The London Marathon organisers are maintaining their current policy on transgender athletes following last week's landmark UK Supreme Court ruling, which stated only biological women meet the definition of a woman under equality laws.
Race director Hugh Brasher has confirmed no immediate changes will be made to the marathon's transgender policy.
Instead, organisers will await formal guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and Sport England before deciding if adjustments are needed for future events.
The ruling has significant implications for single-sex services, including sports competitions.
Trans women can compete in London Marathon as organisers plan to defy Supreme Court rulingTrans women can compete in London Marathon as organisers plan to defy Supreme Court rulingThe London Marathon currently operates a two-tier approach to transgender participation.
For the mass participation event, runners are permitted to self-identify their gender when entering the ballot.
However, stricter rules apply to competitive categories.
Transgender women are not allowed to compete in elite, championship and 'good for age' female races.
This aligns with World Athletics guidelines introduced in 2023, which restrict these competitive categories to females at birth.
Brasher noted it's impossible to know exactly how many transgender athletes participate in the mass event due to self-selection.
"It's really difficult to predict what we would do," Brasher said.
"I've gone through loads of different scenario planning since the court delivered its verdict, but honestly, we have to wait until the commission gives its report, until Sport England do.
"We delight in being both inclusive but also protecting in competition the rights of women, which is incredibly important."
Brasher acknowledged the complexity of the issue, particularly regarding identification documents.
Race director Hugh Brasher confirmed that participants can continue to self-identify their gender when taking part in Sunday's iconic racePA"I think that what World Athletics have done has been incredibly good for athletics and been really clear," Brasher said.
"When you look at the Olympics, you're looking at protecting women's competitive sport, I think it's absolutely vital.
"The job that Seb Coe has done has put the sport at the forefront of protecting women's rights to compete fairly."
World Athletics announced last month that female athletes will soon undergo a one-time genetic test to compete in women's events.
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This year's London Marathon will allow transgender runners to compete as femalesPASunday's London Marathon is expected to feature more than 56,000 finishers, potentially setting a Guinness World Record.
The prestigious event will showcase all four Olympic and Paralympic champions – Tamirat Tola, Sifan Hassan, Marcel Hug and Catherine Debrunner.
Other notable participants include Jacob Kiplimo, who recently broke the men's world half-marathon record, and four-time London winner Eliud Kipchoge.
Britain will be represented by Alex Ye, the 2024 Olympic triathlon champion, and Commonwealth Games 10,000-metres champion Eilish McColgan, both making their marathon debuts.
