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Runner Jacob Caswell took first place in the nonbinary division of the New York City Marathon on Sunday, becoming the first nonbinary winner to earn top prize money at the race.
Considered one of the crown jewels of long-distance races, the NYC Marathon added its nonbinary division in 2021.
16 runners registered for the category, but in just one year that number has grown to over 60. Five of the six World Marathon Majors races have now adopted nonbinary divisions, but the organization does not currently offer prize money to winners.
This year, New York Road Runners, a non-profit whose mission is to inspire people through running, paid the winning athletes themselves. In total, the New York Road Runners awarded $15K to the top five nonbinary runners, with $5K going to first place.
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The NYC Marathon marked another significant first this year, too, passing a 10-step certification process and earning the Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative’s official “safe space” designation.
“I think there’s still some homophobia that probably exists in sports,” Stacy Lentz, the chief executive of Stonewall Inn Gives Back, told the New York Times. “And we need to make sure that it’s a safe, welcoming, inclusive place for all, and I think the New York City Marathon is leading by example.”
Unseasonably warm fall weather proved especially challenging as the runners made their 26.2 mile journey across the city’s five boroughs, but Caswell’s finishing time of 2 hours 45 minutes and 12 seconds led the pack in the newly established division.
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“I went through the first half a little faster than I should have,” Caswell, who’s studying at Columbia University to receive a Masters of Public Health in Infectious Disease Epidemiology, told Runner’s World. “I wish I felt better, but it is what it is, and I finished. That’s all that matters.”
Other nonbinary prize winners included last year’s winner, Zackary Harris, who finished second, as well as newcomers Justin Solle, Nick Dill and Erin Anthony who came in 3rd-5th, respectively.
“I’ve felt excluded from sports my entire life,” Dill said after the event. “To show up on race day and be recognized for who you are—and to hear people cheering for who you are—is really special. It makes me really emotional.”
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Jake Fedorowski, the creator of The Guide to Nonbinary Inclusion in Running, has been a driving force in expanding gender categories to include nonbinary competitors.
“I imagine the sport of running gets to a place where every individual can show up at the starting line of a race as their full authentic self. I want the next person who identifies as non-binary, as trans, whatever it may be, to show up knowing they are welcome, and have a space at that race,” they told Men’s Health in June.
And lest you think all these inspiring athletes do is clock in miles, Caswell’s Instagram feed proves they know how to have a good time off the track, too:
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abfab
“I think there’s still some homophobia that probably exists in sports,” says Stacy Lentz.
GIVE THIS WOMAN A STANDING OVATION. Oh, brother.
scotty
eat something! anything. please.
RyanMBecker
The NYC running community has always been pretty gay-friendly. Straight friends and colleagues of mine often run in gay events. Some have participated since the 1990s. Being a solo sport makes it less homophobic.