Before No Limits Index was an idea, before I started mountain biking and was a road racer, I noticed the women’s categories usually raced shorter distances or fewer laps than the men’s. And it annoyed me. Here we are. It’s the 21st century, and Race Directors still assume women can’t or won’t race as long or as hard as men.
Any time I wanted to race a course, I’d email the Race Director asking why women didn’t have equal categories and cash prizes. It was usually “there aren’t enough women racing” or “women have said they don’t want to race as many miles/laps as men.” I call bullshit. So, I’d tell them I wouldn’t be supporting their race until they made racing equitable.
Let’s do the math, shall we? These are numbers from a real race.
Race entry: $71
USAC license: $35
Total (without processing fees): $106
Cat 1 / 2 women 30-39 laps: 2
Cat 2 men 30-39: 3
Cat 1/ 2 women pay $53 per lap. The same category for men pays $35 per lap. That’s $18 more per lap women pay while white women still make about 87 cents for every dollar a white man makes. It’s even worse for Black women — they only make 66.5 cents for every dollar paid to white men. And yet, women are paying more per lap at these races.
This is what started it all. What added to the flame was hearing from trans women and non-binary individuals constantly getting targeted by transphobic, small-minded assholes at races.
So, I wanted to grade races, just like we did in school, on their equity. I wanted to slap a big ‘F’ on the ones that charge women the same registration fee as men to race less than them, that don’t show any women in their marketing material, and especially the ones who pay out less to women. And I want to give A’s to the races that have equal laps between genders, have inclusive language and policies (yes, that all people are welcome), pay out equally, and have the same number of laps and categories for women and men.
After years of seeing races make no changes (the Race Director I told I wouldn’t race his race until it changed is still doing the same thing), and realizing I don’t need to find $100K to pay a mobile app developer to build this thing, No Limits Index was born.
The name, No Limits Index, came from hours and hours of brainstorming names. And to me, No Limits means no limits on laps, miles, prizes, and inclusivity. It means changing a race so that it’s equitable, so we aren’t limiting women because we’re women. Women are not less than men. So we shouldn’t be limited like we are. And yes, I’m talking about ALL women: trans women, American Indian/Alaska Native women, Asian women, Black women, Hispanic/Latino women, Middle Eastern/North African women, Pacific Islander women, and White women. Women who have children, jobs, and partners. Women without children, jobs, or partners. Women with or without physical disabilities. I also want to make a point by saying that I include trans men, non-binary folks, and anyone who doesn’t end up neatly fitting into the white cis non-disabled men category.
The ‘Index’ comes from this becoming an index, or directory. Every time someone reviews a race, the race gets saved and becomes searchable. The idea is to have a worldwide list of races with grades that show how fair, inclusive, accessible, and equitable they are. It’s like Google Reviews or Yelp, but for endurance races. I wanted to make it free to use because there are enough monetary barriers in this world. But (there’s always a ‘but’), I do have the option to donate to the cause because I’m paying all of this on my own.
To end this, the 10 questions asked aren’t set in stone. They were inspired by Dr. Ayala’s race tool, but as more people discover No Limits Index, the more I’ll learn, and the more the questions will change. And that’s kind of the point—always being willing to listen and to grow. I hope this inspires a trend among racers and race directors alike: encouraging folks to support races that support fair, equitable, inclusive, and accessible racing.
Questions? Want to get involved?
Shoot me a message: nolimitsindex@gmail.com