One of the most prestigious foot races in the world, the Boston Marathon, will allow athletes to compete next year without disclosing what gender they are.
Normally, there is a men’s and women’s division. Race organizers announced on Monday, the day that registrations opened for the event, that there will be a non-binary choice on the application for the April 17 race. The London Marathon quickly followed suit.
The organization has not published its guidelines in full for how nonbinary runners will be ranked, nor has it established anything firm for transgender runners — those women or men who have undergone surgery and chemical treatments to live as and be understood as someone from the opposite gender.
Runners hoping to compete in the annual race are required to meet strict qualifying times. The BAA said that because it does not yet have enough data to establish nonbinary qualifying times, it will use standards applied to their biological division. This does not necessarily mean women will be stripped of their medals if non-binary runners win, but the organization hasn’t fully explained what it means by using the women’s division standards. Will non-binary runners have their own category? The Boston Athletic Association has not explained it.
To be considered a non-binary competitor, a runner will have needed to compete a qualifying marathon as a non-binary participant between Sept. 1 2021 and Sept. 16 2022. For 2023, athletes must make their respective men’s and women’s division qualifying times, which will apply to their actual biological gender at birth.
“As we prepare for future races, participants can expect nonbinary times to be updated accordingly,” the BAA said in a statement. “While we do not currently have qualifying standards for non-binary athletes, we are working on ways non-binary participants are accepted into the event.”
The registration for the 127th running of the marathon ends Friday, Sept. 16. The 2023 race will have a field of 30,000 participants, all of whom must have met the race qualifying standards that can be found here. For this year’s 2022 marathon, some 38 Alaskans were qualified to run in the April race.
Runners, in addition to having to done well in qualifying races, also must follow the organization’s Covid protocols that include potentially having to show proof of vaccination, and wearing a face mask in designated areas. The organization says its protocols are subject to change.
