The Boston Marathon is going woke ahead of its 127th running.
Organizers announced Monday that, for the first time, runners will not be forced to select their gender when registering for the event.
“Non-binary athletes who have completed a marathon as a non-binary participant during the current qualifying window (September 1, 2021 through September 16, 2022) may submit an entry application into the 2023 Boston Marathon between September 12-16, 2022. Entry into the event will be determined by an athlete’s submitted time and based on the Boston Marathon’s overall field size limit. The Boston Marathon registration application will feature the option to select non-binary in regards to gender,” reads the Boston Athletic Association’s website.
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There are not yet standards for qualification when it comes to nonbinary runners, it added, explaining that “with this being our first year, we do not yet have enough data to establish non-binary qualifying times. Therefore, we will use the times listed here, as they are inclusive of the qualifying times for the two existing divisions. As we prepare for future races, participants can expect non-binary times to be updated accordingly. We view this first year as an opportunity to learn and grow together.”
The times listed for nonbinary athletes also happen to be the qualifying times for women, meaning males who decide to register as nonbinary individuals could be accepted into the marathon by these less stringent standards.
The association also claims to be conducting conversations with nonbinary athletes to include nonbinary individuals in more events.
Registration for the marathon will close on Friday at 5:00 p.m.
The marathon will take place Monday, April 17, 2023.
This year, during the 126th marathon, 25,314 runners took off from the starting line. About 98.4% also crossed the finish line.
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In 2013, a bombing during the famous marathon shook the United States. Three were killed and hundreds more were injured after Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and his brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev conducted the attack. Tamerlan was wounded, later succumbing to his injuries. Dzhokhar was convicted for his crimes in 2015.
