A transgender athlete who was accused of exploiting a loophole by running the London Marathon in the women’s race has defended her decision to take part.
Glenique Frank, 54, from Northamptonshire, said she has not cheated but apologised for entering in the female category of Sunday’s mass race in London, crossing the line with a time of 4hr 11min 28sec.
During Frank’s gruelling 26.2-mile run in the 50-54 age bracket, the personal trainer said she was ‘almost in tears’ at all the support she received from women around the course.
But she was the subject of criticism by Olympian Mara Yamauchi who hit out at organisers for allowing Frank to benefit from a ‘loophole’ at the London Marathon which allowed transgender athletes who had already signed up to keep their place.
The Olympian claimed it was ‘wrong and unfair’ to allow her to compete in the female category and that other female runners had ‘suffered a worse finish position’ because of Frank.
Photos show Frank previously running in a number of charity events all while dressed as Batman, since transitioning she started running as Batgirl.
Glenique Frank, 54, from Northamptonshire, said she was ‘not intending to mislead the public’ when she took part in Sunday’s mass race in London
Transgender athlete Glenique Frank was interviewed by the BBC while crossing Tower Bridge
Glenique, competing previously as a man, has run 17 consecutive London marathons and raised more than £30,000 for charity
Yamauchi, Britain’s third fastest female marathon runner ever, said that ‘nearly 14,000 actual females suffered a worse finish position’ because of Frank
On March 31, UK Athetlics announced it would ban transgender athletes at its licensed events, declaring it was ‘fair for athletes who have gone through male puberty to be excluded from the female category in athletics’.
However, any athlete who was already entered into a category that was not their biological sex was still permitted to compete, something some people claim Frank has taken advantage of.
Criticising the decision to allow Frank to compete, Yamauchi wrote on Twitter: ‘Nearly 14,000 women finished in a worse finish position because of him.’
But speaking to MailOnline, Frank defended her decision to run in the marathon, saying she has ‘served my country because of all the money I’ve raised’ for the charity Whizz-Kidz.
She said: ‘How can they say that I’ve cheated, who have I cheated? I did it in four hours and 11 minutes.
‘I’m going to apologise, I should have entered under the male category but I wasn’t taking any advantage over another female. I’ve just entered as a general public [participant] and I’m raising money for charity.’
Frank said she ran in the Tokyo and New York marathons as Glen Frank ‘because my passport is male and I haven’t had surgery’.
She continued: ‘I apologise for entering under the female category because I haven’t had surgery yet.
Glenique ran the New York marathon last November in the male category but says this was because she has not changed her passport or had surgery yet
Glenique pictured having completed the Tokyo marathon
Olympian Mara Yamauchi has claimed it was ‘wrong and unfair’ to allow Frank to compete in the female category
‘I wasn’t intending to mislead the public, but I apologise for entering under the female category.
‘At the end of the day, I’m not winning the race or prize money so I haven’t cheated any other athletes out of their prize.
Saying she would not run another race as a female until she had surgery, she said: ‘When Glen becomes Glenique and gets female genitalia she will enter as a female.
‘Until then I will not enter again [as female] in competitive races where there is prize money involved.’
Frank secured a 6,160th place in the women’s race which had 20,123 competitors.
It is her 17th consecutive London marathon and she has set out to complete all six major world marathons including Chicago, Tokyo and Berlin.
She told the BBC as she crossed Tower Bridge: ‘I’ve just done Tokyo, I did New York last year. Next year, I’ll do No 6 a week before London.
‘So a week’s rest but…girl power. I’ve also run in the Comrades Marathon in South Africa, where I’m from. Shout out to my beautiful son, who’s having a baby, so I’m going to be a granny….Granny G!’
But the interview attracted criticism and after the marathon Yamauchi, who finished sixth in the marathon at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, told the Telegraph: ‘World Athletics and UK Athletics have rules that post-puberty males competing in the female category is unfair.
‘This male competed under UK Athletics’ transitional arrangements, but it is still wrong and unfair.’
Cathy Devine, a former lecturer in sport and physical activity at the University of Cumbria, said: ‘Zero categories that exclude male performance advantage. Goddess forbid that female runners should have their own category celebrating what women runners can do.’
On March 31, UK Athletics announced it would be banning transgender athletes at its licensed events but it appears Frank benefitted from a loophole
Yamauchi added that ‘some people say that if males are on the podium, it matters, but not if they finish lower down’.
‘What this effectively says is that women and girls who are not that good at sport don’t deserve fairness, which I think is appalling,’ she said.
Frank now intends to compete in both the Berlin and Chicago Marathons this year before running in Boston and London in April 2024.
She added: ‘I’m here to spread joy and happiness, and I’m raising money.
‘I’m just the best version of me because you don’t know what I’ve been going through for 30 years. I’ve got no regrets.’
