Splash and Dash event

If you have been following my blogs you'll be aware I was returning to an event I had raced a number of times for many years. This one was so much different though. This time I got to enter and do as me. My name, my gender. It was a swim/run event of 1300m swim, and 5km run leg at Freyberg Bay in Wellington, New Zealand. Sun was out, water was a bit choppy, wind was up a little, nothing I hadn't experienced in the past. This event for me was not about how fast I could go, not about reliving old glory. My time is a reflection of my lack of training and preparation, and it's justified. The event was another hurdle for my transition. It was a stepping stone to something bigger and towards something greater. It is a starting point, or a restarting point. The most pleasing part is to see the provisional results with my name in the female category. It may not mean much to anyone else but is so amazing for me.

I could go through all the conversations I had, all the people I interacted with, all the experiences I had, but that would just end up a bit of a boring read and more like a race report. Those were my past, it is not my present and I don't think it will be my future. What did happen was the encouragement I received, the support and no negativity. I am lucky to be in a very liberal city, and also thankful I took the time to discuss with the event organizers about my entry. Both them and myself needed to discuss what their policy was, or would be, regarding me entering. While I could wave the human rights banner and make a scene, be an antagonist and make demands, but that is not me. I want to play by the rules, and I want to have the discussions regarding inclusion. I want to enlighten event organizers that there are others who are wanting to join the sports world but feel they aren't included. I want to help others have it easier than it is now, those that follow afterwards.

I don't want to live my life with restrictions, and being transgender shouldn't mean I have to sacrifice things I love to do. I have commented before about my view of how I see the gender barriers changing in society, but not in sports. The antiquated view that only men and only women can do sports is a thing of the past. The Rio Olympics had openly trans folk in the opening ceremony, and trans folk competing. They may have done this covertly, they may have done it more publicly. It is a discussion that few event organizers hardly ever have. Being slammed and attacked for being a transgender woman doing sports does not help anyone or help the greater good. All it does is reinforce a prehistoric view that sports is a binary world and one where people like me shouldn't be involved in. This is a view and it's no longer acceptable. If society can change, so can another variant of society, sports. Not every trans person wants to be a world class athlete, nor does every cis-person. Most people do sport for the love of sport, the friendships, the emotional and health stimulation.

Those that take sport to the highest levels have far more dedication, discipline, talent, luck, and heart, than mere mortal athletes. A trans-woman world class athlete isn't a world class athlete because she was born male, she is a world class athlete because she has had to work so damn hard to get there and would have had to question her entire sporting existence along the way. I sympathize and admire all those brave women who are openly trans and do elite sports. That is one hard road, they are my heroes. Those like Fallon Fox, Laurel Hubbard, Mianne Bagger and Renne Richards. But one of my biggest heroes is a lesser known athlete, Chris Moiser. He is a true pioneer and someone who loves the same sport as I do. He is a trans-man that pushed for inclusion into the United State Age Group Duathlon team. A team I was selected for in the past for New Zealand. I contacted him 18 months ago and we've had a couple of conversations, but the work he does for trans athlete awareness is amazing.

I want to wrap this post up with a massive thank you the Splash and Dash team for the way they have handled the delicate matter of my entry in their event, and the way they have made me feel welcome. For any of my trans brothers and sisters, if you enjoy swimming and running, come and join me. (Splash and Dash)