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NY Post
New York Post
26 Apr 2023


NextImg:Trans marathoner Glenique Frank offers to give back medal after beating 14K in female category

Transgender runner Glenique Frank is offering to return her London Marathon finisher’s medal over the outrage caused by her beating nearly 14,000 women in the female category.

“If they want me to give my medal back I’ll say, “OK, fine. No problem,'” the 54-year-old personal trainer exclusively told The Post of the unintended outrage Sunday’s run sparked.

“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 stated firmly — saying she was only sorry for “upsetting” her critics, who she maintained were mostly “haters.”

“They’re angry because they’re saying that one of 14,00 women behind me could have had my place. Really? I did [the race in] four hours 11 minutes. There’s lots of women that beat me,” noted Frank, who came in 6,159th place in the female category.

“I get it … I’m not a woman, I don’t have a womb,” said Frank, who plans to pay around $20,000 to have “top and bottom surgery” next year.

“But I didn’t compete as an elite, so I didn’t steal any money.”

Glenique Frank, 54, at Sunday’s London Marathon.
Courtesy of Glenique Frank

Frank told The Post she was “just trying to spread joy and happiness with the rainbow love” when she stopped to speak to a BBC reporter covering the UK race on Sunday.

The footage showed Frank, in a sports bra and draped in a transgender flag, crediting “girl power” while flexing her muscles — then gushing how she was soon “going to be a gran — Granny G!”

Glenique Frank chats to BBC reporter during London Marathon.

Frank went viral while flexing muscles and telling BBC reporter she run thanks to “girl power!”
BBC

Her celebratory interview only became viral after it was shared by outraged two-time Olympic marathon runner Mara Yamauchi who raged: “Males in the [female] category is UNFAIR for females.”

Yamauchi noted how the hobbyist ran as a female just months after competing in the New York Marathon as a male.

Frank stressed, however, that London was the first of her 17 planned marathons that she was able to pick her own name and gender.

The other six major marathons — Tokyo, Boston, Berlin, Chicago and NYC — all forced her to register under the name and gender on her passport.

Older photo before Frank transitioned to Glenique.

Frank’s social media still has photos from previous marathons before she became Glenique around 3 years ago.
facebook

“When I entered the London Marathon, it says, ‘female,’ ‘male’ or ‘other,'” she said of the registration form.

“I ticked ‘female’ because I see myself as female,” said Frank, calling it “quite sad” that anyone should have to describe themselves as “other.”

While UK Athletics applied World Athletics’ rules on the exclusion of transgender women from female competitions, those who’d already entered races were allowed to still compete.

Frank swore that she never intended to trick anyone, and will stick to whatever rules are in place at any race.

While she had to enter previous marathons like New York as a male, she shared photos with The Post showing her running it in a bright-red sports bra covering fake boobs — and wearing heels and a pink wig while staying in the Big Apple, which she hailed for being so “welcoming.”

Glenique at NYC marathon in November.

Frank ran New York in a red sports bra and fake boobs even though she had to enter as a male under her passport name.
Courtesy of Glenique Frank

“I’ve known since I was 5 that I was in the wrong body,” Frank said of the pain of leading “a double life.”

It created so much anger Frank said she was nicknamed “Psycho” before she transitioned about three years ago to Glenique, a mix of Glen and “unique.”

Frank holds her New York Marathon medal while being a toruist in the city.

Frank also wore her favorite pink wig while touring “welcoming” NYC.
Courtesy of Glenique Frank

The transition also means that running against biological women is not cheating, she claimed.

She even wrote to her main critic, Yamauchi, telling her: “I’m not at an advantage as I have very low testosterone level due to” hormone replacement therapy.

Frank plans to continue her hobby, saying: “I’m just blessed to be able to travel the world and run and raise money in all these marathons.”

Mara Yamauchi's tweets attacking Frank running in female category of the London Marathon.

Frank said she was upset to have angered Olympic marathon runner Mara Yamauchi , whom she “admires.”

That includes Berlin, Chicago and Boston, each of which she has already entered as a male under her birth name, as required in each race.

Despite the uproar from this year’s race, Frank also plans to run London again next year, her fourth time.

This time, though, “I’m going to enter under ‘other’ or ‘male,’ just to keep everybody happy,” she said.

“And I’ll still do it in four hours and I won’t steal anybody’s money,” she quipped of her modest goal.

Officials for the London Marathon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.