A UK woman pulled out of the New York City Marathon after she was not allowed to wear a vest with her colostomy bag, and is now alleging discrimination.
Gayle Redmon, a doctor from Flint, Flintshire, needs to self-catheterize six times a day as a result of multiple surgeries for endometriosis, the BBC reported.
It has a stoma, an opening that connects to the digestive or urinary system and allows body waste to be collected in a bag that is carried outside the body.
Over the past 10 years, Redmon has continued to participate in various races with the help of assistants.
“The New York Marathon has been on the bucket list for quite some time,” she told the BBC, adding that her vest has helped her safely compete in marathons in Paris and London.
Redmon said she was excited when she was notified by email six months ago that she had been registered as a disabled runner for this year’s race, which took place Sunday.
Gayle Redmon accused the New York Marathon of discrimination after she was banned from wearing a special vest for her stoma and forced to withdraw from the race. Instagram/gayle.runs
She sent organizers images of her vest, which has pouches on the back for a water bag and a straw so she can drink continuously, as her condition makes her susceptible to dehydration.
“I carry huge volumes of fluids when I go running on my very long workouts,” he told the BBC, adding that his vest also has a pocket where he carries supplies for his stoma.
But New York Road Runners, the event organizers, informed Redmond that only belts would be allowed, a type of aid that would affect her stoma.
The British runner, a doctor, said she needs to self-catheterize six times a day as a result of multiple surgeries for endometriosis. Courtesy of Gayle Redman Redmon said she sent race organizers photographs of her vest, which she has pouches on the back for water bladder and a straw so she can drink continuously. Courtesy of Gayle Redman
“I emailed them again and told them this is a disability issue, which is really important. “I can’t participate if we can’t resolve something,” he told the outlet.
The organization sent her a kind of clear backpack to carry water, but she said she couldn’t use it because she didn’t have room to carry stoma supplies.
Several days before the marathon she received another email saying she could wear front water bottles on a vest, but nothing about where she could carry supplies, forcing her to withdraw from the race, the BBC reported.
“The New York Marathon has been on the bucket list for quite some time,” he said.Instagram/gayle.runs
“I’m disappointed they couldn’t find a way to include me. I feel like I have been discriminated against,” she told the outlet. “I have a recognized disability… the UK Equality Act, and as far as I know the Americans with Disabilities Act is very similar, says that reasonable accommodations must be made.
“I’ve done everything I can to try to reach a middle ground and see what I can do. They have made adaptations, but they are not adaptations that suit me,” Redmond added.
In a statement to the outlet, NYRR said: “We work with the intention of providing reasonable accommodations in accordance with local laws and federal ADA guidelines to ensure that runners of all skill levels have access to our races while ensuring “that each and every runner, spectator, volunteer and staff member are safe.” He said he went “above and beyond to provide this runner with options including purchasing two hydration packs for her, in addition to our 20 course-based hydration stations.
“It is unfortunate that your requests did not align with local authority restrictions and that you have decided not to join us this year,” NYRR said, adding that hydration vests are on a list of prohibited items.
Redmon said he has used his vest to safely compete in marathons in Paris and London.Instagram/gayle.runs
Redmon said he understood concerns about security after three people were killed and 260 injured in the April 15, 2013, bombing at the Boston Marathon.
“I would have gladly had a conversation with the NYPD about what their concerns are,” he said. “I have repeatedly asked [NYRR] What other suggestions do you have to help me with this, and you haven’t presented anything.”
Redmond said he wouldn’t watch the popular Big Apple race because “at this point everything was a little raw.”
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Source: vtt.edu.vn