Parkrun could delete more statistics from races amid a row over trans athletes holding all female records.
The current model where people can view data from websites may be replaced with a system where participants would have to send a friend request to other runners to view their statistics.
Earlier this year, Parkrun received backlash after organisers went sent emails stating that they will no longer publish records on first-place finishers and age-grade records.
Previous data on the identities of the fastest male and female athletes to complete each 5km course has already been hidden from view.
Parkrun could delete more statistics from races amid a row over trans athletes holding all female records
PA
Almost 26,000 people have signed a petition to restore the data, however, Parkrun has doubled down on the decision, even revealing that additional changes were a possibility.
Campaigners Will Hartley, Mary Taylor and Alexander Smotrov met with Parkrun founder Paul Sinton-Hewitt and chief executive Russ Jefferys to discuss the changes but were left disappointed.
“They have visions for the future of removing the ability to see any other runners’ data and results, and in only being able to see your own individual results as well as event results,” said Taylor in a post-meeting summary.
“They envisage Parkrun to have a social aspect where you can ‘befriend’ or ‘follow’ other runners, as you might on Facebook or Strava, and mutual friends could view the statistics of their friends.
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“They could see results pages eventually becoming just a list of people, without personal details, such as gender, individual statistics, and with volunteers listed most prominently.”
The campaigners also said that participants’ gender being removed was also an option.
Taylor added: “It was really disappointing that Parkrun show no intention of seeking a way to continue providing the course stats that meant so much to so many.
“It was also disappointing to hear that Parkrun view us as easily replaceable numbers, and is a top-down organisation. It feels very sad that Parkrun do not appear to value us as individuals.
“It is clear that they wish to present their reason as being in keeping with their ethos and aims as a charity, but it’s also clear that, to an undefined degree, they have felt it necessary to make this change to avoid being classified as a sport or race.”
Parkrun removed records after trans athletes were found to have held all female best timesPAParkrun said that whilst they are committed to listening to their community, they are ultimately a charity run by their trustees.
In February, a Parkrun director resigned “in response to HQ’s new ‘inclusive’ policy”.
Brockenhurst’s Parkrun event director Mick Anglim told Telegraph Sport: “Everyone that I’ve spoken to agrees that the removal of age category and age grade records is a mistake.”
Jefferys responded by urging the public to “turn down the heat” and claimed the decision was not influenced by an ongoing campaign to make runners declare their sex at birth.
“I think we need to be careful about making serious accusations – sadly there is just a lot of anger and emotion in this conversation,” Jefferys told BBC5Live.
There are nine million registered Parkrun participants at more than 2,000 events around the world.
