{"id":636228,"date":"2026-03-06T11:37:24","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T11:37:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/636228\/"},"modified":"2026-03-06T11:37:24","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T11:37:24","slug":"l-a-marathon-2026-nonbinary-champion-cal-calamia-returns-to-the-fight-for-inclusion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/636228\/","title":{"rendered":"L.A. Marathon 2026: Nonbinary champion Cal Calamia returns to the fight for inclusion\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Cal Calamia remembers stepping into his power at the Los Angeles Marathon<\/a> two years ago.<\/p>\n

It was a cool and especially windy March morning and Calamia had run through a succession of L.A. neighborhoods \u2014 Chinatown<\/a>, Echo Park<\/a>, Silver Lake<\/a> and Los Feliz<\/a>, to start. He cruised by some of his favorite L.A. landmarks including the Hollywood Walk of Fame<\/a>, which he\u2019d romanticized as a glittering oasis while growing up in the Midwest in a conservative Republican family, now Trumpers<\/a>. Here in California, \u201ca sanctuary for transgender people<\/a>\u201d like him, and ensconced by the cheering L.A. Marathon crowds, he felt not only safe, but celebrated.<\/p>\n

During one \u201cout and back\u201d section of the race in Westwood, with about eight miles left to the finish line, energetic spectators on Santa Monica Boulevard huddled onto a concrete median shrieking and waving signs \u2014 one read, \u201cYou\u2019re running better than our government,\u201d he recalls. Toddlers sat perched on adults\u2019 shoulders, seniors wielded cardboard posters; he spotted his friend Sophie, then Nick \u2014 who ran into the road urging him on. He says the crush of rippling flags is an image he\u2019ll cherish forever \u2014 more pink-blue-and-white-striped trans flags<\/a> than he\u2019d ever seen in one place in his lifetime.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing in this particular race environment knowing there was genuine love and support for me, for people like me, just felt like being held,\u201d Calamia says. \u201cIt was really beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Cal <\/p>\n

Cal Calamia is a trans marathoner, inclusivity activist, writer and poet.<\/p>\n

(Josh Edelson \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n

Calamia would go on to win first place<\/a> in the L.A. Marathon\u2019s nonbinary division that year, clocking in at 2:53:02 \u2014 one of myriad victories in his career. Based in San Francisco, Calamia (whose pronouns are they\/he and who asked that we use both in this article) is the only nonbinary marathoner ever to podium (finish in a top-three spot) in six of the Abbott World Marathon Majors<\/a>. They\u2019ll be running in its newest addition, the Sydney Marathon<\/a>, in August to expand that title. They\u2019re also a leading transgender advocate helping to educate marathon organizers around the world about equity and inclusion for trans and nonbinary runners \u2014 so they\u2019re not only winning races, but helping to change the game. Their social media influence \u2014 more than 140,000 followers between Instagram<\/a> and TikTok<\/a> \u2014 doesn\u2019t hurt. And they\u2019re a poet<\/a> \u2014 their collection of poems inspired by their gender transition, \u201cSan Frans\u2014show,\u201d<\/a> published in 2021.<\/p>\n

Calamia hasn\u2019t participated in the L.A. Marathon since that memorable 2024 race, but they plan to reclaim the top spot in the nonbinary division on Sunday. The race, from Dodger Stadium to Century City<\/a>, is 26.2 miles long; but the fight for equity for trans and nonbinary marathoners across the sport, Calamia says, is a far longer road ahead, a seemingly uphill battle.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s changing, but we\u2019re not there yet. So, so much more needs to be done in the realm of education,\u201d they say.<\/p>\n

\"Runners <\/p>\n

Runners start the 39th Los Angeles Marathon at Dodger Stadium on March 17, 2024.<\/p>\n

(Jason Armond \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Calamia is competing in a moment when transgender athletes are a major source of political debate. The Trump administration has been trying to ban transgender athletes from participating in youth sports competitions throughout the country and in California, which is being battled out in court<\/a>. Separately, the Supreme Court is considering whether to uphold state bans<\/a> on transgender athletes competing in girls\u2019 sports in Idaho and West Virginia. In 2025 alone, hundreds of bills were introduced at the state and federal levels to restrict the rights of transgender people \u2014 not only targeting their participation in sports<\/a>, but their medical care<\/a>, their identity documents<\/a> and their ability to use public bathrooms.<\/p>\n

Within the marathoning world, the introduction of a nonbinary division is relatively new and has been a quickly evolving issue. Trans and nonbinary marathoners, historically, have run in either the category in which they were assigned at birth \u2014 in which they didn\u2019t identify personally \u2014 or, depending on the marathon, in the category aligned with their self-identified gender. In the latter case, some might be at a disadvantage, others an advantage (trans men, for example, might be physically smaller and weaker, with regard to muscular strength and lung capacity, than the cis men they\u2019re competing against and vice versa). <\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

