--- title: Boston Marathon Affirms Status of Transgender Runners description: The Boston Marathon has reiterated its policy that allows transgender runners to compete under their self-identified gender. canonical: https://time.com/5232877/boston-marathon-transgender-runners/ author: Alix Langone article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-04-09T14:01:38.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T19:54:31.615Z article:section: Sports og:title: Transgender Runners Can Compete in the Boston Marathon as Their Self-Identified Gender og:description: "We don't require that runners outline their gender identity history with us" og:url: https://time.com/5232877/boston-marathon-transgender-runners/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta7dd16349695b244/69892d200a4a22cc959d257a/boston-marathon-2018-transgender-runners-women.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: 121st Boston Marathon og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Transgender Runners Can Compete in the Boston Marathon as Their Self-Identified Gender twitter:description: "We don't require that runners outline their gender identity history with us" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta7dd16349695b244/69892d200a4a22cc959d257a/boston-marathon-2018-transgender-runners-women.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Transgender Runners Can Compete in the Boston Marathon as Their Self-Identified Gender, Organizers Affirm > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. by [Alix Langone](https://time.com/author/alix-langone/) ## Alix Langone Apr 9, 2018 2:01 PM UTC  Runners make their way toward the finish line of the 121st Boston Marathon in Boston on Apr. 17, 2017. Runners make their way toward the finish line of the 121st Boston Marathon in Boston on Apr. 17, 2017.Jessica Rinaldi - Boston Globe/ Getty Images by [Alix Langone](https://time.com/author/alix-langone/) ## Alix Langone Apr 9, 2018 2:01 PM UTC The Boston Marathon has reiterated its policy that allows transgender runners to compete under their self-identified gender – amid renewed debate among runners. The Boston Athletic Association, which oversees the marathon, told [NPR](https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/04/08/600654072/transgender-runners-can-race-boston-marathon-under-identified-gender) that organizers only ask that runners compete under the same gender identity they declared when they qualified for the marathon. That policy has been in place for “several years,” according to the statement given to NPR. The New York and Chicago marathons have similar policies, NPR reported. “We don’t require that runners outline their gender identity history with us, so we can’t say for certain how many trans runners are in our race. We do know that we have had several transgender runners in the past,” the Boston Athletic Association told NPR. However, runners are required to show a government-issued ID to get an official bib number and, BAA said “We do compare the ID with the person’s qualification-associated gender description.” The Boston Athletic Association told NPR it does not have a specific policy on how it would handle a runner whose gender identity is not the same as the one listed on the government ID. The BAA said it would try to resolve the issue with “a strong emphasis on inclusion.” The issue of transgender runners has become a topic of discussion in the marathon community following an [article in _Canadian Running_ magazine](https://runningmagazine.ca/first-three-transgender-women-preparing-race-boston-marathon/) about three transgender women who will run the elite race as their identified gender. Some commenters questioned whether transgender women have an unfair advantage in the race because they could have higher levels of testosterone. _Canadian Running_ highlighted three transgender women who qualified for the 2018 Boston Marathon — Amelia Gapin of Jersey City, New Jersey; Grace Fisher of Hancock, Maryland; and Stevie Romer of Woodstock, Illinois. In 2016, Gapin [was on the cover of _Women’s Running_](http://womensrunning.competitor.com/2016/06/news/amelia-gapin-transgender-cover-runner%5F60696) and told that publication that being able to openly run as a woman was something that motivated her to move forward with gender reassignment surgery, which she had previously been undecided about. Gapin went _“_back and forth about surgery for awhile,” _Women’s Running_ wrote. “She hesitated for many reasons, not the least of which was the apprehension and fear she had of the long and intense post-operation recovery period.” Women were barred from officially entering in the Boston Marathon until 1971\. The issue came to national attention in 1968 when Katherine Switzer was issued a bib number after she did not identify herself as female. Race organizers famously tried unsuccessfully to physically pull her out of the race. The [122nd Boston Marathon](http://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/event-information.aspx), which is the oldest annual marathon in the world, takes places on “Marathon Monday,” April 16. 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