WEBVTT - Mary Cain’s Atalanta NYC Empowers Young Runners to Thrive 0:00:00.210 --> 0:00:05.160 I crossed the finish line and the cameraman who was 0:00:05.309 --> 0:00:08.459 videotaping the winner of the heat had bent down in 0:00:08.460 --> 0:00:14.790 front of me and his crack was out. And I was writhing 0:00:14.790 --> 0:00:17.670 in so much anger because the disrespect you give to 0:00:18.030 --> 0:00:20.790 the other athletes who were also in the race, but 0:00:20.790 --> 0:00:23.640 all the attention on the winner, so I promised myself 0:00:23.640 --> 0:00:27.900 from that day, staring at this man's butt, " You're never 0:00:27.900 --> 0:00:29.069 going to see me on the ground again." 0:00:33.870 --> 0:00:36.300 Hey, everybody, and welcome to Set the Pace, the official 0:00:36.300 --> 0:00:40.050 podcast of New York Road Runners presented by Peloton. I'm 0:00:40.050 --> 0:00:42.540 your host, Rob Simmelkjaer, the CEO of New York Road 0:00:42.540 --> 0:00:46.170 Runners and Becs Gentry from Peloton is with me fresh 0:00:46.170 --> 0:00:49.770 off of a race this past weekend. Becs, how did 0:00:49.770 --> 0:00:51.540 it go? Tell folks about the race. 0:00:53.370 --> 0:00:57.720 Well, let's be honest. We're pre- recording this, Rob. We're pre- 0:00:57.720 --> 0:00:58.351 recording it. 0:00:58.351 --> 0:01:00.631 We are. We don't know how it went, but I wonder what was the race that you ran? 0:01:00.631 --> 0:01:04.708 I really wish I could fake it and just be that confident of like, " 0:01:04.800 --> 0:01:08.069 Dude, it went so well. I crushed it. It was epic." 0:01:08.910 --> 0:01:10.740 What was the race though? What was the actual race 0:01:11.010 --> 0:01:11.281 since we're talking past tense now? 0:01:11.281 --> 0:01:15.270 So the race. Yeah, you guys, this is wild. The race, it's 0:01:15.270 --> 0:01:21.450 called Speedgoat and it is exactly what it says on 0:01:21.450 --> 0:01:26.429 the tin. It is a mountainous race set out at 0:01:26.430 --> 0:01:31.050 Snowbird Ski Resort in Salt Lake City. So if you 0:01:31.050 --> 0:01:35.130 know the area, you know it's a tough skiing. It's 0:01:35.130 --> 0:01:40.050 very tough skiing out there. And Becs and I don't know 0:01:40.110 --> 0:01:43.260 how many others, a few thousand others have decided that 0:01:43.260 --> 0:01:45.270 it would be great to go and run this stupid thing. 0:01:46.230 --> 0:01:49.530 So essentially, I'm heading out to run 50 kilometers, 32 0:01:49.530 --> 0:01:55.980 miles over the beautiful, beautiful terrain of Salt Lake City 0:01:55.980 --> 0:02:00.450 and up in Snowbird Resort. We've got 11,800 meters of 0:02:00.450 --> 0:02:05.161 descent. Oh, no, sorry, of ascent and 12, 000- 0:02:05.160 --> 0:02:06.555 Say that again. How many? 0:02:06.555 --> 0:02:07.170 11,800 feet- 0:02:07.200 --> 0:02:07.231 Oh my God. 0:02:07.231 --> 0:02:13.440 ... of climbing up and 12, 000 of coming down. So 0:02:13.440 --> 0:02:15.870 it's a pretty gruesome race. A lot of people are 0:02:15.870 --> 0:02:18.090 like, "Well, it's not downhill," and you're like, " Well, you must 0:02:18.090 --> 0:02:20.609 be a roadrunner if you're thinking a bit like that because 0:02:22.740 --> 0:02:26.070 my quads will not be thinking of it in that way." So that's 0:02:26.070 --> 0:02:29.460 Saturday, Rob. It's Tuesday today. I am getting more and 0:02:29.460 --> 0:02:33.870 more nervous and apprehensive day by day. I haven't had 0:02:33.870 --> 0:02:38.370 the strongest of training runs. Life is life and my 0:02:38.370 --> 0:02:42.270 coach is telling me to treat it as an adventure. 