Health and fitness charity Parkrun has apologised after an email that has been described as 'thoughtless' and 'triggering' was sent out to female runners this week. The message, aimed at supporting research into the impact of running and exercise through pregnancy, was sent to women who have registered to take part in its free, weekly 5k running events.
But the subject line of the email has caused upset among those who have faced conception difficulties, miscarriages and stillbirths, by addressing the user by name and asking about their pregnancy. The email was headed 'Sophie', did you run while pregnant?' And sparked followers on social media to criticise the wording and targetting of the message.
Parkrun has since apologised for the 'distress and upset caused,' stating it was never the company's intention, and vowing to 'learn and improve' following the incident. One Parkrun fan told of how, having undergone a hysterectomy in the past, Parkrun had helped her get back into exercise and improved her mental health, but branded the email 'totally and utterly insensitive', suggesting the subject line should have been more generic.
@c.l.a.i.r.e.r.u.n.s wrote: "Do better parkrun. Your email was thoughtless and will have caused distress to many of us. And just days after ‘celebrating’ international women’s day." @jamie__cheri responded, "agreed. Very triggering". Another follower wrote of how she had been through IVF, but went on to suffer a miscarriage, and how she struggled with receiving such an email so close to what would have been her due date. "It’s not the email I was expecting to see or I felt strong enough to see," she added.
"Disappointing, thoughtless and disrespectful to send a mass email to all women calling out their name and assuming they’ve all had a successful pregnancy. Do better," wrote @girlrunningcrazy. And @georgies_journeygj added: "ParkRun you are wonderful, but sending this as an email to your database today was unnecessary and insensitive to those going through fertility struggles. It can’t be assumed that all women have been or will one day be pregnant."
What the email said
The full email read: "Did you run while pregnant? Hi Sophie*, as part of our ongoing mission to create a healthier, happier planet, we support a small number of independent research projects each year. Running is a popular and accessible form of exercise that many women aim to continue during pregnancy. However, very little is known of women’s experiences of running while pregnant.
"Researchers at Auckland University of Technology (AUT) and The University of Waikato in New Zealand are on a quest to change this. As such they’re conducting a short survey which aims to develop insight into women’s experiences of running during pregnancy, including running habits, concerns/issues and the timing and reasons for changing or stopping running.
"Specifically, they're looking for women who meet the following criteria: over the age of 18 years, have a child who is currently under the age of 5 years, ran regularly at least 1 time per week, for a minimum of 20 minutes before their most recent pregnancy, ran during (any part of) their pregnancy. The survey is completely anonymous, takes approximately 10 minutes to complete, and can be accessed here before 18 March 2022. Thank you for your support. Happy Parkrunning! Parkrun".
What Parkrun has said
A Parkrun spokesperson said: "We're so sorry that the email regarding research into running in pregnancy has caused distress and upset. This was, of course, never our intention. At Parkrun, we listen to all feedback, and continually strive to learn and improve."
The name at the start of the email's subject line was personalised to the user. Reach plc has made the editorial decision not to name those in this article who discussed personal health experiences.
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