1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,840 Speaker 1: Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve camera. 2 00:00:03,160 --> 00:00:09,880 Speaker 1: It's ready. Are you welcome to stuff mom never told you? 3 00:00:10,080 --> 00:00:17,439 Speaker 1: From how Stuff Works dot com, Hello and welcome to 4 00:00:17,480 --> 00:00:20,680 Speaker 1: the podcast. I'm Kristen and I'm Caroline. And before we 5 00:00:20,760 --> 00:00:27,000 Speaker 1: go any further, this episode on women and marathon's is 6 00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:31,800 Speaker 1: owed to a listener Scott Perry in Calgary, this one's 7 00:00:31,840 --> 00:00:35,159 Speaker 1: for you. Scott Perry sent us an email saying, Hey, gals, 8 00:00:35,240 --> 00:00:39,720 Speaker 1: guess what The Boston Marathon is rolling around April sixteen 9 00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:43,840 Speaker 1: and it marks the fort anniversary of women being officially 10 00:00:44,240 --> 00:00:49,199 Speaker 1: allowed to run in it. And so I forwarded the 11 00:00:49,240 --> 00:00:51,839 Speaker 1: email to Caroline and said, Hey, Caroline, you know it's awesome. 12 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:54,840 Speaker 1: We have a fantastic listener named Scott who has fantastic 13 00:00:54,880 --> 00:00:57,840 Speaker 1: idea about running. And then we talked about Scott for 14 00:00:57,880 --> 00:00:59,600 Speaker 1: a while and how smart he was. Yeah, we were 15 00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:01,920 Speaker 1: actually we were going to do the podcast originally on Scott, 16 00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:04,840 Speaker 1: just about Scott, but we thought that could get creepy. Yes, 17 00:01:04,880 --> 00:01:08,000 Speaker 1: Facebook profile was private, so we decided to go with 18 00:01:08,120 --> 00:01:13,600 Speaker 1: Boston Marathon's a broader topic. Um, and I'll kick things 19 00:01:13,640 --> 00:01:17,720 Speaker 1: off with a little marathon anecdote while I do jog 20 00:01:18,280 --> 00:01:20,839 Speaker 1: um a couple of times a week. If I'm being good, 21 00:01:20,880 --> 00:01:22,040 Speaker 1: I try to do it at least a couple of 22 00:01:22,080 --> 00:01:25,640 Speaker 1: times a week. I'm not really a long distance runner. 23 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:30,800 Speaker 1: The only long distance marathon I have ever participated in 24 00:01:31,440 --> 00:01:33,720 Speaker 1: was the Peachtree road Race, which is one of the 25 00:01:33,800 --> 00:01:37,400 Speaker 1: largest tin caves in the world. There's something like fifty 26 00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:41,440 Speaker 1: five thousand participants who run right past our building in fact, 27 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:46,920 Speaker 1: here in Atlanta, Georgia. And a few years ago, my 28 00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:50,840 Speaker 1: then boyfriend and I decided that we wanted to run 29 00:01:50,840 --> 00:01:52,760 Speaker 1: the road race. It was the fourth of July. It 30 00:01:52,760 --> 00:01:55,560 Speaker 1: would be something kind of fun to do together. They're 31 00:01:55,560 --> 00:01:59,600 Speaker 1: all these people. I was a recent um transplant to Atlanta, 32 00:02:00,280 --> 00:02:04,200 Speaker 1: so we didn't really think about the fact that, hey, 33 00:02:04,240 --> 00:02:07,600 Speaker 1: this spur of the moment idea means that we didn't 34 00:02:07,600 --> 00:02:11,600 Speaker 1: have a number, and we didn't realize that that. We 35 00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:13,320 Speaker 1: We thought, like, you know, you could just you could 36 00:02:13,320 --> 00:02:16,400 Speaker 1: just sort of jump on the course if you just 37 00:02:16,560 --> 00:02:19,040 Speaker 1: run it. Uh, there were so many other people who 38 00:02:19,120 --> 00:02:22,040 Speaker 1: did have numbers. Would two people without a number really 39 00:02:22,080 --> 00:02:27,680 Speaker 1: make a difference. So we took Marta the public transit 40 00:02:27,720 --> 00:02:30,280 Speaker 1: down to the start of the race. The swarms of people. 