Thousands of athletes back calls for women to be allowed to run equal race distances to men

Athletes have called for an end to gender inequality in cross country racing
Ella Wills15 January 2018

A former Great Britain medal winner has said making women run shorter races than men is "patronising".

Jo Pavey, 44, a long-distance runner and five-time Olympian, disputed the suggestion that women are not as "capable" as men, especially as women already run marathons.

Her comments came as part of a revolt by UK athletes against gender inequality in cross country running.

A petition calling for an end to unequal running distances has gained more than 2,000 signatures.

Jo Pavey, five-time Olympian, said that making women run shorter races is 'patronising'
Getty Images

"Women have obviously been running the marathon for many years now and it is very patronising to suggest that women aren't as capable as men," Ms Pavey told the Telegraph.

While men and women usually run the same distances in road races, in cross country racing women's distances are often much shorter than men's.

At the South of England Athletic Association (SSEA) Main Championships, men run 15 kilometres, while women only run eight kilometres, according to the petition.

"That is as if the London Marathon was 26.2 miles for men and only 14 for women," said Maud Hodson, who started the petition.

She added: "This both downgrades the women's event compared to the men's, and sends a message to girls that they are not capable of as much as boys.

"Sport should be empowering girls and women, not keeping them in their place."

The English Cross Country Association - a branch of England Athletics - said it would conduct a survey at the National Cross Country Championships in February after receiving requests for distances to be reconsidered, according to the Independent.

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