You know these women only running event things ...is there a particular reason

literatin wrote (see)

I have mixed feelings about women's only events: I think they do serve a purpose in addressing an imbalance in sports in general, and running in this particular case, where women are more likely to feel intimidated by events that seem more competitive, serious, or male-dominated. I think it would be hard to deny either that more men than women take amateur running 'seriously', or that men, in general, tend to run faster. I am not intimidated by male runners at all (though I do wish they would be more careful where they spit during races, it's always the blokes... ) , but when I wanted to join a club, I did e-mail and ask if they had any women members (they were quite proud to be able to reply that they had four!), and even I was a little put off by the thought that I might be the only woman. So I can imagine if I were less good at running, less sure of myself, didn't already do races, etc., a women-only event might be a good way in.

However, I do sometimes feel like these mass-participation neon-pink coloured events do tend to reinforce this perceived divide between serious running and women's sport, which is branded more as a kind of girly keep-fit activity and I wonder if it actually does more to reinforce the idea that women can't expect to be competitive or serious about sport. You see it in all the sports shops too, where the men have serious, useful gear, and the women get lots of neon pink trim and no bloody pockets. Grr.

I agree though that there doesn't seem to be any good reason for men-only events. It seems like a sort of 'well, if you're going to exclude us from YOUR races' reaction that completely sidesteps any of the actual arguments for or against.

 

I think that R4L is an event, not a race and that suits it fine however I've run local women only races where you have to be sub 40 to get in the top 3 of a 10k, so good local club standard.

That's true, Liverbird, I remember losing interest in sport aged 12 for about the next 15 years after they stopped letting girls do basketball.

But didn't they try and strip Paula of her world record because she got it in a mixed race; they suggested that world records must be achieved in single sex races. Doesn't really help the cause much does it??

cougie wrote (see)

Have they stopped the women only swimming at the baths ?
I remember when I used to swim in pools - the only day I could get to the pool had a womens only session starting at 8pm. So I had to leave the water by 8.
The funny thing was that most of the women didn't want to wait until 8 - so they'd just start their session early. So it clearly wasn't a problem for them after all ?

Just shows how long ago you were in a pool ....    

...............when I saw this title I thought for a moment I thought Coops had come back to haunt us !! 

I do remember some years ago walking to the start of a local race and getting in conversation with a young woman - well they are nearly all young nowadays compared to me - and she was absolutely shaking with nerves. It was her first race and she had never done any competitive sport previously. She was quite grateful to have someone show her where to put her rucksack, go to the start area etc and have a chat before the start. 
never saw her after that - she was far too quick !!

Made me appreciate how difficult it is for someone like me who has been involved in competitive sport all their lives to realise just how intimidating it can be for a complete novice to step over the line and actually take part in a sporting event particularly when the bias in sexes can be so pronounced - as it was then.

Nowadays nearly every runner I see on the streets is female - where have all the blokes gone!!!!

kittenkat wrote (see)

literatin wrote (see)

kittenkat wrote (see)

. However one of those races I talk about had Jo Pavey in it, so I didn't win that one!

Did you come second?

No I didn't actually, I was 4th, she knocked me off the podium... Bitch! (Actually Jo is great and a local girl)

You finished 4th??? I kind of just assumed you were all mouth .......

Torque Steer wrote (see)

Nowadays nearly every runner I see on the streets is female - where have all the blokes gone!!!!

Cycling.

I've noticed when I'm out running the vast majority of other runners tend to be women, but cyclists more often than not are always guys.

Eggyh73 wrote (see)

Torque Steer wrote (see)

Nowadays nearly every runner I see on the streets is female - where have all the blokes gone!!!!

Cycling.

I've noticed when I'm out running the vast majority of other runners tend to be women, but cyclists more often than not are always guys.

How people cycle in this country is beyond me. Roads are too narrow and either cyclists hate the motorist or the motorists hate the cyclists ....... either way, its a stress and hassle I could do without.

Agree with Cougie, nothing wrong with the roads.

Cyclist hating drivers are just idiots. Near me is mostly country roads with no pavements. I go running on them and the cars give me plenty of room. I head out on the bike on the same roads and I can almost guarantee at least one idiot will try and cut me up.

women's only races have greatly encouraged participation. that seems a good enough reason.

there are fewer male only races because there just isn't the demand.

Wilkie wrote (see)

Screamapillar wrote (see)

I'm not saying either is right or wrong but there are men only events too. Perhaps that's not equality, but at least it's equally discriminatory.

