The Bank of America Chicago Marathontaking place Sunday, Oct. 9, throughout the cityhas quietly made a significant change this year.
The race will hold a non-binary division for the first time ever, The Chicago Sun-Times reported. However, there was no formal announcement of the development. (Approximately 70 of the 40,000 registered runners are in the non-binary division, and the Shamrock Shuffle and Chicago 13.1 already have non-binary divisions.)
"Personally, it feels hurtful because it feels performative, or brushed under the rug, because it really is a big deal," said Cal Calamia, a non-binary teacher in San Francisco who grew up in Grayslake, Illinois.
"This year would have been perfect for me to participate in the non-binary category," added Jessica Gorden-Song, a Chicagoan who founded the organization TransRun. "Not having any races I could participate in really took a mental toll on me this year."
When asked about the lack of a public announcement, marathon spokeswoman Alex Sawyer responded, "While we're excited to introduce the non-binary division, we recognize the opportunity for continued dialogue, learning and progress with our event. Discussions are ongoing with non-binary participants and leaders within our sport to work together [toward] our goal of creating more inclusive event experiences," adding that non-binary runners can still compete for age-group awards.
The Bank of America Chicago Marathon is the second major marathon in the country to open a division for non-binary runners, following the New York City Marathon last year. Two other World Major Marathons, London and Boston, will host non-binary divisions in their 2023 races.
The full Sun-Times article is at tinyurl.com/582f9r78 .