Registration for the 127th edition of the Boston Marathon began on Monday. New for the 2023 vintage: a “non-binary” box appears on the forms. Less than 24 hours later, another equally prestigious race, the London Marathon, followed suit. On Wednesday, its organizers indeed confirmed that there will now be three gender categories – men, women and non-binary – for participants in the 2023 edition, whose registrations open on October 1. Hugh Brasher, the boss of the British marathon, welcomes a “significant step forward as we continue our journey to make our event truly inclusive”. He also says his intention to make the event “the most diverse, equitable and inclusive marathon in the world”.
Advances still in small steps: Boston does not have “for the time of qualification criteria for non-binary athletes”. The Boston Athletic Association (BAA) said to work “on the means of integrating them into this demonstration”, emphasizing that the data are still insufficient to set minima. In the future, and as the organizers have times achieved by athletes registered in the non-binary category, it will be possible to set these minimums, specifies the BAA. “We see this first experience as an opportunity for all of us to learn and grow.”
In London, elite races, as well as the “Championship” and “Good for Age” categories, which are all still governed by World Athletics rules, will not, however, be able to open this category for the moment. . Ditto For Boston, which wishes to broaden its inclusive criteria for the other races in the city (5km, a 10km and the half-marathon).
Five of the six largest marathons open to non-binaries
“There’s still so much work to do, but I’m thrilled that non-binary runners are being recognized by the Boston Marathon and the BAA”hailed middle-distance athlete Nikki Hiltz, who began a transition process last year and narrowly missed out on the US team for the Tokyo Olympics.
These notable changes come a year after the Philadelphia 42.195 km became the first major marathon in the United States to create a category open to non-binary people, while reserving the same prize money (victory bonuses) for the winners of the three categories. The Brooklyn Marathon and Half Marathon followed suit in April 2021, with 82 competitors crossing the finish line as non-binary.
More broadly, among the six most famous meetings in the world over the distance – New York, Berlin, Chicago, London, Boston and Tokyo – only the Japanese race does not admit, to date, categories dedicated to non binaries. The Japanese organizers have not (yet) communicated on the subject.