Can Gender Change Mid-race? Javelina Jundred (100 mile) Trail Race Result Curiosity...

This isn't a transgender or non-binary question. This is simply of question of: did the female athletes know that Riley was competing against them and, if not, what could the race have done to make sure all competitors were aware?

Yes they did. The only categories open for Golden Tickets are male and female. Runners who want to be considered for Golden Tickets have to notify the race in advance and they're asked which sex they're competing in.

has anyone confirmed that? I ask because the live tracker website and online livestream video feed did not have Riley as listed in the female race during the race. If a competitor was basing strategy off incorrect information provided by the race, that's an issue.

from the race registration age:

Golden Ticket Race
The top two (2) female and top two (2) male finishers in each individual race will automatically qualify for entry into the 2023 Western States 100 event.

Elite runners looking to compete in the 100 Mile Golden Ticket race, please email RD jubilee@aravaiparunning.com for consideration.

If any of the elites didn't know who they were competing against, that's their own fault.

Note to Ellie: If you want to change hearts and minds, telling "old white men" to "sit down and shut the F up" is probably not the right approach.

I'm sure Riley did notify the RD. But, it would seem that the race didn't notify the other runners and -- during the race itself -- was communicating incorrect information about who was in contention for a golden ticket.

I'm not sure what was posted on Ultrasignup before the race, but right now Riley's gender is listed as "X" So, if an Elite were scoping out the competition, wouldn't the presumption be they are in the F race?

I'm just not sure -- if the burden was on the elites to determine who is the race -- where they would have gotten this information?

*they are not in the F race

If Bitter didn’t find out in advance who else is eligible for the golden ticket his wife is after, he’s an idiot.

*she is female, so she should be referred to as “she”

Classy post. It's fair to argue that all the elites should do research on every participant's eligibility in advance of every race. That's fine. It also seems fair to argue that the aid stations (where runners get updates) and the online leaderboard (where a runner's crew would look to assess current standings in the female race) should accurately represent runners' eligibility.

I saw the live tracking leaderboard from the race coverage had sorted and ranked the Top Women with pink lettering. The leaderboards for each respective biological sex (Men and Women) displayed Nicole Bitter as being in 2nd place.

If Nicole Bitter was racing for "2nd place Woman" that's technically what she got. The rules for the Golden Tickets state that they are to go towards the 1st and 2nd place Women.

Brady was in the non-binary category and the race tracking/ranking and some versions of the results did not show them as being part of the Women's race for the entire day. They won the Non-Binary category, which was a category they entered in and signed up to race under apparently.

No sport ever says “if it’s on the scoreboard it has to be official.” There we’re non-binary athletes registered in advance, and if Bitter had asked, he would have known one was in his wife’s category.

Your argument is it’s not their responsibility to know anyone they’re competing against. If he didn’t ask in advance and didn’t wonder who the person was who was 5 minutes ahead of his wife, that’s his own fault.

The leaderboard is by gender, not sex.

You and Ellie Pell must be really fun at parties. Get a grip, bro. No one is trying to crucify the non-binary runner. But having a non-binary category is a pretty new concept, and it caused some confusion at Javelina. And that's fine. It's also fine for people to try to figure out how to improve the situation so it's less confusing next time. Deep breaths.

I think the point is if Brady was in the "non-binary" category then They actually weren't in the "Womens" category. Non-binary could have an individual that is a biological Male or Female or Transgender, correct?. They chose what category to race and compete in and they won that category. But mainly, the live race results and race tracking updates were showing the Womens category rankings only despite Brady being in the mix. As the rules state: it is the top 2 Women that are eligible to win Golden Tickets to Western States. Bitter should get a Golden Ticket.

Is Riley Brady biologically male or female?

You've completely misunderstood the entire situation.

Golden Tickets go to qualifiers for Western States. Western States qualifications are determined by sex, not by however a race decided to sort them. There's no qualifier in the Golden Ticket eligibility for "category you entered your race in." It's by sex, and that's it.

The top 2 in each sex get Golden Tickets.

Brady was the 2nd female by sex in the race. Brady gets the Golden Ticket.

Now, as for the race:

However the leaderboard was defining people was immaterial, same as if it glitched and didn't show Devan Yanko's result. Nobody would be complaining she shouldn't get her GT because she wasn't on the scoreboard.

Everyone should have known who Riley was: 93% UltraSignup score, won 8 of 9 races, 6th at Bandera earlier this year, and the ONLY non-binary entrant in the race. If hubby couldn't figure out to sort his tracking by overall results, or ask the RD in advance what he implications were, that's a coaching error.

The irony here is, this is what people want. They don't want men to say "I'm a female" and be able to sign up in the women's division. They want it determined by their sex. That's what happened here. and people still can't figure out that it worked.

This discussion should not be construed as a criticism of Riley or non-binary athletes generally, but about how races can improve going forward.

The race itself admitted there's an issue.

The question remains how this impacted strategy among Riley's competitors.