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Editor’s note: A previous version of the article stated that the top five nonbinary runners earned prize money. New York Road Runners rules state that athletes must run faster than a 3:10:00 marathon to be eligible for prize money. Only the top two nonbinary runners ran faster than 3:10:00.
On a balmy Staten Island morning, the largest field of nonbinary runners in marathon history so far gathered to race 26.2 miles through the five boroughs.
While it wasn’t the first time the the New York City Marathon crowned a nonbinary division champion, the event made history by becoming the first World Major Marathon to award prize money to nonbinary athletes. New York City resident Jake Caswell ran 2:45:12 to cross the finish line first.
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The warmer than usual conditions made it difficult for runners to keep a fast pace. “I went through the first half a little faster than I should have,” Caswell told Runner’s World. “I wish I felt better, but it is what it is, and I finished. That’s all that matters.”
The World Marathon Majors’ governing body doesn’t currently offer prize money to nonbinary athletes, despite five of the six races adding nonbinary divisions. New York Road Runners (NYRR) paid the athletes out of its own pocket instead. Here’s how much the athletes could earn by place:
- 1st - $5,000
- 2nd - $4,000
- 3rd - $3,000
- 4th - $2,000
- 5th - $1,000
Zackary Harris, last year’s winner, finished behind Caswell to take second in 3:09:41. Justin Solle was third in 3:14:48. Nick Dill finished fourth with their time of 3:27:30. Erin Anthony rounded out the top five with a 3:29:33 finish. NYRR rules state that runners must finish the marathon under 3:10:00 to be eligible for prize money, so only the top two finishers earned prizes.
Dill struggled with the heat as well, but was happy to run a marathon in the nonbinary division for the first time. “I’ve felt excluded from sports my entire life. 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,” Dill said, tearing up.
At an event held by Michelob Ultra the night before the race, Jake Fedorowski, the creator of The Guide to Nonbinary Inclusion in Running, explained the anxiety nonbinary runners feel when forced to be put into the gender binary.
“It’s heavy, and as runners, we want to feel weightless,” Fedorowski said. By building out nonbinary divisions, “folks show up to the starting line as their authentic selves and just exist in the space.”
The event kicked off the Michelob Ultra Run Fund, which provides first-time marathoners from underrepresented genders with training plans and free entries to the New York City Marathon.
Kathrine Switzer, who made history in 1967 as the first woman to race the Boston Marathon, was also on the panel. “The marathon itself is one of the greatest examples of inclusivity, diversity, respect, and equality. So [the nonbinary] discussion opens the floodgates a lot more,” she said. “In the race, I don’t know the guy over here who is a different color than me, I don’t know the gender of this person over here—and I don’t care. We're sweaty and stinky together, and it doesn’t matter.”
Chris Hatler is a writer and editor based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but before joining Runner’s World and Bicycling, he was a pro runner for Diadora, qualifying for multiple U.S. Championships in the 1500 meters. At his alma mater the University of Pennsylvania, Chris was a multiple-time Ivy League conference champion and sub-4 minute miler.
