THE INCANDESCENT RISE OF SOFIA CAMACHO

THE WILDLY TALENTED NONBINARY DRAG ARTIST AND RUNNER IS AIMING FOR A PLACE ON THE SPORT'S MOST VISIBLE STAGE

- BY DAVID ALM

A LONE FIGURE EMERGING FROM A SEA OF competitors, head tilted back slightly, limbs driving them forward like the pistons of a steam engine: elbows out, fists pumping at chest level, legs churning the earth below with long, rhythmic strides. Some runners bounce, some plod, and some lean, shoulders first, as if forcing themselves through a wall. This runner glides.

Now imagine their hands covered in blood. It curls up their forearms and leaves a trail of droplets on the pavement as they hammer one 5:40 mile after another. If they move fast enough, they might escape the metallic smell.

In reality, there is no blood. There is only the blur of screaming spectators, the backs of competitors yet to be caught and passed, the clock perched above yet another finish line, signaling to the runner that imagining blood has, yet again, helped them manifest a dream. It's a dark image, born of anguish and fear, of feeling powerless and trapped. But for all its darkness, the image gives the runner a reason to run through pain. Because feeling pain is better than being numb; and on the other side of that pain, there is strength, and there is peace.

The runner's name is Sofia Camacho, and in recent years the visual has become a vital part of their racing strategy. It helped them run a time of 2:41:23 at the 2023 California International Marathon in their debut attempt at the distance, and then a 2:31:29 at the 2024 New York City Marathon, where they shattered the nonbinary course record by 14 minutes and finished with a faster time than both Jenny Simpson and Aliphine Tuliamuk, two of the most decorated women in the pro field. Still, Camacho knew they could do better. Just a month after New York, the visual helped them run 2:29:15 in Valencia, Spain, good for 23rd in a women's field stacked with elite runners from all over the world.