A 54-year-old man who ran a few months ago in the men's category of the Tokyo and New York Marathon, recently participated as a woman in the United Kingdom and beat some 14,000 women.
Glenique Frank, managed to evade the rules of UK Athletics and participate last Sunday in the women's category of the London Marathon. According to the runner, the reason he signed up as a woman is because that's how he feels. However, this did not stop him from signing up as a man last month in Tokyo and in November in New York.
Olympic marathon runner complains
Mara Yamauchi, Britain's third-fastest female marathon runner in history, criticized the organizers of the London event for allowing a man to run in the women's category and called it "wrong and unfair" to the rest of the women who took part.
The Olympic marathon runner pointed out that allowing the man to participate in the women's category took away the possibility for other women to finish the race in a better position. Yamauchi recalled that when she ranked "second in the world" as a woman "at least 1,300 men" managed to run faster than her.
"This man competed under UK Athletics' transitional arrangements, but it isstill wrong and unfair," he said.
This male ran in yesterday’s #LondonMarathon as Glenique Frank in the female category (Mass race) finishing in 6160th place out of 20123. So nearly 14,000 actual females suffered a worse finish position bc of him.
Last month, he ran in the Tokyo Marathon, as Glen Frank, also… https://t.co/u2UmaFBSns
— Mara Yamauchi (@mara_yamauchi) April 24, 2023
Transition arrangements
At the end of March, UK Athletics decided to enforce World Athletics rules on transgender people, preventing men from participating in elite women's competitions so that it is "fair that athletes who have gone through male puberty are excluded." But the organization allowed those who had already registered for the races to compete even though the category did not correspond to their biological sex.
Frank apologizes
After the controversy, the runner apologized for entering the women's category. However, he stressed that he does not consider that he has cheated. Frank said the only reason he ran as a man in marathons like Tokyo and New York was because his passport is still male and he has not yet had surgery.
Despite that, she assured that she will not participate again as a woman in sports races "where there is prize money", at least until she has female genitalia.
