Suffolk Marathon Considers Adding Non-Binary Category For 2023

BABYLON, NY — Organizers of the Suffolk County Marathon are to seriously consider adding a non-binary division for next year's race, according to Newsday.

The action would be part of a worldwide effort to make running competitions more gender inclusive.

The New York City Marathon began its non-binary category for runners in 2021.

Boston and London marathons also became the latest of the major world-class competitions last week to announce they will accept non-binary registrants for 2023.

More than 200 races in the United States have created non-binary divisions or allow people to register as non-binary, The New York Times reported citing a database created by Jake Fedorowski, a marathon runner and advocate for non-binary inclusion in sports.

According to the Times, the most-recent Brooklyn Marathon and Half Marathon had 82 finishers in the non-binary division. Last year, the Philadelphia Distance Run became the first road race to have a non-binary division and to award equal prize money to winners in all divisions.

The 2022 Suffolk County Marathon, which will take place on Sunday Oct. 23 and start in the Village of Babylon, will only include female and male categories.