0:02:42.330 --> 0:02:44.400 I'm lucky enough that I've got a couple of friends 0:02:44.400 --> 0:02:48.270 running it. We're going out together and we've all had 0:02:48.270 --> 0:02:50.700 a lot of life going on. And I think we're 0:02:50.700 --> 0:02:56.220 all just packing our bags, packing our packs onto us and we're 0:02:56.910 --> 0:02:59.730 just going to go out for a good day. And 0:02:59.730 --> 0:03:03.360 I've come to realize that I'm at peace if this 0:03:03.360 --> 0:03:05.970 is my first DNF of a race, which I think is 0:03:05.970 --> 0:03:08.490 incredible to say at 40 years old that this potentially could 0:03:08.490 --> 0:03:10.530 be the first time I don't finish a race, but 0:03:10.530 --> 0:03:13.320 I'm at peace with it ahead of time, which I 0:03:13.320 --> 0:03:19.020 personally think is, for me, a huge deal because I've 0:03:19.020 --> 0:03:23.100 struggled and I've pushed myself through things in the past 0:03:23.160 --> 0:03:26.070 because I did not want DNF next to my name. 0:03:26.250 --> 0:03:28.260 And there's nothing wrong with that. And I'm so happy 0:03:28.260 --> 0:03:32.790 that now I realize that. And if I feel I 0:03:32.790 --> 0:03:35.670 can't continue because I do have my big, big race 0:03:35.670 --> 0:03:39.240 in four weeks' time, I'm cool with stopping. I'm cool 0:03:39.240 --> 0:03:44.790 with getting that bus back to the start. But I'm going 0:03:44.790 --> 0:03:48.300 to have a good go. I'm in the midst of 0:03:48.300 --> 0:03:50.760 packing my bag. So it's like a picnic on the 0:03:50.760 --> 0:03:52.320 move. That's all I'm thinking. I'm trying to think of 0:03:52.320 --> 0:03:54.810 the fun things of like, " I'm going to have this 0:03:54.810 --> 0:03:58.560 yummy bar at this point," and make the fun of it. 0:03:59.220 --> 0:04:01.500 All right. Well, hopefully, we can grab a few minutes 0:04:01.500 --> 0:04:04.560 maybe next week to talk about how it actually did go. 0:04:04.560 --> 0:04:05.820 Fingers crossed. 0:04:05.880 --> 0:04:07.561 I'm excited for you, this new phase- 0:04:07.561 --> 0:04:07.562 Thank you. 0:04:07.562 --> 0:04:12.150 ... of your running career. And I'm also looking to 0:04:12.150 --> 0:04:13.920 do a little trail running because I think it's so much 0:04:13.920 --> 0:04:16.110 fun and it brings me back to my high school 0:04:16.110 --> 0:04:19.200 cross country days. You may have seen actually New York 0:04:19.200 --> 0:04:22.680 Road Runners members all received an email a little earlier 0:04:22.680 --> 0:04:26.219 this summer offering them a discount to some races out 0:04:26.220 --> 0:04:30.600 in New Jersey, the Palisades Park. There's a half marathon 0:04:30.600 --> 0:04:34.440 and also I believe an 8K trail run happening right across 0:04:34.440 --> 0:04:37.740 the George Washington Bridge and there's discounts available for Road 0:04:37.740 --> 0:04:39.659 Runners members. I think I'm going to go out and 0:04:39.660 --> 0:04:42.089 do that trail run much shorter than anything you're doing, 0:04:42.089 --> 0:04:44.430 but just to have the feeling of being out there 0:04:44.430 --> 0:04:46.770 in the woods, on a trail, it's just such a 0:04:46.770 --> 0:04:47.731 good time. So I'm- 0:04:47.731 --> 0:04:51.779 Getting that human four- by- four rolling, hands on knees, powering 0:04:51.779 --> 0:04:55.440 up the hill. It's a very different form of accomplishment- 0:04:55.529 --> 0:04:55.529 Absolutely. Good for you. 0:04:55.529 --> 0:04:57.990 ... so add that variety, people. 0:04:58.770 --> 0:05:02.490 Absolutely. Well, speaking of accomplishment, Becs, we're going to have 0:05:02.490 --> 0:05:06.300 a follow- up episode this week too, a conversation I 0:05:06.300 --> 0:05:10.229 had with a very accomplished young woman, Mary Cain, who 0:05:10.230 --> 0:05:13.589 I spoke with last week and she told us her 0:05:13.680 --> 0:05:18.299 story, an incredible story, a difficult to hear story at 0:05:18.300 --> 0:05:23.339 times about her career as a professional runner. She was 0:05:23.700 --> 0:05:28.800 the fastest girl in America at 17 years old, but 0:05:28.890 --> 0:05:33.180 she signed a contract to join a running project, the 0:05:33.180 --> 0:05:36.690 Nike Run Project and it just didn't turn out the 0:05:36.690 --> 0:05:41.100 way she had hoped. She had challenges with her coach, 0:05:41.279 --> 0:05:46.380 Alberto Salazar during those days. She had teammates who watched 0:05:46.380 --> 0:05:49.830 her crying and just kept running, right? And a medical 0:05:49.830 --> 0:05:54.960 system that took her eight years to really diagnose what 0:05:54.960 --> 0:05:58.350 was wrong with her body. A condition called RED- S 0:05:58.350 --> 0:06:02.070 that she was suffering from. And so that was last 0:06:02.070 --> 0:06:06.510 week. And Becs, this week, you have another phase of that 0:06:06.510 --> 0:06:08.850 conversation with a different group of runners. 