(The Lion) — Should marathons charge people less because of their race, sexual orientation or so-called gender identity?
That’s the plan for the organizers of one Minnesota marathon, which will offer discounted tickets to non-white and LGBT-identifying competitors.
Grandma’s Marathon of Duluth will offer 500 discounted tickets to “communities of color, athletes with disabilities, non-binary athletes, and LGBTQI+ athletes,” according to its website.
“In helping with the cost of registration, our organization hopes to open our arms to runners in those communities and to help them feel a sense of belonging within our race, our city, and our sport,” the website says.
Grandma’s Marathon does not disclose the exact amount of the discount online.
While regular tickets to participate sold out five months in advance, the DEI entries are still available.
Although the marathon organizers incentivize LGBT participation, they place some restrictions on transgender-identifying runners. Notably, transgender runners who are biological males are only eligible for cash prizes or age-division awards in the women’s category if they prove they have suppressed their testosterone level for at least a year and have identified as a woman for at least four years, according to the Daily Wire.
Critics argue that despite such changes, the biological advantages of chromosomes and years of training with elevated testosterone remains.
Additionally, runners who identify as non-binary can register for the “mass participation event,” but must email the elite athletic director if they want to compete in elite fields. The non-binary-identifying runners must compete in a separate prize pool against each other, preventing more males from competing in the women’s category.
Named after original sponsor Grandma’s Saloon & Grill, Grandma’s Marathon began in 1977 and now attracts over 20,000 runners annually, making it one of the biggest marathons in the country. The contestants run along Lake Superior’s shores and end up in downtown Duluth.
Other marathons nationwide have had transgender-identifying competitors, including the Boston Marathon, New York City Marathon, San Francisco Marathon, and California International Marathon, among others. The Boston Marathon also has a non-binary category.
