Parkrun self-id ‘lets men smash women’s records’

PARKRUN’S gender “self-id” policy allows biologically male runners to “smash women’s records to smithereens”, a former Olympian has claimed.

Mara Yamauchi, a British former elite marathon runner, said the event’s “inclusion” results in the exclusion of females and their achievements.

A Parkrun female age group course record at one event was “smashed to smithereens by a trans-identifying male” on Saturday, she said, adding that this meant the record was “probably now out of female hands forever”.

Parkrun, a global community fun run of organised weekly 5km races at different locations, which began in Teddington, south-west London, in 2004, lets runners self-identify as either “male” or “female” as well as having options for those who are non-binary or prefer not to say.

Yamauchi’s comments come amid a row in professional sport about including trans women in female events. Cyclist Hannah Arensman recently gave up the sport after losing out on a podium place to a trans woman, Austin Killips, in the US cyclocross championships. She said there were “a million different levels where it hurts”.

In February, governing body UK Athletics said it could not prevent trans women from competing in women’s categories because of the Equality Act. It changed stance in March after receiving assurances around the law. It will introduce an “open” category for athletes of any gender identity alongside a sex-based “female” category.

The Parkrun website states “course and age category records are based on self-declared gender and, as such, when a participant changes their recorded gender they will be eligible for the records associated with that gender.

“However, in some cases individuals wish to be excluded from gender-based records and in that case they should contact Parkrun directly via our support page, so that specific performances can be marked accordingly.”

Fiona Mcanena, of campaign group Fair Play For Women, said: “Parkrun says it is a run not a race, but it publishes the results by sex, it gives you a finishing place and it declares the men’s and women’s course record for every Parkrun in the world. It is taking away women’s chance to be first in age category and sex class.”

A spokesman for Parkrun said: “We believe it would not be appropriate or practical to request proof or adjudicate the validity of a person’s gender ID.

“Just as we would not and could not ask each of our participants to evidence other stated details.”