41 00:02:31,160 --> 00:02:33,280 Speaker 1: It was at the break of dawn. It was very eerie. 42 00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:35,840 Speaker 1: It was actually kind of like zombie land here because 43 00:02:35,880 --> 00:02:38,800 Speaker 1: there were just people walking around and sort of next 44 00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:42,280 Speaker 1: to nothing and running gear while the sun was rising. 45 00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:48,480 Speaker 1: And ran into Sarah from stuff he missed in history class, 46 00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:51,760 Speaker 1: who of course had a number like a proper a 47 00:02:51,880 --> 00:02:58,600 Speaker 1: proper participant, and she immediately and gently informed us that 48 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:00,640 Speaker 1: we might want to watch our acts and keep a 49 00:03:00,639 --> 00:03:03,840 Speaker 1: little profile because we really should not be on the 50 00:03:04,639 --> 00:03:08,560 Speaker 1: course without numbers. Will you get thrown off? Yeah, there 51 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:10,920 Speaker 1: are people on their watching to see um if you 52 00:03:11,120 --> 00:03:12,960 Speaker 1: have a number or not. Well, is it is it 53 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:15,720 Speaker 1: to protect against like crazy people doing crazy stunts or 54 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:17,799 Speaker 1: is it just like there's already so many people there. 55 00:03:17,840 --> 00:03:20,919 Speaker 1: We don't want unregistered runners. There are already so many 56 00:03:20,919 --> 00:03:24,120 Speaker 1: people there, and especially for the really serious runners to 57 00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:26,400 Speaker 1: go first or those time trials that they have to 58 00:03:26,480 --> 00:03:29,480 Speaker 1: compete in other marathons, so you don't want random folks 59 00:03:29,480 --> 00:03:34,440 Speaker 1: just mucking up the race course. But the good news 60 00:03:34,560 --> 00:03:37,840 Speaker 1: is good news for me anyway, is that my boyfriend 61 00:03:37,840 --> 00:03:41,560 Speaker 1: and I were able to run it anyway. And my 62 00:03:41,680 --> 00:03:45,600 Speaker 1: favorite part was passing by a Catholic church where priests 63 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:48,560 Speaker 1: was throwing out holy water on the runners, so I 64 00:03:48,720 --> 00:03:52,560 Speaker 1: like dodged over and got sprinkled, and I really think 65 00:03:52,560 --> 00:03:54,360 Speaker 1: that it helped me cross the finish line good. And 66 00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:57,160 Speaker 1: you didn't melt or anything. I did not melt, even 67 00:03:57,200 --> 00:04:01,480 Speaker 1: though I'm not Catholic, so hey, anything helps when you're 68 00:04:01,520 --> 00:04:06,680 Speaker 1: running that long. I I I am a very loose jogger. 69 00:04:07,120 --> 00:04:11,520 Speaker 1: I jogged sometimes when I feel like it. I get 70 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:14,440 Speaker 1: into periods of jogging. That's about it. I'm imagining you 71 00:04:14,560 --> 00:04:17,120 Speaker 1: like running without using your arms for some reason, that's 72 00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:24,120 Speaker 1: my my image of loose jogging flailing your shoulders. Well, 73 00:04:24,160 --> 00:04:26,120 Speaker 1: you know, I thought it was funny that you mentioned 74 00:04:26,279 --> 00:04:29,560 Speaker 1: that you and your boyfriend just like jumped in, because well, 75 00:04:29,560 --> 00:04:32,640 Speaker 1: it's not funny because that's how women had to run 76 00:04:32,720 --> 00:04:36,600 Speaker 1: marathons at first, because they just they weren't allowed. Like 77 00:04:36,640 --> 00:04:40,320 Speaker 1: flat out women were not allowed to register for marathons. 