Goal

To establish rules to encourage and facilitate the participation of transgender and nonbinary runners at WSER with the goal of ensuring fair and inclusive practices that respect the personal rights and dignity of transgender and nonbinary entrants while preserving the integrity of competition for awards and records.

Transgender Entrants

Transgender women can register to compete:

• in the female category provided they have been undergoing continuous, medically supervised hormone treatment for gender transition for at least one year prior to the race, or

• in the male category with no restrictions. 

Transgender men can register to compete:

• in the male or female category, unless they are undergoing hormone treatment related to gender transition that includes testosterone or any other banned substance in which case they must register in the male category.

Nonbinary Entrants

During registration all entrants will have the opportunity to select their gender category – male, female, or nonbinary. Entrants who select nonbinary will also be asked to select a category (male or female) for results and awards.

• Nonbinary entrants who are male assigned at birth must select male as their category for results and awards, unless they meet the requirements for transgender women to compete in the female category under this policy.

• Nonbinary entrants who are female assigned at birth can choose the female or male category for results and awards, unless they are undergoing hormone treatment related to gender transition that includes testosterone or any other banned substance, in which case they must select the male category.

Policy Enforcement

A runner’s self-declared gender and results/awards category selected at registration will be accepted at face value. The sole reason for this policy is to ensure fairness regarding competition for awards. Therefore, there shall be no basis for, or tolerance of, any challenge to a runner’s self-declared gender or results/award category unless a top 10 finish or age group award is at stake.

WSER shall have the sole authority to review any challenge under this policy. Any such challenge must be made in person or writing to the Race Director prior to 11:30 a.m. on Sunday of Run weekend, with the utmost discretion and respect for the privacy of all parties involved. Under certain circumstances WSER may consider a challenge brought after the Sunday deadline. WSER in its sole discretion will determine whether there is a legitimate basis for the challenge and whether the challenge was made in a timely manner.

Challenge Review Process

In the event of a challenge involving a top 10 finish or age group award, WSER may ask to meet with the interested parties and may request documentation to help resolve the dispute. In the case of a challenge involving a transgender woman competing in the female category, WSER may request documentation from a medical doctor or healthcare provider or other qualified professional certifying that the entrant has undergone continuous, medically supervised hormone treatment for gender transition for at least one year prior to the race. (See WSER Medical Clearance for information that may be required.) Transgender and nonbinary entrants, at their option, may provide medical or other documentation related to their results/awards category to the Race Director prior to the race. Any such medical or other personal information provided for this purpose shall be kept confidential.

The final decision regarding any dispute under this policy shall be within the sole discretion of WSER. If it is determined that the runner is not in compliance with WSER’s rules for transgender and nonbinary entrants’ awards under this policy, the runner will be allowed to keep their WSER finisher’s buckle but any top 10 finisher or age group awards shall be returned to WSER.

WSER Drug Test Program

If a transgender or nonbinary runner is selected for drug testing at WSER and tests positive for a banned substance, it will be considered a legitimate medical use under WSER’s Drug Testing Policy and Protocols if the runner can demonstrate that the banned substance was being taken in connection with the person’s medically supervised hormone treatment related to gender transition. The only exception is transgender men or nonbinary entrants who register to compete as a female in violation of this policy.

This is an evolving area in sports competition and WSER will continue to update this policy as needed to ensure both fair and inclusive practices.