Originally a comment by Arcadia on Sez who?

This one chafes, it really does. I’m a lifelong couch potato, and ParkRun has been instrumental in changing that for me, in my forties. ParkRun is inclusive, in genuine and meaningful ways. When I go, I see all elements of society, coming together to cover five kilometres on foot or in a wheelchair. There’s no judgment over being slow, old, overweight, uncool, poorly coordinated, disabled, etc. There’s hardcore fitness fanatics, gym bros, skinny young fashionable types, parents with kids, pregnant women, young keen kids dragging their parents along, young sulky kids being dragged along, middle aged walkers, older ex triathletes, a young disabled man with his carer who can keep up and his mum who has a harder time keeping up with him at her age, two wheelchair users, a young man doing Olympic style race walking, fundraisers in logo shirts, silly hats or pink tutus, people who are rehabbing back injuries and more. Gender special people too. You can’t even come last: that’s the tail walker’s job (which you can volunteer for if you like).

I’ve been to more than fifty now. My sister has done 200. It means something to me.

However, ParkRun has very few winners, and they’re all male anyway, obviously. ParkRun has no bathrooms, no separate men’s and women’s events, no pronouns required. Yes, you can Self ID when you sign up, but that only impacts the statistics pretty mildly, unless you’re actually a competitive woman (and I’m not, most women are better than me still).

I won’t stop being angry about this, but I won’t stop going either. I won’t stop advocating that they restore the women’s category, especially where the seizure of women’s wins is particularly egregious, such as by criminals.

I also suspect the vast majority of attendees have no idea, which is all the more reason to keep going and keep grumbling about it.