78 00:04:40,320 --> 00:04:41,960 Speaker 1: I mean they could run, they could do what you 79 00:04:41,960 --> 00:04:45,600 Speaker 1: guys did, and you know, be unofficial participants and not 80 00:04:45,720 --> 00:04:50,200 Speaker 1: have their time count or anything, but they were not welcome. Yeah. 81 00:04:50,240 --> 00:04:53,800 Speaker 1: The thing is I was merely following in the footsteps 82 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:59,279 Speaker 1: of women like ROBERTA. Gibb and Catherine Switzer in the 83 00:04:59,320 --> 00:05:01,760 Speaker 1: Boston Mayor Marathon. Um, and since we kicked things off 84 00:05:01,760 --> 00:05:05,799 Speaker 1: talking about the Boston Marathon, we should go ahead and 85 00:05:06,040 --> 00:05:10,160 Speaker 1: mentioned that this race has been going on since eighteen 86 00:05:10,720 --> 00:05:13,680 Speaker 1: nine seven and two thousand twelve were only at the 87 00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:18,120 Speaker 1: fort anniversary of women being officially allowed to run. And 88 00:05:18,320 --> 00:05:23,159 Speaker 1: like you hinted at earlier, Caroline, there were women who 89 00:05:23,600 --> 00:05:27,320 Speaker 1: jumped into the phrase secretly in the Boston Marathon in 90 00:05:27,440 --> 00:05:30,280 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty six. The first known woman to do this 91 00:05:30,360 --> 00:05:33,880 Speaker 1: was ROBERTA. Gibb, who had applied to running the Boston Marathon, 92 00:05:34,320 --> 00:05:39,680 Speaker 1: but her application was rejected because women were not According 93 00:05:39,800 --> 00:05:42,800 Speaker 1: to the official rules of amateur running at the time, 94 00:05:43,080 --> 00:05:46,400 Speaker 1: women were not allowed to run that far, which is 95 00:05:46,480 --> 00:05:48,960 Speaker 1: a marathon. We should go ahead and say is twenty 96 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:53,479 Speaker 1: six point two miles? Which makes me tired? Just about yeah, 97 00:05:53,520 --> 00:05:56,440 Speaker 1: I have no design. I see people running. I know 98 00:05:56,560 --> 00:05:59,200 Speaker 1: I have friends who just ran a half marathon. My 99 00:05:59,279 --> 00:06:01,400 Speaker 1: roommate was part to that. He came home and I 100 00:06:01,440 --> 00:06:04,480 Speaker 1: don't think he moved. I think you're flailing arms and shoulders. 101 00:06:05,120 --> 00:06:08,080 Speaker 1: Would be very tired by the end of that. I 102 00:06:08,120 --> 00:06:12,080 Speaker 1: would throw something out of his socket. They would um. 103 00:06:12,120 --> 00:06:15,440 Speaker 1: But GiB wasn't trying to make a statement, She wasn't 104 00:06:15,480 --> 00:06:17,600 Speaker 1: trying to break down barriers. She just wanted to run. 105 00:06:18,120 --> 00:06:20,880 Speaker 1: She was a twenty three year old young Navy wife 106 00:06:21,080 --> 00:06:24,440 Speaker 1: and um she had watched the race in nineteen sixty 107 00:06:24,480 --> 00:06:26,760 Speaker 1: four and pointed out that all she saw was people. 