Parkrun removes records from website in attempt to be less “offputting”

Organisers of popular free weekly running event parkrun have removed speed records from the official website in attempts to appear less “offputting” to new participants.

Age and category records, as well as data of men who run under 17 minutes and women who run under 20, will also be removed – but runners will continue to receive personalised emails with their stats and online event pages will remain the same, parkrun clarified.

The change comes amid criticism from a rightwing think tank that challenged parkrun’s inclusion of transgender women’s records in the female category. Despite this, parkrun organisers have explained that changing the way data is presented online has been a priority since before the pandemic and has nothing to do with transgender athletes.

Parkrun released the following statement explaining the decision:

“As parkrun has grown over the years we have made many changes to our digital communication including things such as layout, design, imagery and the language we use – and will continue to do so as we evolve.

“We try hard to make sure the information we share is consistent with our values, and that, in all that we do, we continue to find ways to remove barriers to registration and participation.

“We know that our websites are an…