew-transgender-athletes.html

It's now on my ever growing 'to read' list but I can imagine

There's a contact us form at the bottom of their website, no idea how successfully rhey get through, but that's what we've got.

@Snowchoc what is the best way to write to parkrun? I might write in myself…. Today’s open letter from the CEO has really irritated me. What a lot of words to say “I’m right, you’re wrong, get over it.”

That's something I guess..

Several of our male club members have written to parkrun at my request

Why look at the real issues and focus on the male chancers when you can just blame a right-wing culture war?

I assume Isla Bryson was a victim of the right-wing culture war?

They have no arguments that stand up to a moment's scrutiny, so they resort to abuse instead.

@Snowchoc .. I am sorry no one stepped in on line to support you. Maybe reply to the man who contacted you privately and suggest that women need vocal and visible support.

I got myself into a heated discussion on my running club's FB over this. Most people sensibly.stayed out of it, but one man absolutely laid into me about being ungrateful for a free event and how this was the best they could do in the circumstances.

I don't really know who he is, but his Strava would suggest he's not a parkrunner 😆

Anyway, one of the other men from the club contacted me to tell me that man is an arrogant arse and check I was OK. Which is all highly irrelevant, but made me smile.

Apparently if you believe in fair sport for women (at parkrun or elsewhere), you are a right wing nut job in league with antiabortionists.

According to more than one comment in the parkrun discussion group on Facebook. And including Mara and Sharron. People are so badly informed...

Sharron goes into some detail about the East German doping and the misogyny of the IOC in her book ‘Unfair Play’. It is a really good read, but I had to keep putting it down as it was making me so angry!

The easiest way to silence and demonise us, is to paint us as right-wing nutjobs.

But unfortunately for the gender ideologues, opposition to this misogynistic and homophobic movement is starting to not only come from all walks of life, but be spoken up about from all walks of life.