Boston Marathon Adds Non-Binary Division To 2023 Run

BOSTON, MA — For the first time since its inception, non-binary athletes will be able to register for the 2023 Boston Marathon in their own division, according to the event's website.

In a statement, the Boston Athletic Association said it is currently working on "expanding opportunities" for non-binary athletes. As part of the expansion, people who have completed a marathon during the current qualifying window of Sept. 1 through Sept. 16 as a non-binary participant may also apply to run the 127th Boston Marathon as a non-binary athlete.

If someone identifies as non-binary, it means they do not identify as male or female.

The 2023 Boston Marathon is scheduled for April 17. The window to register opened Monday and ends on Sept. 16.

"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 Athletic Association's statement read. "The Boston Marathon registration application will feature the option to select non-binary in regards to gender."

For the 2023 race, qualifying times for non-binary athletes will be the same as for female athletes; however, race organizers said they view this first year as "an opportunity to learn and grow together."

"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 statement read. "As we prepare for future races, participants can expect non-binary times to be updated accordingly."

The Boston Marathon is the latest race to add a division for non-binary runners. In fact, more than 200 races in the United States have created nonbinary divisions or allow people to register as nonbinary, The New York Times reported citing a database created by Jake Fedorowski, a marathon runner and advocate for non-binary inclusion in sports.

According to the Times, the most-recent Brooklyn Marathon and Half Marathon had 82 finishers in the nonbinary division. Last year, the Philadelphia Distance Run became the first road race to have a non-binary division and to award equal prize money to winners in all divisions.