A transgender woman who finished the London Marathon ahead of nearly 14,000 runners in the female category has offered to give back her finishing medal.
Glenique Frank, 54, from Northamptonshire, slammed claims that it was ‘wrong and unfair’ for her to compete in the female category of Sunday’s mass race in London, crossing the line with a time of 4hr 11min 28sec.
She told the New York Post: ‘If they want me to give my medal back, I’ll say, “OK, fine. No problem,”‘ after the furore broke out on Sunday evening.
‘If they really think I’ve stolen the place [of a female runner], I don’t mind giving the medal back, because I’ll run again next year for charity.
‘But I don’t want to apologize, because I didn’t do anything wrong,’ Frank insisted — adding she was just sorry for ‘upsetting’ critics, who she said were mainly ‘haters.’
They’re angry because they’re saying that one of 14,000 women behind me could have had my place. Really? I did [the race in] 4 hours 11 minutes. There’s lots of women that beat me.’
Transgender athlete who ran in female category at a Marathon offers to give back finisher
‘I get it … I’m not a woman, I don’t have a womb.’
Frank, who finished 6,159th spot in the female category, intends to spend around £15,000 on ‘top and bottom surgery’ next year
‘But I didn’t compete as an elite, so I didn’t steal any money,’ she added.
‘The mass event of the TCS London Marathon is a unique celebration of inclusivity and humanity.
‘It is, in the words of co-founder Chris Brasher, ‘a great personal victory over doubt and fear, body and mind’.
‘The mass event is an event for everyone and an event where the vast majority of those taking part are raising money for charity, with an incredible £1.15 billion raised for good causes since the first edition in 1981.
‘It is an event that champions inclusivity. It is an incredible challenge. While we do list the place an individual has come, there are no prizes for this.
‘We are committed to making the TCS London Marathon the most diverse, equitable and inclusive marathon in the world.’