GENDER SCORING AND PROTEST POLICY

Adopted by the Buffalo Marathon Board of Directors

The Buffalo Marathon Weekend strives to create and foster a culture of inclusivity. With this in mind, we have established this policy for each of our events. 

Definitions

For the purposes of this policy, the Buffalo Marathon defines gender as:

• Male/Female:

  • Gender assigned at birth

  • Transgender female (male-to-female) – awards will only go to those who have undergone continuous, medically supervised hormone treatment as defined by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

  • A transgender male (female-to-male) – awards will only go to those who have undergone continuous, medically supervised hormone treatment as defined by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

• Man/Woman and Men/Women: The gender one identifies as. 

• Non-Binary: Not identifying as either a man, a woman, or any gender at all.

Scoring Divisions (Based on Registration)

• Men –  Open to everyone identifying as a man.

• Women – Open to everyone identifying as a woman.

• Open – Open to everyone regardless of the gender they identify as.

  • The Open Division appears as “Non-Binary” and “Prefer Not to Say” on the registration page.

Awards

• Men and Women Divisions

  • Marathon, Half Marathon overall first, second and third place finishers.

  • Marathon, Half Marathon and 5k Master first place finisher (ages 40 and over).

  • Marathon, Half Marathon and 5k age groups (see website for current age groups).

  • 5k overall first place finisher.

• Open Division

  • Marathon, Half Marathon overall first, second and third place finishers.

  • 5k overall first place finisher.

• Finishers are eligible for a single award; for example, if you are the first-place finisher, you will not be eligible for the age group finisher award.

• Awards will be mailed after the results are made official.

• To be eligible for awards, transgender athletes must meet the eligibility criteria as defined by the  World Athletics Book of Rules C3.5.

Protests

• Protests are limited to:

  • men and women’s divisions.

  • award positions only.

  • people who are eligible for awards.

• Finishers have the right to protest another finisher’s division assignment.

• Finishers are limited to two protests, each identifying a specific finisher.

• All protests must be received by the race director at rd@buffalomarathon.org within 48 hours of the event’s completion and must include the reason for the protest.

• Neither party may publicly post or discuss the challenge until a decision has been reached by the race. Any public posts regarding a challenge before a decision is rendered will nullify the protest. Challenges not related to a runner’s gender status, such as course cutting or other rule violations, will be handled in the normal process.

• After 48 hours, any protests received will be resolved and the results will become official. No further adjustments will be made.

• Finishers under protest will be disqualified if they do not satisfy the gender evidence requirements.

• If you are the subject of a challenge, you will need to produce a valid birth certificate showing you are competing in the division that aligns with your gender assigned at birth.

• Transgender athletes must produce medical evidence to our medical director within 48 hours of the protest that they meet the eligibility criteria as defined by the  World Athletics Book of Rules C3.5.

• All evidence will be kept strictly confidential and will be destroyed upon resolution of the protest.

   

Note: Optionally, any transitioning athlete may present evidence showing they meet the eligibility criteria as defined by the World Athletics Book of Rules C3.5 to compete in the gender division that they select.

Feedback Welcome

We invite runners to provide any feedback regarding the new Open Division following Buffalo Marathon Weekend by emailing information@buffalomarathon.org.

EFFECTIVE DATE

This Privacy Policy is effective on March 15, 2023.

LAST UPDATE DATE

March 15, 2023