Trans marathoner Cal Calamia started running in fifth grade. \u201cIt was the first time I felt like I had autonomy over my body,\u201d they say. <\/p>\n

(Josh Edelson \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n

The Los Angeles and New York City marathons were the first to introduce nonbinary divisions for 2021. Now all seven Abbott World Marathon Majors \u2014 in New York, Boston, Chicago, Tokyo, Berlin, London and Sydney \u2014 include a nonbinary division for mass participation runners. But, it\u2019s worth noting, nonbinary runners typically aren\u2019t awarded prize money because there isn\u2019t a category for them in elite divisions (in which prize money is typically awarded) as there is for cis runners. (The New York City Marathon does offer prize money to nonbinary runners within its New York Road Runners-member general division, as do some local races.)<\/p>\n

One reason: Most marathons take their cues from the Monaco-based World Athletics<\/a>, the international governing body for the World Marathon Majors<\/a> as well as large-scale road races such as the L.A. Marathon. And in the elite field, \u201cour categorisation of either male or female for entry purposes and results are based on an athlete\u2019s biological sex,\u201d spokesperson Maggie Durand said in an email, adding that the dispersion of prize money is ultimately up to the races. <\/p>\n

Another issue is that the nonbinary category is smaller and therefore less competitive, the L.A. Marathon says. In 2021, when the category debuted, zero nonbinary runners crossed the finish line at the L.A. Marathon; 38 runners did in 2024 and 267 did in 2025. This year, the marathon is expecting 150 participants in the category. That represents just 0.54% of registration for the race, which has about 27,000 participants in all. (A portion of registration fees goes toward prize money.) While the L.A. Marathon doesn\u2019t have a professional nonbinary division for runners to win prize money in, it does award the top three nonbinary finishers with a trophy or a medal as well as inclusion in post-race press.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorld Athletics and USA Track & Field set our industry standards and we look to their regulations,\u201d L.A. Marathon spokesperson Meg Treat said. \u201cBut at the end of the day, the category is small. And while some of the runners will clock fast times, many of them are going to be finishing alongside our everyday athletes as part of the general field. We\u2019re watching how the competitiveness of that category develops and we\u2019ll evaluate potential changes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Calamia, however, calls it a \u201cchicken and egg issue.\u201d \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of, \u2018Oh, it\u2019s not competitive enough and too small,\u2019 but how could it be competitive enough if it\u2019s not recognized?\u201d they say. \u201cIt\u2019s trapping nonbinary athletes, especially trans athletes, in this false dichotomy of: If you want to be competitive, then you need to stay in a male or female division and not transition, and if you want to stay in the nonbinary division, you can\u2019t compete to the same extent that cis men and women can.\u201d<\/p>\n

Calamia, who was assigned female at birth, grew up in a suburb of Chicago in a \u201cloud, conservative household,\u201d as he describes it, the second oldest of four siblings. \u201cThere were a lot of people with strong opinions,\u201d he says, and not much tolerance for \u201canything different,\u201d which he felt inside. He started running cross-country in fifth grade and it brought him a sense of freedom \u2014 from the dissonance inside his mind as well as from the house.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

Calamia recently became a vegan. \u201cThere\u2019s an intersection between transness and veganism,\u201d they say. <\/p>\n

(Josh Edelson \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the first time I felt like I had autonomy over my body,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019d run around Central Park in my hometown. It was an escape.\u201d<\/p>\n

They moved to San Francisco in 2018 and began their gender transition, having top surgery in 2019 to remove breast tissue. Later that year while training, they ran shirtless through the streets of San Francisco as a nonbinary transmasculine athlete and felt more themself than ever, embracing \u201cthe in-between.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEarly in my transition, my goal was, \u2018I don\u2019t want to be perceived as a woman. But I\u2019m not quite like these cisgender men, either.\u2019 It took me a lot of work to understand how beautiful occupying that liminal space is instead. Having the nonbinary division in marathons is an extension of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

His family has \u201ccome a long way,\u201d but relations remain strained, he says. \u201cThey\u2019re not just, \u2018We voted for Trump;\u2019 they\u2019re Blue Lives Matter flag up in the yard and Trump bumper stickers and \u2018Don\u2019t Tread on Me\u2019 flag and tattoos,\u201d he says. \u201cTo try to have a relationship with them is challenging. Because they\u2019re actively voting against not just my rights, but human rights.\u201d<\/p>\n

Calamia backed into an activism career when in 2022 he led a campaign pressuring San Francisco\u2019s Bay to Breakers<\/a> race to let nonbinary participants win awards. (The race was letting the runners register, but not place.) Calamia won that battle \u2014 and then won first place in the race days later.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was like: \u2018Wow, look what we just did. What else can we do?\u2019\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