0:06:09.900 --> 0:06:14.370 We do. We do. When Mary was able to essentially 0:06:14.370 --> 0:06:19.800 get out of this awful situation she was in, she 0:06:19.800 --> 0:06:24.660 went on to build something truly, truly inspirational at Atalanta 0:06:26.130 --> 0:06:29.700 NYC. Four women in New York creating a team designed 0:06:29.700 --> 0:06:33.690 as the antithesis of everything the old system taught Mary. 0:06:33.720 --> 0:06:39.540 Everything that pulled her apart. Everything that, in the guise 0:06:39.600 --> 0:06:45.300 of trying to make her stronger, actually made her weaker 0:06:45.450 --> 0:06:48.990 and took from her in ways that it never should 0:06:48.990 --> 0:06:53.040 have done. So today, we're going to have a lovely 0:06:53.100 --> 0:06:56.400 insight from these incredible women in New York here of 0:06:56.460 --> 0:07:00.479 what actually it looks like for these women runners as 0:07:00.480 --> 0:07:03.870 part of the Atalanta team. What is different? What makes 0:07:03.870 --> 0:07:08.220 it so special? Does it change anything for the girls 0:07:08.220 --> 0:07:11.640 that they now coach too because of what they've gone 0:07:11.640 --> 0:07:14.820 through in the past and how they deliver their coaching 0:07:14.820 --> 0:07:19.500 now? How extremely different is that to watch to what 0:07:19.740 --> 0:07:24.420 Salazar coached? And we'll hear about how it's working. Is 0:07:24.420 --> 0:07:27.570 it working? What can be done in the future? And 0:07:27.570 --> 0:07:32.640 all of these incredible questions that all four of them are 0:07:32.640 --> 0:07:33.990 so eloquently able to answer. 0:07:34.560 --> 0:07:37.920 Yeah, I think it's great that something positive came from 0:07:38.130 --> 0:07:42.750 Mary's experience. She started it and we'll hear more about 0:07:43.020 --> 0:07:47.760 Atalanta, Becs, and your conversation coming right up. If you haven't 0:07:47.760 --> 0:07:50.550 heard episode one, the last interview with Mary, it's a 0:07:50.550 --> 0:07:52.470 good place to start for this one. So I recommend 0:07:52.470 --> 0:07:55.050 you go back, listen to that one, then follow up 0:07:55.290 --> 0:07:57.810 with this one. We'll actually weave a few of Mary's 0:07:57.810 --> 0:08:01.170 own words back through today's episode. And then one more 0:08:01.170 --> 0:08:04.470 quick note before we get into this episode, this conversation 0:08:04.470 --> 0:08:07.710 doesn't cover quite as much sensitive territory as last week's, 0:08:07.710 --> 0:08:10.290 but there is one moment where the team mentions the 0:08:10.290 --> 0:08:12.840 death of an athlete's father. So just heads up that 0:08:13.140 --> 0:08:14.790 there are some heavy topics, a little bit in this 0:08:14.790 --> 0:08:17.310 one as well, but, Becs, I'm looking forward to it. 0:08:17.760 --> 0:08:21.960 Yeah. Planning a trip to NYC for the marathon? Well, plan 0:08:21.960 --> 0:08:24.450 it with Get Your Guide because we know this city 0:08:24.570 --> 0:08:28.440 like you know your training plan. We've got authentic neighborhood 0:08:28.440 --> 0:08:32.220 experiences with expert guides in all five boroughs. And if 0:08:32.220 --> 0:08:34.830 you're not sure what to pick, you can browse millions 0:08:34.830 --> 0:08:37.829 of reviews from travelers just like you. Plus if your 0:08:37.830 --> 0:08:42.330 plans change, stay spontaneous with free cancellation. Book your tours, 0:08:42.330 --> 0:08:44.970 tickets and activities in the Get Your Guide app now, 0:08:45.270 --> 0:08:48.960 the official travel experiences partner of the TCS New York 0:08:48.960 --> 0:08:49.350 City Marathon. 