Jake Caswell wins non-binary race at the New York City Marathon

Jake Caswell has won the non-binary division at the world-famous New York City Marathon.

This year's race was the first event in World Marathon Major history that the top non-binary finishers earned prize money.

It was also the largest field of non-binary runners ever too with Jake Caswell coming out on top with a final time 2:45:12.

“I went through the first half a little faster than I should have,” Caswell told Runner’s World.

“I wish I felt better, but it is what it is, and I finished. That’s all that matters.”

As it stands, the sport's governing body doesn't offer any prize money to non-binary athletes, despite five of the six events on the race calendar introducing non-binary-specific divisions.

That meant that the prize money for the New York City Marathon was actually paid out by the New York Road Runners group.

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According to Runner's World, 1st place got $5,000, 2nd received $4,000, 3rd won $3,000, 4th was given $2,000 and 5th was handed $1,000.

Nick Dill, who finished fourth in the race, teared up after completing the event.

“I’ve felt excluded from sports my entire life,” Dill said.

“To show up on race day and be recognised for who you are - and to hear people cheering for who you are - is really special. It makes me really emotional.”

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The first woman in history to race the Boston Marathon back in 1967, Kathrine Switzer, also spoke on the matter.

“The marathon itself is one of the greatest examples of inclusivity, diversity, respect, and equality. So [the non-binary] discussion opens the floodgates a lot more,” she said.

“In the race, I don’t know the guy over here who is a different colour than me, I don’t know the gender of this person over here—and I don’t care. We're sweaty and stinky together, and it doesn’t matter.”

Jake Fedorowski, who is the creator of The Guide to Nonbinary Inclusion in Running, touched on the importance of non-binary categories to drive inclusivity.

“It’s heavy, and as runners, we want to feel weightless,” Fedorowski said.

Adding: “Folks show up to the startling line as their authentic selves and just exist in the space.”

Topics: Australia, Athletics

Max Sherry

Max Sherry is a journalist for SPORTbible Australia. After migrating Down Under from London as a teenager, he instantly fell in love with Aussie sport and its culture. From NRL to AFL, cricket to rugby — you name it, Max watches it (with a beer in hand, of course). During his time at Fox Sports, he worked in the football department covering the Premier League, A-League, Socceroos and Matildas. Born a stone's throw away from West Ham's training ground, Max is obviously a die-hard Liverpool fan.

@maxysherry