Ehe Boston Marathon will include a category for non-binary athletes, that is, athletes who do not feel identified with the male or female gender, for its next edition, which will be held in April 2023.
The creation of this category implies that the athlete does not have to register as a man or woman to dispute this ‘major’, the oldest marathon, which was disputed for the first time in 1897.
“While we currently do not have qualification standards for non-binary athletes, we are working on ways for non-binary participants to be accepted into the event,” the organization says on its website. Because, although the number of races that offer this category has increased, its inclusion is still not widespread and that makes it difficult to contribute a brand.
We see this first year as an opportunity to learn and grow together
That is why, from the Boston Marathon, they appeal to work and learning to polish those details, although For the time being, the runners have to accredit the times of the women’s category as a cut.
“This being our first year, we don’t yet have enough data to set non-binary qualifying times. As we prepare for future races, entrants can expect non-binary times to be updated accordingly. We see this first year as an opportunity to learn more.” and grow together”, collects the official website.
In the United States, the Philadelphia Distance Run already included the non-binary category and later a half marathon and the Brooklyn Marathon in April this year.
Nikki Hiltz, non-binary athlete who finished second in the women’s Fifth Avenue Mile race behind Britain’s Laura Muir last Sunday, praised the decision to add a non-binary division. “There is still a lot of work to do, but I am delighted that non-binary runners are being recognized by the Boston Marathon,” she said.