Breaking Barriers: 3 Women I Celebrate on International Women’s Day

Okay, ladies, let’s celebrate! March 8 is International Women’s Day! Even better, the month of March is Women’s History Month. It’s a great time to celebrate women, so as a runner I’d like to honor a few female runners who I admire. All three break barriers in their own way. 

Breaking Barriers: 3 Women I Celebrate on International Women’s Day

Many of us are too young to remember that there was a day when women weren’t allowed to run certain race distances. It was thought that running a marathon, for example, was too hard on our delicate bodies.

Kathrine Switzer

Thank goodness for Kathrine Switzer, the first woman to run the Boston Marathon. Though women weren’t specifically disallowed, no woman had ever entered the race. After proving to her coach that she could indeed run the distance, she registered, signing her name K.V. Switzer. 

And so, on a snowy Patriot’s Day in 1967, Kathrine Switzer, along with her coach, her boyfriend, and another college friend set out to run the Boston Marathon. You have probably seen the famous photo, where Jock Semple, the race manager, is shown trying to pull Kathrine off the course. She was frightened as he grabbed at her race numbers, yelling “get off my course and give me those numbers!” Then her boyfriend Tom, a wrestler, basically body slammed the man, allowing Kathrine to get away.

What you might not know unless you read her book Marathon Woman, (affiliate link) is that she was horrified and scared about that confrontation. At that time, she was a young woman who loved to run and wanted to challenge herself to run a marathon. The attention from the press when they realized there was a “girl” running the race was pretty overwhelming. Fortunately, the running (and discovering that Jock Semple wasn’t dead or severely injured) allowed her to settle down and focus on her race. Kathrine finished that race, in spite of the freezing cold and bloody blisters on her feet, and changed marathon racing for women forever.

Kathrine Switzer went on to run many more marathons, including the 2017 Boston Marathon, where the 70-year-old finished in 4:44:31 (and eighth in her division). She will be running again this year. Kathrine founded 261 Fearless, a social running network which empowers women to connect and take control of their lives. 261 (Kathrine’s race number in that first Boston Marathon) has a goal of allowing fearless women to pass strength gained from running onto women who are facing challenges, hence sparking a revolution of empowerment.

Here are three women I want to celebrate on #InternationalWomensDay. They are breaking barriers in their own way every day. They are @kvswitzer, @oldrunningmom, and @thefitfork. Get to know them here! #adidasbloggersClick To Tweet

Wendy Rivard

I was lucky to have a chance to meet Wendy Rivard last year after following her blog, Taking the Long Way Home, for several years. I loved her blog because 1) it’s about running; 2) she’s a good writer; and 3) we are both women of a certain age. Taking on life as we get older and all that. She’s smart and funny.

In addition to being a runner, Wendy is a pediatric nurse practitioner, wife, and mom to two grown boys who lives in Chicago.  In her practice as a nurse practitioner, Wendy works with children from age two through 21. She has patients that she has seen through the entire 10 years of her practice! Over the years, pediatric care has evolved to include the mental health care that children may need. There are a limited number of mental health care providers, so Wendy is currently seeking a certification as a pediatric mental health specialist so that she can serve the needs of the children in her primary care practice. She feels honored to be the person parents choose to take care of their children.

About two years ago, Wendy was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Needless to say, that news came as a shock. Wendy is breaking barriers by becoming an RA Warrior. As she continues to run she is showing others that yes, you can stay active and fight this disease.

While RA has made Wendy make some changes in her running, her honesty and sense of humor are inspiring to all runners. I met Wendy when she visited the desert last year and even though she was in the middle of an RA flare, we were able to go for a hike so I could show off a little of my desert trails.  Wendy stays strong with Cross Fit, yoga, and a positive attitude.

Jennifer Fisher

Jennifer Fisher is an award-winning recipe creator, food and fitness blogger, healthy cooking coach, Cross Fit enthusiast, and competitive runners. She is one of the fittest people that I know. You can check out her blog, The Fit Fork, and see for yourself.  She is also a fellow Adidas blogger!

Though Jennifer is younger than I am, she is someone who I want to be when I grow up.  She has been breaking barriers for years starting when she was in her 20s, going from a jogger to a 2:50 marathoner!  After taking a decade off, Jennifer returned to competing when she reached 40! 

While in her 40s and doing well in the master’s division in races, including winning some overall, Jennifer added strength training to the mix to help her run better, stay stronger, and prevent injuries. She discovered that she loved it. It was so empowering. She went from barely able to do one military pull-up to recently completing 17! And as far as her running, she is the RRCA Texas State Champion (Super Master Division) in the 10-mile for 2017 and 2018.

When Jennifer discovered the Spartan Games it was like a match made in heaven. Here she could combine her love of running and strength training. In 2018 she placed first in the 50+ division in every race in which she competed! 

Jennifer has also discovered the importance of recovery, especially as she’s gotten older. She takes a full two days off of training every week, keeps her mileage relatively low, and hits the gym for strength training four days a week. 

She Breaks Barriers

Adidas is celebrating women like Kathrine, Wendy, and Jennifer in their She Breaks Barriers campaign. Through this movement, Adidas is partnering with several organizations with three areas of focus: To provide access, to remove stereotypes, and to address the inequality for female athletes at all ages and levels.

By the age of 14, girls start dropping out of sports programs at 1.5 times the rate of boys.  By 17, 51% of girls have dropped out of sports because they don’t have a sense that they belong and they don’t see a future in sports.

In one of their partnerships, Adidas will be a national partner of Girls on the Run through 2021, elevating their commitment to break barriers in sports for women and girls by inspiring them to pursue their dreams with the power of sports.

Learn more about the Adidas She Breaks Barriers campaign.

Gear up for your sport with these awesome choices!

It all starts with a sports bra.

Stow your gear in one of these Adidas bags.

 

While I am an Adidas Blogger, I was not compensated for this post. I just wanted to take this opportunity on International Women’s Day to celebrate these three women who break barriers every day. 

Happy International Women’s Day to all of my female readers! Who would you like to acknowledge today?

 

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