0:08:49.350 --> 0:08:54.150 Mary Cain: I think sports is set up to portray 0:08:54.150 --> 0:08:57.540 publicly a team experience when it's not one. As a 0:08:57.540 --> 0:09:01.590 young person, I really thought these people will be my 0:09:01.590 --> 0:09:05.699 teammates. My teammates just witnessed all of it and honestly 0:09:05.700 --> 0:09:08.670 either egged it on or just didn't do anything. At 0:09:08.670 --> 0:09:13.679 best, they were silent bystanders, and at worst, they treated 0:09:13.679 --> 0:09:14.550 me really cruelly. 0:09:15.510 --> 0:09:18.600 There are four women in the room today. Devon Martin 0:09:18.600 --> 0:09:23.250 runs the team. Emily Richards runs the 800. Susan Aneno 0:09:23.610 --> 0:09:28.830 runs the 800 too for Uganda. Leah Anderson runs the 400 0:09:29.250 --> 0:09:36.120 for Jamaica. Between them, five world championship appearances, a Jamaican 0:09:36.150 --> 0:09:42.330 national record, a Ugandan national record, an all- American NCAA 0:09:42.330 --> 0:09:47.910 Division III and a sub two- minute 800. They coach 0:09:47.910 --> 0:09:51.300 high school girls in East Harlem and the Bronx every 0:09:51.330 --> 0:09:56.579 week. Let's see what Mary Cain has built. All right 0:09:56.580 --> 0:10:00.240 team, I am so honored to welcome this room full 0:10:00.240 --> 0:10:04.770 of very inspirational females here today. We are having a 0:10:04.770 --> 0:10:08.280 conversation with the Atalanta team, and I'm very happy to 0:10:08.280 --> 0:10:11.880 say welcome to Set the Pace. Mary told us that 0:10:12.179 --> 0:10:15.900 at the Oregon Project, teammates either egged cruelty on or 0:10:16.110 --> 0:10:19.200 on the other side of it were either completely silent 0:10:19.200 --> 0:10:23.550 bystanders. She often spent time crying in the bathroom whilst 0:10:23.550 --> 0:10:26.250 they kept running. And before that, even when she was 0:10:26.250 --> 0:10:31.920 profiled in Runners World, the visibility that she had of 0:10:32.340 --> 0:10:37.470 being so fast made her a target. So I know 0:10:37.470 --> 0:10:41.370 that you each individually have had different points in your 0:10:41.370 --> 0:10:44.340 career where I'm sure probably many points in your career 0:10:44.340 --> 0:10:47.850 and also as women where you've been pushed to levels 0:10:47.850 --> 0:10:51.300 that you are ready to almost close that door, go 0:10:51.300 --> 0:10:55.320 into that bathroom and just either quit it, let go, 0:10:55.380 --> 0:10:57.270 let it out, whatever it is, but have just pushed 0:10:57.270 --> 0:10:59.970 you to a place that is quite frankly unfair and 0:10:59.970 --> 0:11:03.120 unnecessary. So Emily, I heard that when you were a 0:11:03.120 --> 0:11:06.000 freshman at Ohio Northern, you specifically had a point where 0:11:06.000 --> 0:11:10.830 you almost quit. And you've mentioned to us that being 0:11:10.830 --> 0:11:13.620 fast is part of what isolated you, even though you 0:11:13.620 --> 0:11:16.800 were performing to a super high level and pushed other 0:11:16.800 --> 0:11:21.510 girls further in what you were doing. But to you, 0:11:21.660 --> 0:11:26.520 almost your speed almost cost you your place on the 0:11:26.520 --> 0:11:29.580 Team 18. Can you just talk us through that and 0:11:29.580 --> 0:11:30.540 how that felt and how you overcame that? 0:11:30.540 --> 0:11:37.829 Yeah. So I was a division three athlete at Ohio Northern. And first off, 0:11:37.830 --> 0:11:39.870 I love Ohio Northern. I have nothing bad to say about them. Love the program, love the ... 0:11:42.660 --> 0:11:45.900 Still have friends there. But what you're referring to is 0:11:45.900 --> 0:11:49.589 basically a snapshot of me as a 19- year- old freshman 0:11:49.890 --> 0:11:52.200 trying to figure out who I was as a runner. 