That's just as wrong in my view.  Two wrongs don't make a right, as my mum used to say.

What's the justification for it?  Shy, insecure, body-consious men don't want to run with a bunch of nasty judgemental women?  It will encourage more men into running?  Or just because women have women-only races, so we'll have a men-only one?

What's the justification? They raise a lot of money for cancer charities.

And what Dude says.

Screamapillar wrote (see)

What's the justification? They raise a lot of money for cancer charities.

And what Dude says.

So women will only bother raising money for cancers that affect women if they can run in women only events ..... if they have to share an event with men, then bugger it, no funds to fight breast cancer.

Yeah right.

David Falconer 3 wrote (see)

Screamapillar wrote (see)

What's the justification? They raise a lot of money for cancer charities.

And what Dude says.

So women will only bother raising money for cancers that affect women if they can run in women only events ..... if they have to share an event with men, then bugger it, no funds to fight breast cancer.

Yeah right.

To be honest, yes some women wouldn't do a mix sex race. Is that really so hard to grasp?

Eggyh73 wrote (see)

David Falconer 3 wrote (see)

Screamapillar wrote (see)

What's the justification? They raise a lot of money for cancer charities.

And what Dude says.

So women will only bother raising money for cancers that affect women if they can run in women only events ..... if they have to share an event with men, then bugger it, no funds to fight breast cancer.

Yeah right.

To be honest, yes some women wouldn't do a mix sex race. Is that really so hard to grasp?

Its not that hard to grasp ........ doesnt make it right though does it?

 Personally I find it pathetic that their are women who would rather not raise money for charity if it means having to  run alongside a man ........ but hey ho, there are people who wont sit next to a black person on a bus, so the world is full of weird people.

Sometimes I think it'd be nice to have men only yoga - I mean men tend to be less flexible than women and the thought of walking into what is inevitably going to be a room full of women who can put their head on their feet with straight legs when you can't even touch your toes is somewhat intimidating.   Then the other part of me thinks stop being so silly.  

Similar views on R4L - I can understand why some women feel a bit intimidated by normal running races but in truth they are being a bit silly - if they just entered a race they'd probably find out that running races aren't male dominated ultra competitive events at all.   Nothing like as bad as a man has to go through to take up yoga ! 

David Falconer 3 wrote (see)

Eggyh73 wrote (see)

David Falconer 3 wrote (see)

Screamapillar wrote (see)

What's the justification? They raise a lot of money for cancer charities.

And what Dude says.

So women will only bother raising money for cancers that affect women if they can run in women only events ..... if they have to share an event with men, then bugger it, no funds to fight breast cancer.

Yeah right.

To be honest, yes some women wouldn't do a mix sex race. Is that really so hard to grasp?

Its not that hard to grasp ........ doesnt make it right though does it?

 Personally I find it pathetic that their are women who would rather not raise money for charity if it means having to  run alongside a man ........ but hey ho, there are people who wont sit next to a black person on a bus, so the world is full of weird people.

 

I,m not sure thats the case , its more likely that they wish to raise money for breast cancer and doing the sponsored orgainised runs is the best way to do it.Having done one the majority of entries are not regular runners but doing it as a one off to rasie money.

OK, let me go at it from a different angle.

Lets say there was a 5k run organised for breast cancer. However ANYONE could run it and anyone (including men) could raise money for it, it wasn't just restricted to females. Do you really think that would put a lot of women off? Maybe it would ...... but I just cant get my head around how weak and feeble that mindset is to think 'Oh I dont want to be running with some men.'

Or to put it another way ......if someone organised a run to raise funds for prostate cancer, I wouldnt object to the thought of women daring to compete in the run much less raising funds. Surely any extra people raising funds is a good thing.

To me its all a bit 'mums-net' (read as cliquey)

Funnily enough (or not) the only men-only event I've done was a Bobby Moore cancer charity 5k.  (You could smell the testosterone!  And I won!)  The only reason I did it was because it was extremely local, and a female friend was doing the R4L event at the same time.  (And it was a good cause for paying my entrance fee and raising a bit for charity.)

I'm not totally anti- the idea of women-only events but the whole business of only women being allowed to partake in R4L events to raise money for a breast cancer charity strikes me as a little odd.  Never mind the small number of men who suffer from breast cancer as well, it seems to give off the idea that if it's only/mainly women who directly suffer from it, it's only of interest to women to raise money for it - and the corollary with men and prostate cancer - as if there aren't husbands, sons, brother, sisters, wives, girlfriends and friends who wouldn't like to get involved as well.