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

only a few dozen times, and on multiple other threads. No one is buying the “fun run” handwaving. Just get rid of all the information, there’s no need for people to register as anything, is there? Since it’s all just “fun”.

To add that I am going to a parkrun a bit further away than my local one where I know there are sympathetic people though.

But why do they need to get rid of it because some people want to be anal about something that can never be policed?

Some people like seeing their times. I do as it shows me I am improving. But the point is there are zero checks that you have registered correctly or even that you have run under your own barcode.

So when it comes to sex and sports - Park Run seems to weirdest hill to die on. I could decide to register as an 19 year old man and not a single participant or volunteer or the Park Run organisation would know I was actually a 45 year old woman.

I could give my brother my bar code not a single person would know he was running under my name. So what exactly is this campaign achieving? It’s not like the Olympics or official sporting events where runners identities are known.

Bingo for another “it’s not the Olympics” again!

Do you think you’re being really original saying that?

Maybe read the thread first before commenting as your questions will have already been answered multiple times.

It’s not “anal” just being respectful of women. But I get thats hard for some.

Why get rid of information when there are many people who desire it? How are you harmed by this? So because Park Run won’t expressly state that people need to run in their sex category you want times removed for everybody? It seems more than a little mean spirited and more arising from dislike of trans people than generally wanting to protect women?

I mean you don’t have to register that way you don’t have a time. And I am sure there are people who don’t register hence it’s a fun run but for fun the organisers allow people to see their times if they want that option.

It is anal and mean spirited suggest nobody should be allowed to get their time from Park Run because some people may choose to run under incorrect categories under an open Fun Run style event.

It’s also anal to insist on an update to guidance over a registration process that is completely open.

It’s misogynistic to allow men to claim they came first among women. Hope that helps you with your stunningly original talking points.

It’s deeply mean spirited for men to claim they came first among the women.

I hope it goes well I’m supporting you from the sofa because I’m lazy 🤣

It seems weirder to die on the hill of collecting data that you believe is completely unreliable.

Nobody is suggesting that parkrun should not send out times to competitors.

Indeed.

Thanks for that, I will think about but I use my full name and have concerns about it coming up when employers do internet checks, which does sound quite paranoid but just the venom in this little discussion does warrant a pause.

But I take your point entirely, for me it’s not about letting the bullies win, which I think is an apt term for this situation but more about if the data is provided, surely people want it to be correct. I have tried racing a man of a similar age and fitness level, I ended up nearly passing, so it’s a nonsense for self-Id in running events. He only beat me by a few seconds but if we had been after a placing then it would have mattered if he had registered as a woman.

If you just want your own time, can’t you time yourself? No need for recorded age and sex data.

If you want to know how you are doing compared with others of the same sex and age, then it would surely be better for Parkrun to make it clear that for the purposes of this data being meaningful, the expectation is that age and sex should be recorded accurately (even though they can’t police it).

Runners have a “prefer not to say” option if they don’t want to trash the women’s stats but also don’t want to put “male”. But their personal validation as the opposite sex (even though it’s a fantasy) is more important. They centre their own personal desire over fairness for the female category. That’s the problem.

Weirdest still is to die on the hill of being determined to be wrong.

suggested viewing is Helen Joyce interviewing Alice Sullivan on “Sex, Lies and Statistics”. The key takeaway for me is that being a truth seeker is important for our society, culture and freedoms (my summary - not a direct quote)

Quite.

If a man in his forties decides to register as 75 or 14 and compete in either of those categories to boost his position then he can of course cheat and do so if he's so inclined. However, everyone who knows him/knows of him will see his position and probably think he's a cheating scumbag. I would hazard a guess that no-one sane would be fighting for his right to continue to run in those categories. If PR were only to provide him with his own time though, then he'd still know how fast he ran - he just wouldn't be able to see how others fared in comparison to others in order to claim a victory he's not entitled to.

The unavoidable fact that some men will choose to lie if asked to tick the correct box for their sex category at the point of registration doesn't mean that the request should not be made. I absolutely stand by every woman who cares about her parkrun stats, even if it's because the presence of a male runner on the list of results could push her from 46th VW55 to 47th, and I want the basic fairness of my results being as accurate as those of the men running in the male category.
(Edit for grammar.)

So, you don’t care. Others, however, do.

@Chooseyourownadventure I completely get that. But isn’t it sad that we don’t feel we can speak up for truth and sanity because of the abuse we will get? I have not long started a new job and they are very much at the stage of announcing their pronouns when they introduce themselves in meetings (very 2023). I refused to do that the other day.

Courage calls to courage everywhere and we need to all speak out for this madness to end.

The whole fucking madness is just rooted in selfishness. Male selfishness.

Here's a "typical gendered behaviour" or "characteristic" we keep being told there are, in order to qualify as the opposite sex, and ask for examples of, but none are ever given - Selfishness.

Into my now middle age, I have met FAR more selfish, egoentric men than I have women.
Of course I've encountered and heard about lots of horrible women too, (and of course I have lots of FABULOUS men in my life) but without a doubt men have proven themselves (to me) to be the most overbearing, demanding, and selfish of the sexes.
If this makes me a misandrist, so be it.
I really don't care.

And now women who are fucked off about this don't even feel like they can voice it, they just withdraw. And feel afraid of making a stand because of the consequences.

I refer you to parkruns own website.

Well spotted @Raspbellies

Can't believe that they are would be so fussy about a fun run where nobody cares about records!!!!!!

If anyone wants to check for themselves before they wipe it. It's parkrun volunteer hub, point 2.7.

https://volunteer.parkrun.com/hc/en-us/articles/16857831550482-2-7-Dogs