Runner’s ‘equality’ message at champs
Former Dunblane woman Kelly Clark is heading home for the Scottish Cross Country Championships at Callendar Park, Falkirk.
Kelly, a member of Victoria Park Harriers and Tower Hamlets AC, is competing at Falkirk instead of running in the English national cross country championships.
The 38 year-old is part of a grassroots campaign called RunEqual which wants all running events to provide the same status to women, men, girls and boys. This means equal race distances for seniors and in each junior age category, equal age categories, and equal prizes and status of competitions.
“This is important because unequal races give the message your race isn’t as important, you aren’t as capable and you aren’t being welcomed on equal terms,” said Kelly.
“This places limits on us all – based not on what we are capable of or enjoy, but whether we are female or male. We want our sport to offer an equal and warmer welcome, and lead the way for other sports to change.
“At the English Cross Country Championships women and men still do not compete over equal distances - senior women race 8k and senior men 12k - 50 per cent further. The same is true in Wales and Northern Ireland.”
She added:“This will be the third year that the Scottish event is raced over equal distances. I am travelling to Scotland to celebrate this and to call on England Athletics to equalise their national championships.”
Scottish athletics equalised the distances for men and women a couple of years ago with both races at 10K and this year there is an all-time record entry in the senior women’s race at 406 athletes up by 41 on last year. The entry for the senior men’s race at Falkirk stands at 979 and in total almost 2500 cross country runners will race in 10 categories from Under 13s up to seniors.