CONCERN over gender inequality at a South Lakes fell running competition has prompted a parent of junior runners to call for change.

Burton-in-Kendal’s Sandra Reid was angered to find the prize money available in Killington Sports’ fell race events differed depending on whether the runner was male or female.

At the moment, the top six runners to finish receive prize money with another three prizes available exclusively to the top three performing female runners.

The highest overall prize for all seniors is £30, with £20 being the highest prize for women. The highest overall prize at junior level is £15, with £10 the highest of the girls’ prizes.

Ms Reid raised concerns over the fact that the top six runners winning larger prizes were likely to be men - but also that, should one of the top six be a woman, the opportunity to win two prizes was only available to females.

She said: “I think it’s ridiculous that in this day and age different prizes are available to boys and girls.

“They run the same distance and put in the same amount of effort, so they should have access to the same prizes.

“It is unfair on both genders in different ways. I have a son and a daughter who both run and I would never want them to grow up thinking one was better than the other because of gender.”

The volunteers who organise Killington Sports have agreed to discuss the issue at their next committee meeting after Ms Reid contacted them on social media.

Richard Gorst, chairman of Killington Sports, said: “Ms Reid has a fair point. It’s been like this for years as in the past there were hardly any girls that took part in the fell races.

“The extra prizes were to encourage more girls to take part. In the past sometimes we’d have three prizes for girls and there wouldn’t be three running. This has been changing over recent years.

“We had our biggest number of entrants this year and we are going to look at changing the way this is done. All our other events that take place have the same prizes available to any gender.”

Over the past couple of years, fell races have started to offer parity in the prizes given out to boys and girls.

The method of awarding prizes at Killington differs from that of some other fell races in the area. Both Ambleside and Grasmere Sports use alternative approaches.

Both genders run together, however the equal prizes are given out separately to the top few boys and top few girls.

Paul McDougall, events manager at Ambleside Sports, said: “A couple of years ago we had a girl running who came first and her brother came third, and she was put out that she got a smaller prize.

“We changed it so it was equal. They run the same race so they should get the same prize.”

The British Open Fell Running Association (BOFRA), which oversees a number of the fell races in the South Lakes, has been pushing for equality in prize money as well.

BOFRA chairman Lee Marshall said: “Killington Sports is a great event and I support it 100 per cent. It can be difficult to make changes at long-established events like these.

“Often the prizes at independent events are down to sponsors, and they decide what to give out. There is also the risk of upsetting people over the heritage of these games by making changes.

“However, times change and we are seeing changes taking place over time, with many races offering the same, or very similar prizes to all genders.

“BOFRA has in recent years pushed for events to offer equal prizes. I am willing to offer advice to sports events on the matter.”