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Fury as Parkrun women’s record is revealed to be held by transgender attempted murderer
Fury as Parkrun women’s record is revealed to be held by transgender attempted murderer who was jailed for trying to stab UK Athletics official to death
Feminist activists have slammed a transgender runner who still holds the Parkrun women’s record despite being jailed for attempting to murder a UK Athletics official.
Lauren Jeska was jailed in 2017 when a dispute with UK Athletics official over her eligibility to compete as a female athlete when she was born male turned violent.
But it has emerged that on the Parkrun website, Jeska continues to hold the women’s record for the Aberystwyth Parkrun, seven years after the attack, prompting fury form feminist activists who demand she is stripped of the title.
Jeska was handed an 18-year sentence in 2017 for repeatedly stabbing UK Athletics’ head of HR Ralph Knibbs, then 42.
He suffered life-threatening stab injuries after Jeska took two knives to his office at Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium in March 2016.
Lauren Jeska, a female former champion fell-runner who was born a man, has been jailed for 18 years for the attempted murder of an athletics official
Jeska (pictured) was jailed in 2017 for attempting to stab a UK Athletics official to death
Heather Binning, founder of the Women’s Rights Network, told The Telegraph she was ‘lost for words’.
She said: ‘I am lost for words that a male is stealing what should be women’s records first of all, and setting these records that will not be broken – these records are frozen, women won’t beat them.’
She said the fact Jeska continued to hold the title would mean ‘girls and women will not in these circumstances want to participate’ in Parkrun’s 5km races.
‘More people take part in Parkrun than the Olympics – it does matter. The grassroots is where the elite athletes come from,’ Binning said. ‘Politicians are turning their backs and sports associations are frightened and are being hung out to dry.’
Jeska, who studied maths at Oxford University before completing a master’s in Gender, Sexuality and Queer Theory at the University of Leeds, won a series of titles for her performance in the sport.
However, it is understood that prior to her attack, UK Athletics had planned to review the Jeska’s status as a female athlete,
The champion runner in turn faced the possibility of having her titles stripped by UK Athletics, if it were to be found she had an unfair advantage over other women, due to being born a man.
UK Athletics official Ralph Knibbs (pictured) endued life-threatening injuries and described the attack in court as a ‘traumatic, life-changing experience’
Jeska was jailed for 18 years in 2017 for the attempted murder of Ralph Knibbs
The attempted murder saw Jeska, who was born and raised in Lancaster, drive more than 100 miles from her home in Machynlleth, Wales to UK Athletics’ HQ in Alexander Stadium in Birmingham on 22 March.
The champion runner then walked through reception, into the sporting body’s open plan office, armed with three knives, including a 13cm kitchen knife, before stabbing Knibbs a number of times.
Two other men – accountant Timothy Begley and finance director Kevan Taylor – were also injured while intervening to stop the attack.
The fell-runner was given an 18-year sentence in 2017 for the attack. She continues to hold a record for the Aberystwyth Parkrun, with a time of 17 minutes 38 seconds.
Sources speaking to The Telegraph at the time said that while it was well known in the fell-running community that Jeska was transgender, it is believed she had not told professional bodies.
