Running has surged in popularity in recent years. Yet it is only in the last 40 years that the sport has truly become mainstream. For a long time, marathons were reserved for athletic men eager to test themselves. Women did not earn the right to compete in Olympic events longer than 1,500 meters until 1984.
And yet….
Women are now more numerous in popular road races such as the 5K, 10K, and half marathon. On average, they are four years younger than men and represent 57% of runners. In other words, they are now the majority in a sport that was once closed to them. And women have only been officially allowed to stand on the start line of running events for the past 50 years!
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Let’s dive into the history of women’s running!
In the 1970s, many doctors claimed that running could affect women’s fertility and even cause physical changes that would make them more masculine. Today, those statements sound absurd, to say the least.
It seems a few chapters of running history have been forgotten.
We all know the story of Pheidippides… You know, the messenger who, according to legend, died after running 40 km to deliver his message. His feat lives on today in the iconic marathon.
But did you know that women in ancient times had their own Olympic Games?
They were held in Olympia, two weeks after the men’s events.
That may sound surprising, since a woman’s role at the time was largely limited to being a wife and mother. And yet there really was a women’s event in the Olympic stadium. These were the Heraean Games, held in honor of the goddess Hera. The race covered one-sixth of the Olympic track, just 160 meters long…
Although the modern Olympic Games were founded in 1896, women had to wait until 1928 to compete in Olympic track and field. At the time, the 800 meters was the longest distance on the program, but the event caused an uproar. Exhausted after two laps of the track, just like the men, many runners lay down on the ground at the finish. That was enough for Olympic organizers to ban women from running farther than 800 meters, until the Rome Games in 1960!
It took until a 2007 decision for women to be allowed to compete in every Olympic sport, and for that rule to become mandatory. Since 1991, any new sport added to the Olympic Games has had to include women’s events.
The pioneer of women’s running
In 1967, Kathrine Switzer entered the Boston Marathon using only her initials. Even though women were banned, she became the first woman to officially run a marathon. She finished in around 4 hours and 20 minutes. During the race, the young runner was shoved by the event organizer, who tried to force her off the course! The photo then went around the world.
One year earlier, Roberta Gibb had run the marathon unofficially in 3:51. She is now recognized as the first woman to run the marathon, while Kathrine Switzer remains the first to complete it with an official entry.
After proving that women could run 42.195 km, Kathrine Switzer helped women gain official entry to the Boston Marathon in 1972. Then, in 1984, a women’s Olympic marathon was created.
American runner Joan Benoit won that first women’s marathon in Los Angeles.
Kathrine’s commitment led her to create the Avon International Running Circuit in 1972, a series of more than 400 women-only races across 27 countries.
Kathrine ran 39 marathons and even won the New York City Marathon in 1974.
She clearly left a lasting mark on the history of women’s running.
Women’s races around the world
Created to promote women’s road running, the Avon circuit had another goal as well, opening the Olympic marathon to women. To be included in the Olympic Games, the event had to bring together at least 25 countries represented by their Olympic Committees. So between 1978 and 1984, race organizer Kathrine Switzer and sponsor Avon worked to reach runners from as many nations as possible. Mission accomplished, the women’s marathon became an Olympic event in 1984!
Today, there are hundreds of women’s races held in around twenty cities across the world.
Nagoya Women’s Marathon, Japan
Since 1980, the city of Nagoya has hosted one of the earliest women-only marathons. Until 1982, the course was 20 km long and reserved for female athletes only. To attract more runners and grow its reputation, it is now open to women from around the world.
La Parisienne
France had to wait until 1997 to see its first women’s race, La Parisienne.
It is a three-day event built around women: sport, health, food, beauty, and well-being, with a 6.7 km race, a walk, and a yoga event.
Women are now well established in the world of sport and running, but there is still progress to be made, and the growth of women’s sport must continue. In 2018, women made up only 25% of participants in the Paris Marathon, while they represented 42% of runners in the New York City Marathon. Proof that cultural barriers to women’s running still remain…