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‘There were a lot of fast people in this category’: Bostonian recognized in nonbinary division reflects on historic marathon
Danielle Bishop ran the 127th Boston Marathon on Monday and is being honored by the City of Boston for their participation.
For Danielle Bishop, running is more than just a hobby. It’s a passion.
The 28-year-old runner and Allston resident told Boston.com on Wednesday that they wish they could run for a living.
Bishop ran their fifth Boston Marathon on Monday, and for the first time, they were able to register as nonbinary, because of the new category the Boston Athletic Association introduced for this year’s race. Out of nearly 30,000 runners, 27 people registered in the new division. Bishop was the only runner in the category from Boston.
Soon, Bishop – a team lead at New Balance – will be honored for being the first and fastest nonbinary Bostonian to compete in the 127th Boston Marathon. Bishop is one of three local runners being recognized with the inaugural “Fastest Bostonian” award from the mayor’s office.
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Bishop said they found out they’d be awarded after the race, and they are “really excited to be accepting this award.”
“It really makes a difference to everyone that’s able to participate,” Bishop said about the nonbinary division being added. “It looks like everyone did awesome [who] participated in that category, and I know that we’re all really thankful to have that option.”
A runner since high school, Bishop came to Boston in 2013 to attend Boston University. They said they had never run a marathon before, but being in the city with such a prestigious race, also the oldest in the country, inspired them to hit the ground running.
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The Boston Marathon bombing, which happened the same year Bishop came to the city, also influenced their decision to try and qualify, they said.
“I think everything that happened in 2013 surrounding the bombing, and then coming here for school really kind of ignited my dream of qualifying for Boston,” they said.
By 2014, Bishop had run their first marathon, and by 2016, they raced their first Boston Marathon.
While they don’t get paid to run, Bishop said “it kind of feels like having another job” with all of the training.
“Training is a grind but it’s really really rewarding,” they said, adding that with every run they get “motivated to keep on improving.”
Bishop said Monday wasn’t their best race, noting that their time – 3:32:29 – did not qualify them for next year’s marathon, which they intend to run.
The current qualifying time for nonbinary racers between 18 and 34 in the Boston Marathon is 3 hours and 30 minutes. But Bishop said they are already planning their next race, so they can beat that time and enter for the 128th Boston Marathon.
Bishop credits the slower-than-expected time to their training cycle, which was shortened due to their just having run the New York Marathon in November. They also said that the weather, which was rainy on race day, didn’t help.
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But despite running “significantly slower” than planned, Bishop said they were glad to be able to participate and their recovery so far has been smooth.
They said they were thankful to be back to a “normal Boston Marathon, post-COVID.”
“It’s awesome to have the support from our community, and I’m very thankful that there were all the fans out there even in the rain,” Bishop said.
Bishop said that they might be getting honored, but the nonbinary racers who had speedier times deserve just as much spotlight. They said it was great to see so many other nonbinary runners do well in the race.
“I think it’s definitely an honor to be the fastest Bostonian, but I want to make sure that respect is given where it’s due,” they said. “There were a lot of fast people in this category.”
Next year, if Bishop runs the Boston Marathon again, they said they look forward to seeing more nonbinary Bostonians and having some healthy competition in the division for the next “Fastest Bostonian” title.
“I think with the division being on the smaller side this year, it will definitely expand, so I’m pretty lucky to have made it this year,” they said.