108 00:06:26,839 --> 00:06:28,640 Speaker 1: She didn't take note of the fact that there were 109 00:06:28,680 --> 00:06:32,159 Speaker 1: no women running. She just thought it was neat. She 110 00:06:32,320 --> 00:06:34,800 Speaker 1: liked the type of people who participated, and so she 111 00:06:34,920 --> 00:06:39,040 Speaker 1: wanted to get involved also, so in nineteen sixty six 112 00:06:39,520 --> 00:06:43,320 Speaker 1: she she she goes to Boston and kind of hangs 113 00:06:43,400 --> 00:06:46,200 Speaker 1: out on the sidelines like, oh, no, I'm just me. No, 114 00:06:46,400 --> 00:06:51,200 Speaker 1: I'm just wearing shorts because it's March or April in Boston, 115 00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:54,039 Speaker 1: you know, no, no problem. And she ended up jumping 116 00:06:54,080 --> 00:06:56,839 Speaker 1: in as the runners came by. And there's a little 117 00:06:56,839 --> 00:06:59,280 Speaker 1: bit of controversy about where she actually jumped in, whether 118 00:06:59,360 --> 00:07:02,000 Speaker 1: or not she and the entire course, or if she 119 00:07:02,160 --> 00:07:05,479 Speaker 1: jumped in a little less conspicuous spot more than the 120 00:07:05,880 --> 00:07:08,680 Speaker 1: in the middle of the marathon. But nevertheless, she crossed 121 00:07:08,720 --> 00:07:11,640 Speaker 1: the finish line, ended up getting a time of three hours, 122 00:07:11,800 --> 00:07:14,920 Speaker 1: twenty one minutes forty seconds and finished not too bad 123 00:07:16,480 --> 00:07:22,120 Speaker 1: out of five hundred. But the next year, Katherine Switzer 124 00:07:22,280 --> 00:07:25,040 Speaker 1: enters the race. And this is the story that has 125 00:07:25,080 --> 00:07:29,280 Speaker 1: been circulating around blogs as this year as the Boston 126 00:07:29,320 --> 00:07:36,720 Speaker 1: Marathon approaches, because there is photographic evidence of the race organizer, 127 00:07:36,760 --> 00:07:41,600 Speaker 1: one of the organizers, Jocks Simple, trying to push Switzer 128 00:07:41,840 --> 00:07:46,360 Speaker 1: off the race course, like literally literally off there, pushing 129 00:07:46,360 --> 00:07:50,200 Speaker 1: her off physically. Um. She ended up getting into the 130 00:07:50,280 --> 00:07:54,520 Speaker 1: race officially by applying as k V Switzer, but she 131 00:07:54,680 --> 00:07:57,760 Speaker 1: claims she's a little sneaky about this. She claims that, oh, well, 132 00:07:57,800 --> 00:07:59,800 Speaker 1: you know, I was just I was using my initial 133 00:08:00,680 --> 00:08:04,480 Speaker 1: just in day to day business. But she also knew 134 00:08:04,560 --> 00:08:07,280 Speaker 1: that if she registered as Catherine she would not be 135 00:08:07,320 --> 00:08:10,280 Speaker 1: allowed to run, right, And she managed to avoid the 136 00:08:10,280 --> 00:08:13,120 Speaker 1: pre race physical too by saying that she'd been cleared earlier, 137 00:08:13,320 --> 00:08:15,320 Speaker 1: so she had a plan. She knew it was, She 138 00:08:15,480 --> 00:08:18,760 Speaker 1: knew what was going on. And if you've seen pictures 139 00:08:18,760 --> 00:08:20,920 Speaker 1: at all, if you follow any news about the race 140 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:22,760 Speaker 1: or know anything about running history, there a lot of 141 00:08:22,760 --> 00:08:27,200 Speaker 1: pictures circulating now too of that of that period where 142 00:08:27,680 --> 00:08:30,960 Speaker 1: this Jock Simple guy, this crotchety old Scottish man tried 143 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:33,000 Speaker 1: to push her out of the race, and you can 144 00:08:33,040 --> 00:08:36,520 Speaker 1: see where Tom Miller, Switzer's boyfriend at the time, who 145 00:08:36,559 --> 00:08:38,600 Speaker 1: was a football player and a big dude, just like 146 00:08:38,679 --> 00:08:43,040 Speaker 1: totally body checked it and pushed him off the off 147 00:08:43,080 --> 00:08:46,360 Speaker 1: of his girlfriend. Well, the photos are somewhat disturbing because 148 00:08:46,360 --> 00:08:49,920 Speaker 1: what had happened was that as she was running the race, 149 00:08:50,120 --> 00:08:54,640 Speaker 1: the the media that was they had media trucks that 150 00:08:54,679 --> 00:08:58,040 Speaker 1: were tracking the people running, and