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Gender Policy and Categories

Trail running is for everyone

It is in that spirit that we are officially launching our new Gender Policy, which includes a non-binary category. https://www.sinistersports.ca/gender_policy

This has been in the works for a couple of years, but we had been waiting for better guidelines from World Athletics. We had hoped for a more comprehensive, global vision, but most races have been making up their own policies. We have recently seen races like the Boston Marathon add a Non-Binary category, and Ultrasignup posted an update this fall, allowing race directors to do the same. This is a tectonic shift in the world of sports and the recommendations will undoubtedly continue to develop each year. 

As I mentioned above, our crew has been discussing this off and on for years, and lately, we have had more inquiries about a formal gender policy. We have always had this sort of inclusive nature, but it was never in writing; we just treated people with respect.

We sought out input from people in the non-binary community, as well as experts who specialize in gender issues. We dissected the policy in a dozen different ways and did a lot of rewriting after filtering it through different scenarios. 

Our goal is to have a policy that lifts everyone up and does not compromise our existing categories in any way. There are undoubtedly complexities with these sorts of changes, especially when you view it through the eyes of an organizer who has to take the values of many people into consideration. Everything we do has to remain true to our vision of having robust competition and providing incredible experiences. Within my own decision-making process, I'm a bit of a blunt instrument when it comes to these things (it's my stoic, Danish heritage), and I break them down into very basic parts. Simply put, our goal is to see people racing - that's at the core of what we do. Trail running is a "big tent" sort of community where people are always welcome, no matter who they are. Far be it from me to tell someone to be a person they are not. So we are pleased to launch an official policy that will help more people feel welcome at our events. 



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