0:11:52.200 --> 0:11:54.300 I just moved up from the sprints to distance, so 0:11:54.300 --> 0:11:57.449 this was completely new territory for me. Obviously, running in 0:11:57.450 --> 0:12:00.510 college was new territory for me as a freshman and 0:12:00.689 --> 0:12:04.679 just not feeling celebrated by particularly some of my older 0:12:04.679 --> 0:12:07.890 peers when I was young and when I was having 0:12:07.890 --> 0:12:12.059 success. So I won't try to compare anything I went 0:12:12.059 --> 0:12:15.780 through to what Mary has gone through, but there was 0:12:15.780 --> 0:12:19.439 a specific instance I remember feeling really hurt by. And 0:12:19.440 --> 0:12:21.839 it was, when at the end of my freshman year, I 0:12:21.840 --> 0:12:24.270 had qualified for the outdoor national meet as a freshman. 0:12:25.050 --> 0:12:27.660 I became an all- American, which was something I've been 0:12:27.660 --> 0:12:31.530 working really hard at all year. And unfortunately, the national 0:12:31.530 --> 0:12:35.040 championships happens after everybody goes home for summer break. So 0:12:35.040 --> 0:12:39.090 you spend those couple of weeks completely alone, training and 0:12:39.090 --> 0:12:42.360 getting ready. And I remember coming home super excited about 0:12:42.360 --> 0:12:44.429 my accomplishment and just thinking it was going to be 0:12:44.429 --> 0:12:50.309 special, but nobody congratulated me or said anything. And not nobody, but 0:12:50.520 --> 0:12:52.830 a lot of my teammates didn't and I was really hurt by 0:12:52.830 --> 0:12:55.380 that. It was like everybody forgetting your birthday and not 0:12:55.410 --> 0:13:00.360 texting you or something like that. And it was because I didn't build connections with 0:13:00.360 --> 0:13:02.609 a lot of those women throughout the year. Part of 0:13:02.610 --> 0:13:06.150 me didn't feel like I fit in because I still identified 0:13:06.150 --> 0:13:08.670 as a sprinter and moving up to the distance running. 0:13:10.230 --> 0:13:14.670 It was tough transition- wise for me. And I wouldn't 0:13:14.670 --> 0:13:16.439 say that they were cruel to me, but I don't 0:13:16.440 --> 0:13:18.480 think a lot of them went out of their way 0:13:18.480 --> 0:13:22.440 to be nice either. And so I think that was 0:13:22.440 --> 0:13:24.480 really tough. And I remember sending a message to my 0:13:24.480 --> 0:13:28.950 coach the summer after freshman year saying that I felt 0:13:28.950 --> 0:13:30.750 like I had a really good year and nobody celebrated 0:13:30.750 --> 0:13:33.600 that with me and it was going to be really hard for me to continue on 0:13:33.600 --> 0:13:36.359 not feeling like I had a community behind me. And 0:13:36.360 --> 0:13:38.699 he put the focus back on running because he knew that 0:13:38.700 --> 0:13:40.350 was a priority for me and he knew that that 0:13:40.350 --> 0:13:44.640 was important. And I came back and decided that running was my 0:13:44.640 --> 0:13:49.920 priority over maybe social life. So it ended up being 0:13:49.920 --> 0:13:52.920 a situation where I decided running was my priority. If 0:13:52.920 --> 0:13:54.750 you were cool with that, you were my friend. If 0:13:54.750 --> 0:13:58.860 you weren't cool with that, you weren't. And it carried me a 0:13:58.860 --> 0:14:02.160 really long way. I had a really good career in 0:14:02.160 --> 0:14:05.429 running. And now as a pro, I've made a lot 0:14:05.429 --> 0:14:09.030 of really meaningful relationships with other female pros that I 0:14:09.030 --> 0:14:12.030 couldn't see myself having similar relationships in college. 0:14:12.390 --> 0:14:15.210 Oh, I love that. It turned out all right, but 0:14:15.210 --> 0:14:18.360 it definitely taught you the lessons along the way. Thank 0:14:18.360 --> 0:14:24.210 you for sharing that. Susan, as you say, you're from Uganda. 0:14:24.870 --> 0:14:25.020 Yeah. 0:14:25.080 --> 0:14:31.470 And for you, being, full stop, a fast runner doesn't 0:14:31.470 --> 0:14:34.320 automatically buy you respect, especially when you go back home. 0:14:34.980 --> 0:14:37.800 I think you've said before, when you go home, you're often 0:14:37.800 --> 0:14:39.840 asked about like, " When are you going to stop running? When are you going 0:14:39.840 --> 0:14:43.290 to get married? When are you going to have kids?" something 0:14:43.290 --> 0:14:45.300 a lot of women in this day and age still 0:14:45.300 --> 0:14:47.940 get asked a lot of the time by elders for 0:14:47.940 --> 0:14:52.500 sure. So I heard there was a story about a boda- 0:14:52.800 --> 0:14:56.970 boda driver and there's some other conversations. Just talk us 0:14:56.970 --> 0:15:00.510 through how that feels to you as somebody who is so 0:15:00.510 --> 0:15:04.680 celebrated here for what you do and having that juxtaposition. 