Reality Rules Parkrun Launch 3 October 2026

[IwantToRetire]

Today was another Parkrun Saturday and like every weekend the achievements by women was demoted by men running in the female category.

We are hoping to change this! In only a few weeks time, we will debut Reality Rules Runners UK at Parkrun. We hope that many hundreds (hopefully thousands) of you will join us to send a clear and strong statement to Parkrun about the huge support there is for fairness and sex-based categories at their events.

All sports events are responsible for putting on fair events. This includes free, volunteer run, community events like Parkrun.

So please tell people about Reality Rules Runners UK, as we are hoping to attract lots more supporters before our debut at Parkrun on 3 October.

Thank you! 🙏

https://realityrulesrunnersuk.substack.com/p/another-parkrun-down-only-a-few-weeks

Came across this by chance, so dont know more than this!

They are also on X for anyone on X https://x.com/RRRunnersUK

Oh I want one. It would go with the t shirt that DP got me post the Gregg Wallace thing that says 'middle class woman of a certain age' .

This isn’t aimed at you or your posts, but replying to you as you’ve said I’ve got the wrong message.

I have to say that things I’ve seen on this forum - e.g people purposefully misgendering other posters’ children etc - has convinced me that for some of the gender critical posters on here, it is absolutely true that the cruelty IS the point.

Nobody on here is 'targeting trans people'.

We're ensuring that women's rights are upheld in law. That's all.

'purposefully misgendering'

This is what many would call 'correctly sexing'.

It's not 'cruel' to recognise someone's sex.

What is 'cruel' is leading a child to believe that they can change sex.

I’d argue that being critical of gender (societal expectations of how a man or woman should behave) is rather central to being a feminist.

So you want people to declare they are trans… to out themselves in order to take part in a community run?

Unfortunately, rising transphobia has made that less safe than ever. ‘Passing’ can be about safety.

So in your ideal world, the choice is for a trans person to out themself or not take part in park run - this is what people like me mean when we say you’re pushing trans people out of public life.

They can tick the prefer not to say box. It's already there. Rather than lie.

Outed how? No one you are running with knows what sex you are registered as.

That's exactly why Genderism is such a nasty, sneaky movement.

They didn't step up with an open clear explanation of why some men are really women.

Instead they went for the language we need to speak the truth and made it problematic to use it. They prejudiced the question before it could even be asked.

The idea that all right-thinking people must immediately stop, throw their hands up in horror and stop listening on pain of losing their pure immortal souls as soon as the word "he" appears in relation to a male person who claims to be a woman is wild.

It is so obvious that the real aim here is to prevent anyone getting as far as a real conversation about how a boy can "really" be a girl, or what defining a girl in that way is saying not just about who he is but who girls are in general (or vice versa).

Among the many hideously cruel things that are done to women almost carelessly in our culture, it nevertheless seems a coldly cruel thing to do to women to make it impossible to even say clearly who we are and who we are not, and then castigate us again for pointing that out.

Have you not read the thread? If it’s genuinely a community run with no competitive element there is no need for categories.

However, it’s not ‘kind’ to imply that it is ever going to be possible to hide your sex because sex is relevant in too many situations.

And yet so often ‘gender critical feminists’ end up just enforcing the same old boring binary.

For example, one of you accused Alcove on this very thread of being a ‘man’ because they were ‘aggressive’ (i.e. making a strong argument that the accuser disagreed with…. What happened to celebrating ‘difficult women’!)

It’s so depressing.

Have you read much of alcove's ouevre? I really recommend doing a bit of research before you defend him or her. Patience is a thing that can be lost over time.

ASIYF (advanced search is your friend).

Would you get rid of all competitive elements in amateur sports that aren’t tested for doping?

Of course not.

It’s not a race, there’s no prizes; there are some categories so people can compare their times IF they want to.

Would removing all competitive elements OR making trans people out themselves to take part be a proportionate response to your ‘concerns’ for a community fun run? I would say no, obviously not.

Surely you agree that any time comparisons must be appropriate and fair? For example, do you think an adult man should be allowed to compete against children in their Parkrun?

Or, two boxes. Both optional. One for sex and one for gender. Dropdown to say which group you want to be ranked in. Simple.

No one is forced into a box they don't feel they belong in. Female people who believe their rank is more meaningful if the group includes transwomen are not prevented from being so ranked, and women who feel their rank is only meaningful compared to people of their sex are likewise supported.

I’m not setting out to defend anyone…

I am asking: is declaring ‘you must be a man!’ the feminist response to someone being difficult or argumentative? Or does that enforce the societal expectations of how men and women should behave that wishitwouldstartraining believes feminists should resist?

If posts are offensive, you should report them. You should not just yell ‘you’re a man’ into the void.

I’m not saying adults should compete against children (although I play a team sport and when the u14s team joins us for practice, those kids are way better and faster than us adults!)

I am saying we need to use a bit of judgement / keep hold of a sense of proportion. I think it’s about returning to purpose - and the primary purpose of park run is an inclusive community event; the competition element is secondary. Making sure everyone feels welcome and included is most important for this event …. It’s not designed to be the olympics!!

If it's meaningless, all these complaints about wanting recognition for something less competitive than a parents race at the school sports day are as well.

There is already an open category for those not wishing to identify by their gender.

So there are no rankings based on sex then? You might want to tell the bigots scrawling through them to try and identify trans people.

It's a fun run that isn't accurately timed. Some people walk it. If you really care about beating them there is indeed a problem but it isn't with parkrun using gender instead of sex.

I wouldn't get too het up. I've had the most vile abuse about me removed. Defended by all these brave 'feminists'.

I don't think women are morally better than men, I just think men have more power to exercise their moral failings. I invite you to search my previous posts where I have laid this out in more detail.

As to alcove's sex or gender, I have no idea. Whichever it is, they have posted some heinous things. MN tends to feel if a post is not an explicit attack on an individual or a group it can stand, even if it speaks to utter disregard for female people as anything other than the necessary background transwomen need to exhibit their feelings of womanhood against.

I think posts like that speak to the poster's character whatever sex or gender they happen to be, and I prefer to leave them there to be seen. A deleted post can after all be spun many ways. I do, however, sreenshot posts that I want to make sure I can evidence in future should it come to that.

Again, Advanced Search is your friend.

Also, thank you to OP for this thread. I've never fancied Parkrun, prefer solo running (and not getting up on Saturday morning!)

But I am considering taking it up now. The combination of a fun run and now the ability to rank in a female-only group, albeit it small at first, does appeal.