53 years ago, the first woman who “officially” ran the Boston marathon using her initials K.D. Switzer was assaulted by race official Jock Semple, who tried to physically remove her from the course.
The reason for his outrage? She was a Woman! It’s hard to believe that 53 years ago, the leading narrative in medicine and sports was that women were too fragile to run distances. Prevailing wisdom was that their uteruses would fall out😳
Thankfully for Switzer, she had men on her side, Arnie Briggs a fellow runner, tried to fight off the enraged race official, her boyfriend Thomas Miller shoved the assailant aside so she could continue running and finish the race.
Often forgotten is that Bobbi Gibb had run Boston the year before, her entry was refused by race officials citing that “women are not physiologically able to run marathon distances”. She hide behind a bush at the start, ran and finished the race.
Fast forward to women runners like @CamilleHerron who just set the new 48-hour Ultramarathon World Record. In 48-hours, she ran 270.5 miles!
Aaaand, guess what? Her uterus Did Not Fall Out!!!😜
Runner or not, the story of women at Boston reminds me of important life lessons.
*Appreciate your inherent strength
*Follow your heart
*Pursue your passion
*Find a way to make it happen (hide behind a shrub, if you need to)
*Surround yourself with supportive people who lean in when you need a hand
*No one gets to the finish line alone
