United States: LA Marathon Nonbinary Prize Dispute

Cal Calamia is the top runner in the nonbinary division of the Los Angeles Marathon. Photo credit: Brynn Osborn.

【North America · United States California Los Angeles】Cal Calamia secured a second consecutive victory in the nonbinary division of this year’s Los Angeles Marathon with a time of 2:49:17. Despite competing in grueling 90-degree heat, Calamia received no financial reward, unlike the champions of the men’s and women’s categories who vied for a $25,000 prize pot. This disparity arises from The McCourt Foundation's regulations, which provide a dedicated registration category and medals for nonbinary runners but exclude the division from the prize-eligible "elite" ranks. 

The number of participants in the nonbinary category has grown significantly from zero in 2021 to 150 this year. However, race officials noted that the group still represents only 0.54% of the total field and emphasized that industry standards from World Athletics base elite categorization on sex assigned at birth. 

Calamia continues to advocate for systemic changes in how major races recognize gender-nonconforming athletes. While all seven Abbott World Marathon Majors now include nonbinary categories, the decision to award prize money remains at the discretion of individual race organizers.

North American Editorial Office: Robin