0:15:04.980 --> 0:15:09.750 So generally, I think where we are at as a country for 0:15:09.750 --> 0:15:13.380 Uganda, we've come a long way and we still have 0:15:13.380 --> 0:15:16.260 a very long way to go. I remember I started running 0:15:16.260 --> 0:15:19.320 when I was in primary school, which is an equivalent 0:15:19.320 --> 0:15:24.060 of middle school in the US. And at that time, everybody's running 0:15:24.060 --> 0:15:26.760 and you have so many girls actually who are running at such 0:15:26.760 --> 0:15:29.100 a young age. And then I went off to high 0:15:29.100 --> 0:15:31.500 school. My first high school was an all- girls high 0:15:31.500 --> 0:15:34.860 school. So I really, really enjoyed running. And I remember 0:15:34.860 --> 0:15:38.970 I came home, my dad said, " Why are you running?" 0:15:39.570 --> 0:15:42.240 when I told him that I was running, I was on the team, I 0:15:42.240 --> 0:15:44.640 was supposed to go for national. He knew that I 0:15:44.640 --> 0:15:48.210 ran, but it's supposed to be fun. And I think, 0:15:48.210 --> 0:15:52.170 generally as a country, I think at the time, culturally, 0:15:52.200 --> 0:15:55.920 we are very conservative. We see certain things and sport 0:15:55.920 --> 0:15:58.860 is one of those things that he's seen as something that's meant for 0:15:58.860 --> 0:16:01.650 the boys, for the men. And a lot of girls 0:16:01.650 --> 0:16:05.070 are expected to be at home, doing chores and helping 0:16:05.070 --> 0:16:07.650 their mom and doing things around the house and not 0:16:07.650 --> 0:16:11.070 necessarily being out in the field playing like, " Why are 0:16:11.070 --> 0:16:14.610 you out there?" It seemed like something that's only meant for boys. 0:16:14.910 --> 0:16:17.520 So I really love running and I just kept doing 0:16:17.520 --> 0:16:19.740 it. I explained to him why I wanted to run 0:16:20.010 --> 0:16:22.230 and he thought running was really a waste of time. 0:16:22.830 --> 0:16:25.200 And I remember him telling me this story about one 0:16:25.200 --> 0:16:28.050 of our former athletes who ran in the '70s. She went 0:16:28.050 --> 0:16:31.170 to all- Africans. She was very decorated. But the whole 0:16:31.170 --> 0:16:34.650 story about her was how she didn't focus on school 0:16:34.650 --> 0:16:37.620 and did not get a good education. And when she retired 0:16:37.620 --> 0:16:41.100 from running, she had nothing to fall back on. She 0:16:41.100 --> 0:16:44.670 got married, had children and died really, really poor, in 0:16:44.670 --> 0:16:48.780 a very poor and bad living conditions. So he didn't 0:16:48.780 --> 0:16:51.540 want me being that example. He wanted me to just 0:16:51.540 --> 0:16:54.600 focus on school and school was the most important thing. This sport 0:16:54.600 --> 0:16:57.239 thing is not going to take me anywhere. So when 0:16:57.240 --> 0:16:59.310 I started running in school, I used to just run 0:16:59.310 --> 0:17:01.500 at school. We would go in town, and every time 0:17:01.500 --> 0:17:03.840 we went out of the school to run, it was 0:17:03.840 --> 0:17:08.040 a boarding school. Mostly men would just talk like, sorry 0:17:08.040 --> 0:17:10.500 for my language, but bad words like, " Oh, why are 0:17:10.500 --> 0:17:13.590 you guys running?" And there were so many young girls 0:17:13.590 --> 0:17:16.230 who were way, way talented. I wasn't the most talented 0:17:16.650 --> 0:17:20.250 athlete in my school, but as I got older, a 0:17:20.250 --> 0:17:22.950 lot of girls dropped out because they didn't want their 0:17:22.950 --> 