The trans runner Mar Vázquez hopes to get on the podium in the men’s category of the marathon
“It wouldn’t be fair to compete against women,” he says.
Mar Vazquez She is a brave woman. She and tireless. In July 2022, at the age of 57, she decided that, once her father died, the time had come to come out of the closet and since then, she has not wavered in her determination to legally be what she has always been: a woman. . Right now she has two goals: update all of her official documentation and get back on the podium with the identity that appears on her ID: Mar Vázquez. However, wants to continue doing it in the men’s category because he understands that competing in the women’s competition would give him a competitive advantage that he believes would be unfair. According to Mar, the Spanish Athletics Federation seems to think the same, since it has given its approval. She would be the first Spanish trans woman to compete in a men’s athletics category.
“The secretary has informed me [verbalmente] that this issue has been discussed with the president and that I have authorization to register in the men’s category. “I think it would not be fair for me to compete against women because they are not rivals for me and I do not understand trans athletes who do this because whoever had it retained and I keep all my old capacity intact,” says this 59-year-old Pontevedra resident.
During his time as Civil Guardremained in second place in the military marathon world championship and in third place among the Spanish in the Rotterdam marathon, with a mark of two hours, 22 minutes, 46 seconds. Mar hopes to be able to resume training soon to compete again next spring. “I hope to get on the podium. I’m going to go up to the podium. I know this because I am very stubborn and I don’t give up until I get what I want,” says Mar.
She knows that she will probably face incomprehension from many of the male athletes, although she is willing to go beyond that goal as well. “I suppose many will laugh, but I am willing to demonstrate my sporting ability and win,” she says.
But first he will have to catch up, since he has not trained for almost a year due to a meniscus injury and to the different surgical interventions that he has undergone in his transit process. The last one, the double mastectomy that was performed a couple of months ago. “I am now a complete woman. “I have fulfilled the dream of my life,” she says.
Administrative errors
Since Mar collected his ID with his female name and sex on June 6, paperwork has become part of his life and that of his wife, Marilya, his great support. But for Mar, the worst thing is not to continue, five months later, requesting the change of data in official documents and in the titles she has and which are not few – among others, she is a retired civil guard with the status of non-commissioned officer; FEDAS and PADI diving instructor with all specialties such as deep diving, night diving, rescue and rescue, first aid instructor, Nitrox; second restricted professional diver; collector of specific resources with diving techniques, national level 1 athletics judge; national athletics instructor, barnacles worker, sailor fisherman and patron of pleasure boats – but sometimes having to do it twice for a administrative error.
This happened to him when with him driving license, who arrived with the identity of the previous one, so he had to repeat the procedure again, which meant that during the time it took to correct the error he lived with two identities: the one that appeared on his ID and the one that appeared on the permit. of conduction. “They had to take my passport away in the meantime. “If I had to leave the country I would have had to request a special pass,” he says.
In it family Book It also appeared as “single” instead of “single”, so it had to be requested again.