The Lemon Fool

I read this in the paper yesterday while on the train. I don't think it's behind a paywall so hopefully readable to all:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/athletics/2 ... lture-war/

I just despair that even something as simple as Parkrun has now become embroiled in something like this.

Looks like the Telegraph piece is subscription only.

But, for a balanced view, try both the essentially Tory Standard (https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/park ... 37996.html), and the Grauniad (https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/ ... ans-people).

Not that I have particular sympathies in either direction, personally. I've always supposed that the point of Parkrun was not to break records at all, but rather to get some exercise and enoy the company of other runners?

Personally, I get my exercise from digging the garden. If anybody of any sex or gender persuasion wants to come and help, I'll give them a certificate and maybe a cup of tea. Can't say fairer than that, can I?

BJ

Physical competitive sports are contests between bodies. Self-identify how you like, I really don't care, but if you feel that you are a woman trapped inside a man's body, you still have a male body. You can have an operation but you can't change what's in your genes by changing what's in your jeans. For most purposes, I don't see that how someones identifies matters, but physical sport is one area where biological sex does make a difference.


Julian F. G. W.

Such a shame that this is spoiling things so much for the ordinary participant (a regular talking point this morning) when the vast majority want to enjoy themselves and encourage more to participate but are now subject to changes that are by consensus counter-productive with many disturbed by the introduction of "politics" into what was previously seen as a celebrated body of leadership.

Something as simple as encouraging and celebrating "touring" is now frowned upon on the grounds of environmentalism, for instance.

Maybe publishing lists of names and times alone would work, with no reference to gender.

Then people browsing the list could speculate for themselves where each competitor might lie between 100% male and 100% female on the on the (supposed) continuum of gender fluidity.

Mike4 wrote:Maybe publishing lists of names and times alone would work, with no reference to gender.

Then people browsing the list could speculate for themselves where each competitor might lie between 100% male and 100% female on the on the (supposed) continuum of gender fluidity.

How would that be of "help" to the 99.99% of paricipants whose loss of data and usefullness of some of that data has now been diminished? Gender is only a small part of the changes being made.

I liked a picture I saw this morning.

Person 1 says "If I am a man but I want to identify as a woman, who are you to judge?"

Person 2 says "I identify as a judge!"

bungeejumper wrote: I've always supposed that the point of Parkrun was not to break records at all, but rather to get some exercise and enoy the company of other runners?

BJ

I'm on 175 parkruns, with 43 different events and over 100 at Melksham PR alone.

I don't know a single person that has any such issue though I am very peripherally aware that somebody somewhere is in a tizz.

Its I strongly suspect its a storm in a tea cup whilst the vast majority of Parkrunners just turn up Saturday mornings and do their thing.

dealtn wrote:Something as simple as encouraging and celebrating "touring" is now frowned upon on the grounds of environmentalism, for instance.

well.... touring is everything from "I'm visiting my granny 20 miles away so I'll do the local parkrun there" to "I'm on a three week business trip in Germany so I'll do a parkrun there" to "ooo - I haven't done a parkrun in South Africa so I'll fly there Friday and do one and come straight back afterwards".

I make no judgement personally.

The pop combo Coldplay declined to tour their album in 2019 due to concerns about the carbon output. I see they've fixed that, or are more keen to flog product this year and several events are sold out.

kempiejon wrote:The pop combo Coldplay declined to tour their album in 2019 due to concerns about the carbon output. I see they've fixed that, or are more keen to flog product this year and several events are sold out.

For their 'Music of the Spheres' tour, they have aimed to make it as carbon neutral as possible.

Details here: https://sustainability.coldplay.com/

Saw them at Wembley - it was an excellent gig!

Watis