0:17:25.859 body to change. Because when you're an athlete, let's say 0:17:25.859 --> 0:17:28.020 you're a soccer player, you're a runner, your calves will 0:17:28.020 --> 0:17:31.530 look different. You have your biceps and muscles. Maybe your 0:17:31.530 --> 0:17:36.750 boobs won't grow. And that wasn't really particularly seen as 0:17:36.930 --> 0:17:41.490 a womanly- looking way. Girls wanted to look womanly. That 0:17:41.490 --> 0:17:44.700 meant you wanted the big boobs, you wanted the long 0:17:44.700 --> 0:17:47.670 stringy legs and not the bulky legs and the bulky 0:17:47.730 --> 0:17:51.149 arms. Yeah. But I really enjoyed running. But luckily, I 0:17:51.150 --> 0:17:53.550 transferred and went to a different school, which was in 0:17:53.550 --> 0:17:56.760 another part of the country. And even at the moment, 0:17:57.000 --> 0:17:59.609 a lot of the people in that area felt very 0:17:59.609 --> 0:18:02.100 fascinated like, " Wow, you're a woman and you are that 0:18:02.100 --> 0:18:06.359 strong." And granted at that time, we only had one girl. 0:18:06.359 --> 0:18:10.320 Her name was Dorcus Inzikuru. She won a gold medal in 0:18:10.320 --> 0:18:14.490 the 3K Commonwealth and she was all over the news. 0:18:14.490 --> 0:18:17.040 And I remember I just inspired to be her at 0:18:17.040 --> 0:18:20.100 the time. So whenever I go back home, I wanted 0:18:20.100 --> 0:18:23.640 to train, but I didn't really like men, especially old 0:18:23.640 --> 0:18:28.200 boys talking trash at me. It's just like throwing birds. Not necessarily 0:18:28.200 --> 0:18:31.560 insulting you, but, " Oh, why are you running?" And women, 0:18:31.560 --> 0:18:34.889 sometimes they would say, " Whose daughter is that? Doesn't she 0:18:34.890 --> 0:18:37.859 have a place to be ... Why is she dressed like that?" So I 0:18:37.859 --> 0:18:43.770 was very insecure about wearing tank tops or shorts because it's a very 0:18:43.770 --> 0:18:48.359 cultural, very conservative community. And people will call you out 0:18:48.359 --> 0:18:51.450 when you are dressing what they consider inappropriate. Whenever they 0:18:51.450 --> 0:18:55.050 can see your thighs out, that is very inappropriate. And 0:18:55.050 --> 0:18:57.419 I remember my mom told me last time I was home, " 0:18:57.570 --> 0:19:00.060 No, I don't care," I just dress up and my 0:19:00.060 --> 0:19:03.480 family say, " You dress appropriately. When you're going to church, 0:19:03.480 --> 0:19:06.450 dress accordingly, going to a meeting. Going to training, that's 0:19:06.450 --> 0:19:08.940 the only time you're allowed to dress like that." So 0:19:08.940 --> 0:19:11.160 my mom was with a group of women and a 0:19:11.160 --> 0:19:14.130 lady told her, " I wonder whose daughter that is. Look 0:19:14.130 --> 0:19:16.740 at how dressed she is. I wonder who her parents 0:19:16.740 --> 0:19:19.350 are." And she just said ... She didn't even say anything, " 0:19:19.350 --> 0:19:21.450 Hmm, I'm curious too." She was telling me- 0:19:22.770 --> 0:19:22.771 No. 0:19:22.771 --> 0:19:27.178 ... later on. Yeah. And this particular incident about the boda-boda, boda-boda are 0:19:29.160 --> 0:19:33.840 like motorcyclists. They're quick means of transportation within Uganda, multiple 0:19:33.840 --> 0:19:36.119 on the streets. If you've ever been to Uganda or any other 0:19:36.119 --> 0:19:39.660 part of Africa, you'll experience them. So I wake up 0:19:39.660 --> 0:19:41.400 now in the morning, I go to do my run 0:19:41.400 --> 0:19:43.410 and this guy yells at me and say, " Hey, you 0:19:43.410 --> 0:19:45.840 girl, if you were to be my wife and I 0:19:45.840 --> 0:19:48.540 would want to beat you, I need to lock the 0:19:48.540 --> 0:19:52.109 door first. Because if I don't lock the door, you'll 0:19:52.109 --> 0:19:58.950 run away and you'll run so fast." Yeah. So I said, " 0:19:58.950 --> 0:20:02.670 Well, I'm lucky for you. You'll never have a chance 0:20:03.060 --> 0:20:06.240 of having a beautiful and a fast and a strong woman like myself. 