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.'
'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.'
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