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

When doing a dangerous sport, it's obviously important to take steps to reduce risk. Heavyweight men don't fight against flyweight men. That would be both unnecessarily dangerous and unfair.

Gender is bullshit. So it's all mixed sex. So why separate by men/women at all?

But it's excluding at least as many women as it is including trans identifying men.

However lots of women do want to fight.

Unsurprisingly enough, they want to fight in fair conditions. Where their consent is respected.

You do not support these women’s rights to fight in fair conditions. Which is extraordinary. What is it about these women having agency that you have a problem with?

In what way would asking participants for their sex at birth not be inclusive? Transpeople aren’t barred from taking part and wouldn’t be if they gave their sex at birth. There’s no special place for women to stand at the start of the race or a special ‘woman’s’ bib, so no one would be aware what they had put on their registration. How would they be unsafe?

If it’s only about the results then, as we are repeatedly told these are unimportant, participants could receive their placings in their category individually.

Allowing the use of mobility scooters or allowing people to push prams has a clear rationale of inclusivity. It allows those who couldn’t take part because of restricted mobility or childcare issues to be involved.

Are you sure you aren’t confusing inclusion with indulgence?

Women who want to compete in their sex class are being excluded, othered, rejected, demeaned and disrespected in a community event which is good for their health.

Parkrun doesn't seem 'lovely' to me. From what I've seen on social media when women raise these perfectly legitimate issues, asking for their rights to be respected as the Supreme Court has suggested would be in accordance with the Equality Act, it seems blokey, nasty, excluding and mean.

Very few “trans people” have to out themselves as the opposite sex to do anything at all, because it’s blindingly obvious.

Unsafe is a frankly overused word, and completely ridiculous.

Especially if park run is so lovely. Surely no one would be mean.

Men are already included, in men’s events.

If you allow men in women’s events, you create significant problems with women self excluding. Why aren’t you concerned about that?

Any right to privacy (presumably what you mean when you say not being outed) is qualified in law. There is no unqualified right to privacy when the information being kept private is of significant to following the law in other ways. Men’s right to keep their pretence ‘private’ is not more important than women’s rights to single sex provision.

Hope that clears it up for you.

This is the thing. Trans activists repeatedly assert that they are the lovely kind good people. Yet their posts on social media, their words and actions, are nasty, aggressive, belittling, mocking, and horrible. They are all about trying to shame women, just for asking for our sex based rights.

Why would men be unsafe, competing in asked category, alongside other men?

Sorry that should have been ‘competing in a men’s category’

Fully agree. It’s not lovely at all. It’s misogynistic.

They get a special kick out of that very reversal.

Women have been self excluding because of parkrun’s policy. Not very inclusive to them, is it?

I don't think trans activists care if women are excluded. That's the message I'm getting.

Loud and clear. They aren’t quite brave or honest enough to state it unequivocally though.

Male entitlement innit - no amount of spinny skirts, long hair, lipstick or hormones will ever change that.

HAVE they though? I don’t think theres any evidence women are self excluding.

Unlike single sex space arguments or arguments about boxing, i don't think anyone is arguing that trans people participating is unsafe. So you’d only self exclude if you SUPER cared about winning your category…. And I just don’t think that’s the main reason most people participate in parkrun.

Also your point relies on all reasons for self excluding being equal. Someone self excluding because they might not win versus a trans woman self excluding because it would be dangerous if she has to out herself as trans are not the same.

@Canadanian what evidence would you need to prove that women are self-excluding?

Why would it be dangerous for a man to run as a man @Canadanian?

Yes, they are self excluding. Just because you haven’t seen any evidence of it doesn’t mean it isn’t happening. I’m sure some people have even said it on this thread.
I’ve seen multiple women on social media say they stopped doing parkrun because of the unfairness, and some have asked parkrun to delete their records altogether. I have considered not taking part too but then I lose out every way then-no parkrun and no fair category.

This could easily be resolved by the parkrun leadership standing up to the TRAs and doing the right thing. They have been cowards about this and they know they have to do something about it soon, but are holding off as long as they can.

I think it’s on your side of the argument to provide the evidence that women are self excluding? Before we worry about what my threshold would be, do you have ANY evidence at all that any women are self excluding beyond one anonymous poster in a chat? I don’t think the campaign that started this thread mentions that’s happening, but I might be wrong!

You’ve mentioned this a couple of times. In what sense is a transwoman ‘outing herself’. What does that look like?

@Canadanian I have "evidence" from women in my women's group (who are women!) that they aren't bothering with this any more due to these issues

That's the thing with self-exclusion - people just...don't go. They don't necessarily want to log that anywhere or feel like they have to explain themselves. They just don't run, don't use the mixed toilets, don't use the swimming pool etc etc