Women pay price for trans runner rules, says Radcliffe
PAULA RADCLIFFE has waded into a row over the entry requirements for transgender athletes at one of the world’s most elite marathons, suggesting they are “unfair” on women.
Around 30,000 runners will line up to compete at the Boston Marathon a week today after securing a place by hitting the qualifying time for their age and gender category.
For men aged between 18 and 34, a Boston bib has to be earned with a time of 3hrs 5mins or quicker over the 26.2 miles in an official race. Women of the same age, meanwhile, need to beat a target that is half an hour slower.
The Boston Athletic Association officially confirmed before last year’s event that transgender runners could compete as the gender with which they identify. It meant several runners who identified as female secured places, despite not having times quick enough to have qualified in the male categories.
Radcliffe, Britain’s most celebrated female distance runner, responding to a story about trans runners in last year’s marathon, wrote: “The serious significance here is worse because Boston is notoriously difficult to qualify for.
“Opening women’s qualifying times up to any male who ‘self-identifies’ as female is unfair because the end result will be that female Boston qualifying times are made harder due to the added numbers achieving them.
“They can identify however they want to. Just not in a sporting competition where they can deprive a woman of a qualifying place.”
The London Marathon has no imminent plans to bring in similar rules.
Unlike Boston, the April 28 marathon is made up of runners who have won a place in the ballot, are running to help a charity or automatically qualified with a “good for age” time.
Nick Bitel, head of London Marathon Events, told The Daily Telegraph: “The marathon is held under IAAF and British Athletics rules. Both bodies are reviewing the rules for transgender runners and we await the outcome.”