Parkrun comments giving me the rage

This. At least signal that you don't actually support cheats, even if you can't always stop them.

So, to be clear, if you saw an organisation breaking the law, your solution would be to set up another parallel organisation?

I’m feeling rather relieved you’re an under-informed TRA rather than a High Court Judge.

Yes, this all makes sense.

Realistically it's impossible to verify everyone's sex and age. But a clear statement about expectations would
be helpful. It shouldn't deter or disadvantage anyone from running because nobody at the event knows what category people have said they are in.

There is also a "prefer not to say" option which could be used.

That is your opinion. And you should look into the parkrun stats group on Facebook. One of the reasons people were annoyed about the removal of the stats is because they like stats.

Anyway, the issue has moved on because she did an even more amazing time today which would be amazing for a bloke of her age, never mind a woman. So I no longer think she's trans - I just think she's running one lap instead of two. People do mind if people cheat - there was an article in Runners' World a few years ago when one of the writers deliberately cut the course and wrote about it (this was at Alice Holt parkrun in Hampshire). People were very upset.

I know they are only cheating themselves but it's still annoying.

Do the 'oh there is nothing that can be done, its all too hard and it doesn't matter anyway' brigade really think there is absolutely no middle ground between everyone would need to be sex tested and doing nothing?

Removing 'female' course records from a known male competitor who is doing jail time for the attempted murder of a race official would be a great starting point to say to women 'we don't have the ability to check the sex and age of every runner but if we become aware of someone participating in the wrong category we will adjust the records to try and make the categories correct to the best of our knowledge'.

Asking for sex not gender and making it known that registering in the wrong category could result in records being expunged would be a really good starting point and one that would have absolutely no impact on trans participants run experience as no-one can tell how they are registered by looking at them on the start line.

And what would everyones reaction be if parkrun invited participants to identity their age?

I dont think marshals or volunteers should have to check or adjudicate while the run is happening.im not even sure if a name shows up anyway you scan a barcode. However if its known that a man is running as female they should be taken out of the results.
I mean what if a fast 18 year old started running at Junior parkrun and taking the wins, setting course records etc, because they registered as a 12 year old, would we shrug and say that was ok? And that the young kids should put up with it because it's only a fun run

I wonder what would happen if a Man Friday happened at the new female CEOs home parkrun? Or a bunch of large, fast men in skirts bumped her down in the rankings? Sinton-Hewitt had some vague notion it wasn't fair but didn't really care that much because it was only women affected. But the new CEO is a woman.

https://www.mylondon.news/news/real-life/worlds-fastest-girl-9-sets-33599566

Here's another recent news story (reported in other publications but this one is free to read).

Remember ladies, it's socially acceptable to care whether you are the fastest runner in a category unless a man would rather take your place, when you must remember ITS JUST A FUN RUN AND NOBODY CARES ABOUT PARKRUN TIMES!!!!!!

Apparently yes. However, as already observed 'set up your own event' is not generally regarded as a way to resolve this kind of discrimination.

Obviously it's been pointed out many, many times that the alternative solution is to stop sharing comparative stats and rankings, but for some reason that doesn't seem to be an option for this 'fun run'.

It’s truly strange that some people are still arguing for any sort of women’s athletic events, competitive or otherwise, to be open to those who are, in fact and in law, men.

Ironically, it demonstrates that those people still very much regard these men as men.

It’s truly strange that some people are still arguing for any sort of women’s athletic events, competitive or otherwise, to be open to those who are, in fact and in law, men.
However, the more they do it, the more obfuscation, irrelevance and disingenuity they deploy, the more foolish and misogynistic they appear.

Are you saying—
Parkrun welcomes all runners, except women who would like their performance fairly recorded against other women. Those runners are not welcome, and must set up their own event. ?

Sorry. I missed a word or two

“I think a reasonable case can made by now, that those people running in any events who are male people with a transgender identity, that they know they have / retain male advantage”.

They know. It would take very deliberate steps to have avoided coming into contact with the news and information.

It also becomes clearer and clearer that male people with transgender identities cannot be expected to respect female people’s needs.

All this discussion about reasons to not change the policy works to support men never taking responsibility for their decisions which female athletes then have to accept the negative consequences for. I think a reasonable case can made by now, that those people running in any events who are male people with a transgender identity, that they have / retain male advantage. After all the IOC decision was widely publicised and discussed on international media. It would need some very determined willful ignorance to not have seen and read this.

These are male people who really must be up to date with the IOC decision and yet, why do they believe they should keep putting female people at such disadvantage? It could be that they believe the misinformation that the research is wrong, but surely these male people must have doubts? the founder of Parkrun (like the IOC after Tokyo) admitted that they know the inclusion was unfair to female people.

https://archive.is/mjQKY

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5442566-save-womens-sports-parkrunuk-youtube-video-november-2025?reply=148471994&utm_campaign=reply&utm_medium=share

Thank you, Marshal’: How parkrun became a global phenomenon

01 January 2025
Helen Coffey

"As for the transgender debate, Sinton-Hewitt says that, while he never wants to exclude anyone, he’s “troubled” by the idea of women feeling “undermined”. “I don’t know what the answer is,” he tells me, “But parkrun is absolutely not the Olympics. We should make it possible for everybody to participate in the best possible way. And one thing is for certain – parkrun will never, ever be able to check what you tell us your gender is when you register. There are 10 million people; we’re a very small organisation.”

"For now, at least, he believes they’ve made the right decision. “Inclusivity comes first – and fairness, I’m afraid, is affected by the drive towards inclusivity.”

With all this being out in the public domain, male people are still choosing to not respect female people’s needs.

Well, you see, we kind of took the methods from the TRA. They couldn’t be arsed to set up their own groups, but forced themselves into women’s spaces. All the time and money they spent trying to bully women into giving up single sex spaces could have been spent campaigning for more third spaces and more facilities and groups for transpeople. I mean, they could have set up a “transwomen’s institute” when the WI said no TIMS included, but instead spent the time whinging online about how it wasn’t fair, like spoiled children being told no.

Thing is nobody at parkrun knows what category you have registered in. It only shows up in the results later. So really there's no reason to not use the correct category, or just not pick any - you can register gender as "prefer not to say". That's what I'd do if I was concerned about fairness.

You would think that since this is something nobody really cares about, that would be the simplest solution.

Then why don't the men in skirts run in the men's category. Problem solved.

😂😂😂

Well ”So you think 'gendered data collection' means people accidentally registering as the wrong sex?” is at least ‘novel’ I guess……

You may not like it but others choose to do what you dislike

Not if they are breaking the law by treating women disadvantageously. Again, if the sharing of data is unimportant, there is no need to share data. If it is important, then data needs to be collected by sex.

Gendered data collection doesn't have to come about because of deliberate actions

?

So you think 'gendered data collection' means people accidentally registering as the wrong sex?

Sorry, what? People make mistakes about which sex they are? I feel this is not the most likely statement in the universe; even people with DSDs (people whom many tras call "intersex" and insist are trans, both things the individuals have asked not to have happen) generally know which sex they are.

Our local one voted to close - as did countless others - and then re-set up as a group on their own

About 40, I read, out of 6,300, about 0.6%. Isn't that the "go and create one of your own if you don't like it" that you are advocating for everyone else? So, what's the problem?

I have no problem if you want to set up a single sex group or run your existing group as single sex

Forgive me, but it rather does sound as though you do have a problem.