A trans athlete who ‘smashed’ the women’s parkrun record has been revealed today as Sian Longthorpe – who lived as a married man until just four years ago.
Ms Longthorpe, 43, completed last weekend’s Porthcawl parkrun record on Saturday in 18 minutes and 53 seconds – a full minute and 13 seconds ahead of her nearest rival Deb Roberts.
The result of that race in West Wales on Saturday came to national attention today after the result was cited by former British Olympian Mara Yamauchi as an example of what she believes is the exclusion of female athletes and their achievements. ‘include’.
Ms Yamauchi, herself an elite marathon runner, used the Welsh race and its clearcut win by a trans competitor as an example of her point that born female athletes are not being treated fairly – she believes the record may now be ‘out of women’s hands’. Forever’.
She refrained from naming the race or its winner, but MailOnline has learned it was Mrs Longthorpe, a keen amateur runner from Devon.
Cian Longthorpe, 43, set the record last weekend on Saturday in 18 minutes and 53 seconds.
MailOnline has learned that it was Mrs Longthorpe, a keen amateur runner from Devon, who ‘stolen’ the women’s parkrun record last Saturday.
Trans runner Sean Longthorpe was living as a married man until just four years ago
Ms Longthorpe came out as transgender in 2019 and is now a ‘frontrunner’ or brand ambassador for Asics, the running shoe label – one of the UK’s most high-profile trans runners.
It was in that context that she gave an interview to Women’s Running magazine in March 2021, where she talked about her gender transition journey.
Mrs Longthorpe describes how she always had feelings about her identity but tried to bury them by getting married and having children – before the marriage broke up and she was forced to face her ‘true feelings’.
He said: ‘I’ve been in Xi’an for about 18 months now and it’s amazing. It’s not without its difficulties, but generally it’s gone much better than I feared, and for that I’m very grateful.’
Fiona McAnenna of the Fair Play for Women pressure group said: ‘Parkrun is fully inclusive. Whether everyone is running together or walking fast or slow, you’re still welcome. But no one with a male body should claim a female course record.
‘That’s a female runner.’
Cian Longthorpe, 43, set the record last weekend on Saturday in 18 minutes and 53 seconds.
Ms Longthorpe, 43, completed last weekend’s Porthcawl parkrun a full minute and 13 seconds ahead of her nearest rival Deb Roberts.
Ms Yamauchi took to social media to condemn parkrun’s self-ID gender rules after it was revealed that two trans runners had held the women’s record for the fun run, including a former champion fell-runner who was jailed for attempted murder.
She revealed on Twitter that the parkrun women’s record was ‘shattered by a trans-identifying man’ – now known as Miss Longthrop – last Saturday.
It later emerged that another local parkrun women’s record is still held by transgender champion fall runner Lauren Jeska, who was jailed in 2016 for attempting to kill a UK Athletics official.
It sparked an outcry from activists, including the two-time Olympian, who said it signaled an ‘erasing of women’s achievements in parkrun’.
Speaking of Jeska, 41, who holds the women’s record for Aberystwyth parkrun with 17 minutes 38 seconds, Ms Yamauchi said: ‘This full parkrun women’s course record is only the second that I know of held by a male-born person.
‘There could be more that we don’t know about.’
Jessica was sentenced to 18 years in prison in 2017 for the attempted murder of Ralph Knibbs.
Mara Yamauchi criticizes parkrun’s self-identifying gender rules, saying men in women’s divisions mean ‘erasing women’s achievements’
Jeska – who was jailed in 2017 for the attempted murder of a UK athletics official – pictured at a running event. It has emerged that she still holds the parkrun women’s record title
Former British fell-running champion Jessica was jailed in 2017 after a row over her eligibility to compete as a female athlete despite being born male turned violent.
Oxford-educated Jessica, then 42, was jailed for 18 years for repeatedly stabbing UK Athletics head of human resources Ralph Knibbs, then 52.
Mr Nibbs suffered fatal injuries when Jessica took two knives to his office at Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium and attacked him after being told his title on testosterone levels would be null and void.
Two of his colleagues were also injured as they tried to stop the ‘mad’ attack.
As it emerged Jessica still held the title, feminist activists reacted with fury and said they were ‘lost for words’ amid claims it could exclude women from the sport.
Former British Olympic swimmer Sharon Davies also slammed the ‘ridiculous’ and ‘humiliating’ rules that allowed Jessica to retain the title.
He said: ‘It’s safe to say that it’s ridiculous for women to put any course records in the hands of a biological man and even more insulting when that man committed a crime and got angry when asked to provide the results of a testosterone test. All are executable.’
Current parkrun records in both men’s and women’s categories
Melissa Courtney set the UK Parkrun record for fastest female runner with a time of 15 minutes and 31 seconds at Poole in Dorset on Christmas Eve last year.
