A transgender woman, Glenique Frank, now faces criticism after beating thousands of women in the London Marathon female category. The trans marathoner previously competed in the New York Marathon as a man named Glen.
No less than the two-time Olympian, Mara Yamauchi, says it is "unfair" that the trans runner joined the London Marathon after competing as a man a couple of months ago.
Trans Runner Beat 14,000 Women in London Marathon
According to the Daily Mail, the United Kingdom Athletics recently banned transgender athletes from its events. Last March 31, it announced that it will exclude trans women that have already gone past puberty in the "female category."
But despite that, the UK Athletics still allowed athletes who formerly entered a category beyond their biological sex to continue joining. So if a marathoner previously joined a certain category in a sports event, they may still pursue it despite the new rules that follow the mechanics of the World Athletics.
It turns out that the trans runner, Frank, competed in the London Marathon under the transitional mechanics of the UK Athletics, which still allows her to continue with the event under the female category, Fox News reports.
Frank successfully bested roughly 14,000 women in the recent London Marathon. The trans personal trainer competed under the 50-54 age bracket and finished a 26.2-mile run, crossing the line after over four hours.
After her successful race, the trans runner says she was "almost in tears" due to the support she has gotten from various women during her grueling 4 hours, 11 minutes, and 28-second marathon. The Daily Mail notes that Frank sits on the 6,160th ranking in the mass marathon, wherein more than 20,000 women have competed.
It is worth noting that it is not her first time competing in the London Marathon. In fact, it is her 17th consecutive run in the annual event. Above and beyond that, Frank previously ran in Tokyo and New York.
But this time, she is the center of controversy after entering the London competition under the UK Athletics transition rules.
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Two-Time Olympian Says Trans Joining the Female Marathon Category is 'Unfair'
The New York Post reports that two-time Olympian Mara Yamauchi was pretty straightforward when she expressed her disappointment at the trans women who bested roughly 14,000 women in the London Marathon.
The Olympian, who previously competed at the Beijing Olympics last 2008 to represent Great Britain, finds Frank's win "unfair." She says in her recent tweet that "males in the female category is UNFAIR for females."
On top of that, she also shared a video of Frank in an interview during the marathon. Yamauchi quote retweeted the clip, saying that around "14,000 actual females suffered a worse finish position [because] of him."
