I have never felt rebellious or felt that my social standing was at stake when I have gone on a run around the block or on the trails. These conditions, however, could have been the case for many female athletes, especially runners, prior to 1967. Like many opportunities I have, such as education and physical abilities, I often take for granted things that have become familiar and comfortable to me. It wasn’t until recently that I learned the value of competitive running as a woman and how far it has come over the past several decades. The first female marathon competitor participated in the Boston Marathon in 1967, and attempts were made to rip her out of the race because of her gender.
Kathrine Switzer is the competitor that has gone down in athletic history for being the first female marathon competitor; the Boston Marathon had consisted of only male participants for 70 years before she decided to compete. She registered for the race using her first initial, so it was automatically assumed she was a male participant signing up for the race. When she entered in as K. Switzer, she did not intend to hide her identity. She had just signed her name like that since she was a young girl. As she casually mentioned to doctors or other male profesionals she was going to run the Boston Marathon, there were overlapping responses that included “your uterus will fall out” and “you will get big legs, and a hairy chest”. These doctors would advise her to reconsider her decision to run while sitting back and smoking a cigar. On the other hand, her coach, who had run the Boston Marathon many times, and her boyfriend, who was a former professional athlete, were supportive and proud of her excitement to race. As runners passed her, some were delighted to see a woman joining them while others were confused. Later into the race, the race director took Kathrine by surprise and demanded that she “get the hell out of my race and give me those numbers”. Kathrine’s boyfriend, the ex-all American football player, shoved the director in his place and they continued the race. Katherine stated that she was not initially trying to prove anything; she was just doing something she loved. After this invasive incidence she decided, “I will finish this race on my hands and knees if I have to,” because this race wasn’t just about her now; it was a matter of showing everyone watching, other competitors, and women athletes that there is no need for the segregation of females in running. She finished the race in four hours and twenty minutes, but the time was not the noteworthy part of her finish. Five years after Kathrine ran past the finish line in Boston, women could officially run in public events.
https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-marathon/2016/04/15/sara-mae-berman
It is one thing to be allowed to race in a male dominated sport, and another to exceed the male competitors as a woman. In 2018, 45% of racers were female (over 11,000) and there was a higher completion rate within the female group than the male group. I still haven’t heard of any stories of women’s uteruses falling out due to running yet. In 2017, Courtney Dauwalter participated in the Moab 240, which is a trail running race that is 240 miles long and is usually held over two to five days in Southern Utah. Courtney ran cross-country in high school, was a competitive skier, and had “natural curiosity” on what her body was capable of doing. She did not have a game plan that was set in stone; the goal was simply to finish. With only one 60 second nap, she finished the race in 2 days, 9 hours, and 59 minutes, averaging 97.7 miles a day. The next competitor, a male, was left over ten hours behind in her dust. Although it can be argued that men have higher athletic abilities as supported by physical anatomy and statistics, stamina is the most powerful component in running. It partially comes from strength, but more importantly psychological will. As Courney has demonstrated, this equation does not directly correspond to one’s gender, but to ones mental determination.
https://gearjunkie.com/courtney-dauwalter-ultramarathon