Meanwhile, Andrew Baddeley is the fastest male runner at UK parkrun, after running the 5km course at Bushy Park on 11 August 2012 in 13 minutes and 48 seconds.
He also wants to see parkrun course records broken down by gender and age, adding: ‘We have to really work for physical activity like sport which is totally dependent on our biology.
‘If we don’t do this then no woman will ever hold any record.’
Heather Binning, founder of the Women’s Rights Network, told The Telegraph: ‘I’m lost for words that a man is stealing what should be women’s records first, and setting these records that won’t be broken – these records are frozen, women won’t beat them.’
Ms Binning added that it was ‘gobsmacking’ that Jessica was in prison for attempting to kill a UK athletics official who questioned her qualifications as a female runner.
Parkrun is a global running community that organizes 5km runs every Saturday for all abilities, encouraging people to run, walk or watch.
Parkrun started in Teddington in 2004 and has gained fans around the world. It allows runners to self-identify their gender as ‘male’, ‘female’, ‘non-binary’ or ‘don’t like to say’.
Regarding Self-ID, a Parkrun spokesperson said the fun run was not a race or athletic competition overseen by a national or international federation and believed it would not be ‘appropriate or practical’ to request proof of gender or ‘judge validity’. A person’s gender identity’.
Former rugby player and UK Athletics official Ralph Nibbs (pictured left) said the attack was a ‘traumatic, life-changing experience’ which robbed him of his freedom.
Lauren Jeska, a transgender former champion fell-runner, was jailed for 18 years for the attempted murder of an athletics official.
Jessica (pictured) jailed in 2017 for attempted stabbing of UK athletics official
Jeska, who moved in 2000, studied mathematics at Oxford University before completing a Masters in Gender, Sexuality and Queer Theory at the University of Leeds.
She has won multiple titles for her performance in the sport, including the 2010, 2011 and 2012 Women’s English Fall Running Champion and the 2012 British Champion.
It is believed that he told some people, including the UK Athletics Board, about his gender transition.
Controversy arose in 2015 when he failed to provide a blood sample to prove that his testosterone levels had dropped significantly in order to continue running as a woman.
As a result, his racing results were declared null and void.
A week before the attack on Mr Nibbs, he had visited Jeska at his home to discuss ‘long-term’ issues with the sports governing committee.
On March 22, 2016, Jeska drove from Wales to Birmingham with two large kitchen knives hidden in a rucksack at the UK Athletics office before launching an attack on Mr Knibbs.
Despite being stabbed in the throat, in a blow that severed both his carotid artery and jugular vein, the victim managed to grab both of Jeska’s wrists as shocked colleagues rushed to his aid.
Two of Mr Knibbs’ colleagues – Tim Begley and Kevan Taylor – were injured as Jesca resisted, with half a dozen staff able to pin him to the ground until police arrived.
A witness said Jessica looked like she was trying to cut meat.
Mr Nibbs told the court the ‘traumatic, life-changing experience’ had robbed him of his independence, left him with long-term nerve damage from the attack and later required life-saving surgery.
He also suffered a stroke during the attack, which resulted in partial permanent vision loss.
Mr Nibbs (pictured left) is a former rugby union player who played for Bristol
Jessica Michael was born and moved in 2000
Jeska is a former champion fall-runner who has won multiple titles for her performance in the sport
Jeska (competing as Michael in 1992), Mackinleath, Powys, was jailed in 2017 for attempted murder of former Bristol RFC center Mr Nibbs in a dispute over whether he could compete as a woman.
Picture of Jessica at a running event
The judge told Jessica that her attack was ‘planned and executed with precision’, calling the case ‘deeply disturbing and complex’.
Her lawyer Julia Warburton described Jessica as a ‘woman in crisis’ at the time.
He said: ‘He will have to have a blood test or he will be removed from his race results. Because of this test, her transgender status will end and she has not talked to some people before.
‘She was a woman in crisis who needed help. He felt like he was being killed.’
Jessica, of Mackinleath, Powys, admitted the attempted murder of former Bristol RFC center Mr Nibbs and was jailed for 18 years, in what the judge described as a ‘cold, calculated attack’ which was ‘completely unprovoked’.
He was found guilty of two counts of assaulting his colleagues Mr Begley and Mr Taylor and carrying a knife in public.
A parkrun spokesman said the fun run was not a race or athletic competition overseen by a national or international federation – such as World Athletics or UK Athletics – as they focused on community-led, inclusion and improving public health.
They added parkrun believed it would not be ‘appropriate or practical’ to request gender proof or ‘judge the validity of a person’s gender identity’.
They continued: ‘At parkrun we aim to be as inclusive and welcoming as possible, and while there is always discussion about how we record and represent people’s identities, we believe our current solution is the most appropriate available at this time. .’
Parkrun was contacted for further comment.