Daventry transgender runner calls for separate category

Glenique Frank said she entered the London Marathon as a female as there was no transgender category

A transgender woman has started a campaign for a separate category to be introduced in sports events.

Glenique Frank ran this year's London Marathon, but was criticised by former Olympic runner Mara Yamauchi because she entered as a female.

The 54-year-old, from Daventry, Northamptonshire, apologised but said there was no transgender category.

She said she had "negative, dark thoughts" following the criticism and wanted a change to be made.

Earlier this year, World Athletics banned transgender women from competing in the female category at international events.

The London Marathon elite race was subject to those rules but mass participation event was not.

For the first time this year it allowed non-elite runners to register as non-binary, male or female for the first time.

But Ms Frank said she entered as a female as there was no transgender category, saying: "I know who I am, I'm a transgender woman."

Mass participation runners in the 2023 London Marathon could register as non-binary, rather than male or female

Following an interview on the BBC during the race she was criticised by Yamauchi, who finished sixth in 2008 Olympic marathon, saying it was "wrong and unfair" for her to compete as a female.

Ms Frank, who ran to raise money for a charity, said that was "just sad because it affected me", which was made worse by a false Facebook post claiming she had won a female category.

"I took two weeks off because I thought I was going to get mobbed or beaten up," she said.

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She said: "I want to campaign to get a category in world sport and charity events, anything, for transgender athletes.

"Governments around the world need to look at this seriously because there is a lot of transgender athletes that are entering illegally and it's actually giving the transgender community a bad name."

UK Athletics has applied the same rules as World Athletics but said "consideration will be given" to changing the current male category to an open category.

In 2022, British Triathlon become the first British sporting body to establish a new "open" category in which transgender athletes can compete.

World cycling's governing body, the UCI, also said there would be a "men/open" category for anyone who has transitioned after male puberty.

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