0:20:07.470 --> 0:20:11.490 You stand no chance." And his colleague all busted into 0:20:11.490 --> 0:20:14.550 laughters. They laughed back at him. When I was younger, 0:20:14.609 --> 0:20:17.369 I used to just avoid the place that had many 0:20:17.369 --> 0:20:19.560 people. I would just wake up very early in the 0:20:19.560 --> 0:20:21.959 morning before the sunrise and then I would go and rack on 0:20:21.960 --> 0:20:25.109 the back streets in the town. And then I made 0:20:25.109 --> 0:20:28.080 sure I avoid the places that had many people, but 0:20:28.080 --> 0:20:30.389 then I thought that I need to be able to 0:20:30.390 --> 0:20:32.850 change the narrative. I need to be able to be 0:20:32.850 --> 0:20:34.709 the change that I want to see. So now I 0:20:34.710 --> 0:20:37.710 wake up, and at 8: 00 AM, that is when 0:20:37.710 --> 0:20:39.480 I go to do my run. And when people are 0:20:39.480 --> 0:20:43.020 talking to me, sometimes, " Is that a woman or a man?" " Oh, 0:20:43.410 --> 0:20:46.650 she didn't braid her hair. You wouldn't recognize that she's 0:20:46.650 --> 0:20:49.619 a woman," " Oh, she has no breasts." They say things 0:20:49.619 --> 0:20:53.100 like that, both men and women. And then I say, " Yeah, I'm an 0:20:53.100 --> 0:20:57.930 international athlete now. I represent Uganda." And then when I'm out 0:20:57.930 --> 0:21:00.359 there running, a lot of times the young girls keep 0:21:00.359 --> 0:21:03.390 running and they join me and I started training them. 0:21:03.390 --> 0:21:05.640 Whenever I finished my session, I also invite the young 0:21:05.640 --> 0:21:08.400 girls. I start training them. And I remember this one 0:21:08.400 --> 0:21:11.820 time, a little girl had a skirt on. Some of 0:21:11.820 --> 0:21:14.609 them came, they were wearing shorts because some family don't 0:21:14.609 --> 0:21:16.859 even want their girls wearing shorts. So the girls said, " 0:21:16.859 --> 0:21:19.244 Well, I don't have shorts and my dad doesn't want 0:21:19.244 --> 0:21:21.180 me to wear shorts. He says girls are not supposed 0:21:21.180 --> 0:21:22.949 to wear shirts. We can only wear skirts." So I 0:21:22.950 --> 0:21:25.500 told her, I said, " You're fine. Even with your skirts, 0:21:25.500 --> 0:21:28.320 you're fine. Let's go." I just invited her to be 0:21:28.320 --> 0:21:30.600 a part of the group. So I think we still 0:21:30.600 --> 0:21:32.700 have a long way to go and I just need 0:21:32.700 --> 0:21:35.250 to be the change that I want to see. And hopefully, 0:21:35.760 --> 0:21:37.619 the story will be different in a few years from 0:21:37.619 --> 0:21:38.010 now. 0:21:38.340 --> 0:21:43.770 Okay. Leah, let's flip it across the water. And so 0:21:43.770 --> 0:21:47.550 we've had Susan's life as a fast female runner in 0:21:47.550 --> 0:21:52.379 Uganda, but Jamaica has a totally and utterly different track 0:21:52.410 --> 0:22:00.629 culture. Sprinters are legendary icons in Jamaica. You're the most 0:22:00.630 --> 0:22:06.750 famous people out there. But being a fast woman in 0:22:06.750 --> 0:22:09.570 that world is still very much its own thing. So 0:22:09.570 --> 0:22:12.090 talk us through how that looks like, how you are 0:22:12.240 --> 0:22:15.480 noticed in Jamaica for your speed. 0:22:15.990 --> 0:22:20.130 Well, if you're a famous sprinter in Jamaica, you're basically 0:22:20.130 --> 0:22:23.430 a celebrity. You're basically one of the most talked about 0:22:23.430 --> 0:22:28.080 person in the country. But from what I've witnessed and 0:22:28.080 --> 0:22:32.700 noticed as I've gone to Jamaica several times, you have 0:22:32.700 --> 0:22:35.100 to be fast. If you run anything more than the 0:22:35.100 --> 0:22:38.310 four, you're not known, you're not given that much respect. 0:22:38.760 --> 0:22:42.060 So me being just a 400- meter runner, just a 400- 0:22:42.060 --> 0:22:48.270 meter runner, it's like I have to be top three. If you're not top three, 0:22:48.270 --> 0:22:51.060 you're not really talked about. You're not first pick on 0:22:51.060 --> 0:22:55.920