The answer: The San Francisco, Chicago and Boston marathons all introduced nonbinary categories within a year, partly due to Calamia\u2019s efforts. Calamia, who is sponsored by Hoka and Janji, would become the San Francisco Marathon\u2019s inaugural nonbinary division winner, as well. Post-victory elation, however, was short-lived: In mid-2023, Calamia had to tirelessly defend their right to use testosterone, which they\u2019d been taking since 2019 as part of their gender transition, to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. It ultimately granted them a 10-year therapeutic use exemption so they can continue to compete.<\/p>\n

\n

Early in my transition, my goal was, \u2018I don\u2019t want to be perceived as a woman. But I\u2019m not quite like these cisgender men, either.\u2019 It took me a lot of work to understand how beautiful occupying that liminal space is instead. Having the nonbinary division in marathons is an extension of that.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u2014 Cal Calamia<\/p>\n

Now the four pillars of Calamia\u2019s career \u2014 marathoning, activism\/education, writing and community building (they founded a nonbinary run club that meets weekly in the Bay Area) \u2014 are working together with the gusto of an elite athlete. But Calamia feels added pressure to win races because it amplifies their advocacy voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cNone of it works if the sports performance isn\u2019t up to par, because then no one is paying attention,\u201d they say. \u201cBut also, I\u2019m putting pressure on myself to try and beat all the women or compete with at least some of the fastest men. Because I don\u2019t want to feel like a charity entry. I\u2019m a fast runner. I want to be recognized as a strong athlete \u2014 not as someone who got the chance to be here because \u2018we\u2019re so inclusive.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Calamia <\/p>\n

Calamia says he feels a sense of freedom and calm when running. \u201cIt\u2019s a flow state.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Josh Edelson \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n

With the L.A. Marathon just days away, Calamia is feeling positive about the race. His personal record is 2:41:59 from the Berlin Marathon in 2024 and he hopes to best that. Toward that end, Calamia will do what he always does the day before a race: visit a spa for contrast therapy (between a hot tub and cold plunge) while visualizing every stage of the imminent marathon, its hurdles and eventual successes. (In L.A. it\u2019ll be Wi Spa<\/a>.) On race morning, he\u2019ll eat his usual: a bagel with peanut butter and a banana.<\/p>\n

Calamia went through another transition recently: becoming a vegan. They say they get enough protein to remain competitive and see veganism as stitched into their transness.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s an intersection between transness and veganism,\u201d they say. \u201cIt\u2019s the empathy and compassion and willingness to look at, and deconstruct, systems that might not be working for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Next up: Calamia will compete in the open division of the Athletic Brewing Ironman 70.3 Oceanside <\/a>on March 28, with two other trans athletes as his teammates, Schuyler Bailar <\/a>and Chella Man<\/a>. And after competing in the Sydney Marathon <\/a>this August, he\u2019ll run a 100-mile ultramarathon in Arizona in October. <\/p>\n

Marathoning, says Abbott World Marathon Majors<\/a> Chief Operating Officer Danny Coyle, is \u201cone of the most inclusive movements\u201d in sports globally. \u201cIf you\u2019re lucky enough to stand on the side of the street on any given race day in the WMM \u2014 and some of the big races like Los Angeles \u2014 it\u2019s just this melting pot and stream of humanity of all shapes and sizes, all creeds and colors, with one shared objective: to get to the finish line.\u201d<\/p>\n

Calamia, however, says there are still miles ahead until the sport is truly inclusive for trans and nonbinary runners. His poem, \u201cStrides,\u201d sums up his frustration best.<\/p>\n

You can\u2019t erase<\/p>\n

the racer from the race<\/p>\n

gliding this route<\/p>\n

by heart, unchanged<\/p>\n

intuition of my legs<\/p>\n

first three letters of my name<\/p>\n

Fight as you will<\/p>\n

to deny us our place<\/p>\n

If we don\u2019t exist,<\/p>\n

then your finish line is fake<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I love the sport,\u201d they say. \u201cThe fact that it\u2019s still evolving is a beautiful thing and I\u2019ve learned so much about myself, and grown so much, because of my relationship with running.\u201d<\/p>\n

The L.A. Marathon, they add, plays a central role in the sport\u2019s own evolution.<\/p>\n

\u201cL.A. is this place where all these different people from all over the place come together to pursue their dreams, which is inspiring,\u201d they say. \u201cAs the second most populous city in the U.S., having nonbinary representation on the course, as well as support from spectators, sets a precedent for other cities around the globe: that no one should have to choose between being who you are and doing what you love.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

Transgender athlete-activist-poet Calamia shows off a tattoo reading, \u201cEyes up. Look ahead.\u201d <\/p>\n

(Josh Edelson \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n