For the first time, London Marathon events will offer a non-binary gender option to applicants in the 2023 TCS London Marathon ballot. It will open on Saturday, October 1.
Event director Hugh Brasher said: “This is a significant step forward for the TCS London Marathon as we continue our journey to make our event truly inclusive.
“We know there is still much more to be done, but changes such as this demonstrate our commitment to making the TCS London Marathon an event that is for everyone.”
This change comes after a long-running period of review and consultation by the event organisers, as part of their work to make the event more diverse, equitable, and inclusive.
Participants will be able to select male, female, or non-binary when entering the ballot. The three gender options will also be offered to mass-participation entrants registering via other entry routes, including charity entries.
However, the elite athlete races, plus the Championship and Good For Age categories, which all follow the World Athletics’ rules, will not offer a non-binary gender option.
The announcement follows news from the Boston Athletic Association earlier this week that the Boston Marathon registration application (which opened on Monday, September 12 and closes on Friday, September 16) will feature a non-binary option, too.
Non-binary qualifying standards are yet to be established, however, for the 2023 event, the qualification time for non-binary participants will be the same as the qualifying times for female entrants.
This mirrors the New York City Marathon, where the qualification times for non-binary participants is also consistent with the women’s.