there was word that 151 00:08:58,160 --> 00:09:01,520 Speaker 1: spread that there was a woman running. She's running along 152 00:09:01,559 --> 00:09:04,160 Speaker 1: in this with a number, with a number it is important, 153 00:09:04,240 --> 00:09:08,080 Speaker 1: with a kind of a floppy sweatsuit on, and so 154 00:09:08,520 --> 00:09:11,440 Speaker 1: they start taking pictures of her, and this catches Jock 155 00:09:11,640 --> 00:09:15,800 Speaker 1: simples attention, and some of the media people start heckling 156 00:09:15,920 --> 00:09:18,280 Speaker 1: Jock Simple, saying, hey, look, there's a there's a woman 157 00:09:18,440 --> 00:09:21,600 Speaker 1: running in your race. And he was just incensed, specifically 158 00:09:21,679 --> 00:09:25,840 Speaker 1: the fact that she had a number, and according to Switzer, 159 00:09:26,200 --> 00:09:28,760 Speaker 1: he grabbed her and said, get the hell out of 160 00:09:28,800 --> 00:09:33,040 Speaker 1: my race and give me those numbers. But like you said, 161 00:09:33,160 --> 00:09:38,520 Speaker 1: her football boyfriend basically just tackled him, got him out 162 00:09:38,520 --> 00:09:40,800 Speaker 1: of the way, and she kept running across the finish 163 00:09:40,840 --> 00:09:43,480 Speaker 1: line with the time of four twenty yeah, which she 164 00:09:43,559 --> 00:09:46,200 Speaker 1: admits is not the best time, but She said that 165 00:09:46,240 --> 00:09:48,600 Speaker 1: she was determined to finish the race on her hands 166 00:09:48,640 --> 00:09:50,400 Speaker 1: and knees, that she had to just approve that a 167 00:09:50,400 --> 00:09:54,360 Speaker 1: woman could because she realized at that time how important 168 00:09:54,880 --> 00:09:57,559 Speaker 1: this whole thing was. If she was like being physically 169 00:09:58,480 --> 00:10:00,880 Speaker 1: pushed out of the race by of its organizers, she 170 00:10:00,960 --> 00:10:05,080 Speaker 1: just realized how important it was that her participation be visible. Yeah. 171 00:10:05,080 --> 00:10:09,400 Speaker 1: Sports Illustrated interviewed Jock Simple a couple of years after 172 00:10:09,440 --> 00:10:14,559 Speaker 1: this incident, and he was completely unapologetic. He claimed that, 173 00:10:14,640 --> 00:10:18,199 Speaker 1: you know, he was not motivated so much by getting 174 00:10:18,240 --> 00:10:22,120 Speaker 1: a woman off the track, but as an unauthorized number 175 00:10:22,640 --> 00:10:28,240 Speaker 1: holder to make up a phrase. Well, Switzer actually endured 176 00:10:28,360 --> 00:10:31,520 Speaker 1: a lot of criticism for her hobby, which is running 177 00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:34,480 Speaker 1: um back in nineteen sixty six, the year before the marathon, 178 00:10:34,760 --> 00:10:38,040 Speaker 1: when she was training at Lynchburg College in Virginia, that 179 00:10:38,120 --> 00:10:40,199 Speaker 1: you know, after the whole roberta GiB thing that had 180 00:10:40,200 --> 00:10:43,200 Speaker 1: attracted the attention of the Associated Press who ran an article. 181 00:10:43,800 --> 00:10:46,280 Speaker 1: And after the article ran, Switzer got a letter saying 182 00:10:46,280 --> 00:10:50,200 Speaker 1: that God will strike you dead if she tried to run. Yeah. Well, 183 00:10:50,400 --> 00:10:53,120 Speaker 1: being a runner because she was training with the men's team, 184 00:10:53,600 --> 00:10:55,800 Speaker 1: and so this attracted all sorts of negative attention. And 185 00:10:55,800 --> 00:11:00,360 Speaker 1: I just can't I just can't imagine thinking that running 186 00:11:00,360 --> 00:11:03,240 Speaker 1: with men as a woman is enough to get me 187 00:11:03,600 --> 00:11:09,280 Speaker 1: struck down, smited, smoked, might be smoked, struck by lightning. 