Being a female runner then and now
My former RDP teammates after the Olympic Trials
As a female athlete and coach it is important to occasionally remind myself how far we’ve come and of the fact that we are still in a world where there is so much more room for growth and improvement. Current athletes have become role models and examples for girls and women today who are fueled through the inspiration brought on by others in the sport.
Women could not compete in the Olympic marathon until 1984...1984?!! Madonna and David Bowie were going big and female athletes still weren’t allowed to compete in the Olympic marathon. 1984 seems like yesterday and yet so much has happened since then for women’s running and women in sports. Although we have seen women’s sports grow in popularity, there is still so much more to do to improve the state of women’s athletics.
Being a female athlete is tough. Sometimes it feels awkward...like you don’t belong.
Running is a test of physicality. A prime and well oiled machine will beat the rest. It’s hard to know that women’s times in track races are slower than the male equivalent right now. Although our bodies are completely different and amazing in so many ways, getting around a track really fast or down the road in record time seems to be a bit easier for men---(if we are comparing the best women in the world to the best men in the world).
Our muscle mass is different. Our hormones are different. But this hasn’t stopped women athletes from reaching the highest stages in the world. In a world where women’s sports haven’t been around as long as men’s, it’s pretty impressive to see just how good we’ve gotten.
One of the most inspiring stories in women’s running is that of Katherine Switzer--the first woman to officially run and finish the Boston Marathon.
Katherine entered the boston marathon in 1967 despite a massive uproar against her running the event--a race director even jumped onto the course to try to physically remove her from the race (WSF 2021).
Katherine fighting to complete the course
Despite being physically assaulted on the course, Katherine was able to finish the Boston Marathon and become the first woman to officially do so.
Without Katherine, we may not be where we are today with women’s road racing. Women’s distance running is booming right now---but the road to success may not have been paved if it wasn’t for women like Katherine.
One woman that I have personally looked up to as an athlete is Allyson Felix. Allyson Felix was one of the first track and field athletes that I really looked up to as a young athlete and still try to emulate in my everyday life. Allyson is a mom, an Olympian, and outspoken advocate for the continued growth of women’s athletics. She has spoken out against athletic companies whose contracts don’t support women equally, and she has still performed on the highest level after becoming a mom.
My whole life I’ve been an athlete—and women like Allyson Felix, Mia Hamm, and Shalane Flanagan have all been role models to me on the track, soccer field and in everyday life.
I’m lucky to live during a time and in a place where women can be empowered and become successful through athletics—that being said there is still so much work to do.
Women’s sports are still less viewed than men’s sports on television. Women still don’t make as much money as men in athletics and there are far more male coaches in the industry. Castor Semenya has had to take hormone suppressants because her hormones and performances were too close to men’s hormones and performances.
Despite these challenges, I have personally been more empowered as a woman through sport than anything else, and I hope that girls and women everywhere will continue to find their niche in athletics.
HAPPY WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH!
SOURCES:
https://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/athlete/kathrine-switzer/
https://www.si.com/olympics/2020/02/08/black-history-month-alice-coachman