UVM Student Wins Inaugural Nonbinary Division at Boston Marathon 

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• Courtesy Of Marathonfoto
• Kae Ravichandran at the Boston Marathon

University of Vermont medical student Kae Ravichandran won the nonbinary division of the Boston Marathon last week in the first year the historic race has included a category other than male or female. 

Ravichandran placed first out of 27 runners with a time of 2:38:57, beating the second-place finisher by more than 10 minutes.

"It was just an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment," Ravichandran said. "Being myself, being able to represent [nonbinary runners] and finishing the race with the time that I wanted was absolutely amazing."

Growing up in Massachusetts, Ravichandran said she aspired to run the Boston Marathon for years. In 2022, she achieved her dream and qualified — but was forced to register for the race in the male category. Ravichandran started the marathon but never made it to the end. 

This year, Ravichandran said being able to register in a category that reflected her identity helped propel her to the finish line. She also ran 70 to 80 miles per week leading up to the race and trained with the Green Mountain Athletic Association, a running club in Burlington. 

Boston is one of six World Major Marathons and the latest to offer a nonbinary registration option. Only the Tokyo Marathon has yet to add the new category. 

Ravichandran said there's still work to do. In 2022, she won the Green Mountain Marathon in South Hero while registered in the nonbinary division. But the race only had prize money for the fastest male and female runners – so despite finishing with the fastest time out of any runner, Ravichandran never received a prize. She said race officials are making changes so that this year's race is more equitable. 

Ravichandran has also been involved with "Run Beyond the Binary," a community of nonbinary athletes who advocate for greater gender inclusion in running. The organization published a 2022 guide for race directors aiming to foster inclusion, with recommendations about restroom signage and avoiding gendered race apparel. 

"I never thought of the [gender] category as a way for someone to show that they're, like, better or trying to win it," Ravichandran said. "I always thought of the category as just being able to express your true self."