188 00:11:09,800 --> 00:11:12,600 Speaker 1: I do think we should clarify that that. Switzer said 189 00:11:12,640 --> 00:11:15,640 Speaker 1: that the negative attention at the time was not coming 190 00:11:15,679 --> 00:11:18,520 Speaker 1: from the other male runners. The guys were fine with 191 00:11:18,559 --> 00:11:21,680 Speaker 1: her running alongside them and probably thought it was cool. 192 00:11:22,080 --> 00:11:25,720 Speaker 1: But she said that the real negativity came from race 193 00:11:25,880 --> 00:11:30,840 Speaker 1: organizers and the media and athletic associations that were cleaning 194 00:11:30,920 --> 00:11:38,360 Speaker 1: to this notion that running long distances was bad for women. Bad. 195 00:11:38,400 --> 00:11:41,800 Speaker 1: And when I say bad, I mean physically bad. Um. 196 00:11:41,840 --> 00:11:44,520 Speaker 1: And we should talk about a little bit earlier in 197 00:11:44,760 --> 00:11:47,840 Speaker 1: the history of running, and especially in the Olympics, that 198 00:11:48,600 --> 00:11:53,800 Speaker 1: because of poor coaching styles, when women would run longer races, 199 00:11:53,880 --> 00:11:57,480 Speaker 1: like there was a half mile in the Olympics and 200 00:11:58,160 --> 00:12:01,280 Speaker 1: a number of women who compete, then it actually collapsed 201 00:12:01,280 --> 00:12:04,320 Speaker 1: before they crossed the finish line because they were exerting 202 00:12:04,400 --> 00:12:07,440 Speaker 1: so much energy at the outset they were completely exhausted 203 00:12:07,800 --> 00:12:09,840 Speaker 1: by the end. Yeah, And there was just this general 204 00:12:09,840 --> 00:12:12,120 Speaker 1: belief that any long distance running put too much of 205 00:12:12,120 --> 00:12:14,880 Speaker 1: a strain on women. It interfered with their ability to 206 00:12:14,960 --> 00:12:17,160 Speaker 1: get pregnant and have children, so that it would it 207 00:12:17,160 --> 00:12:20,600 Speaker 1: would hurt your uterus to run well. And that was 208 00:12:20,640 --> 00:12:25,800 Speaker 1: also connected with, um, some female runners complaining of irregular periods, 209 00:12:25,840 --> 00:12:29,480 Speaker 1: so doctors assumed that by extension, if you're running a 210 00:12:29,520 --> 00:12:32,920 Speaker 1: lot your periods are irregular, you must be damaging your uterus, 211 00:12:32,960 --> 00:12:35,080 Speaker 1: and by God, you won't be able to have children. 212 00:12:35,360 --> 00:12:39,080 Speaker 1: Right um. The website Run like a Girl film dot com. 213 00:12:39,240 --> 00:12:41,520 Speaker 1: It's a it's it's based on the film Run Like 214 00:12:41,559 --> 00:12:44,480 Speaker 1: a Girl. That's pretty self explanatory, right um. And they 215 00:12:44,520 --> 00:12:47,360 Speaker 1: have a lot of running history on their website and uh. 216 00:12:47,440 --> 00:12:50,920 Speaker 1: In women were allowed to compete in the Olympic track 217 00:12:50,920 --> 00:12:54,440 Speaker 1: and field events, but because of their exhausted condition at 218 00:12:54,440 --> 00:12:56,559 Speaker 1: the end of the eight hundred final, the event was 219 00:12:56,679 --> 00:13:01,000 Speaker 1: dropped until nineteen sixty. So apparently they looked so shabby 220 00:13:01,080 --> 00:13:02,800 Speaker 1: at the end that people were like, whoa, whoa, whoa, 221 00:13:03,640 --> 00:13:06,280 Speaker 1: how is your uterus? Do you need to sit down? 222 00:13:06,559 --> 00:13:10,720 Speaker 1: Maybe we shouldn't do this, don't run so far. And 223 00:13:10,920 --> 00:13:15,920 Speaker 1: because of that, women were certainly barred from running twenty 224 00:13:16,040 --> 00:13:20,240 Speaker 1: six point two miles, which is the official length of 225 00:13:20,760 --> 00:13:24,920 Speaker 1: a Marathon. But once Switzer competed um then in nineteen 226 00:13:25,080 --> 00:13:27,720 Speaker 1: sixty nine, and a lot of this does happen. These 227 00:13:27,720 --> 00:13:30,720 Speaker 1: barriers are being broken. At the Boston Marathon. We have 228 00:13:30,800 --> 00:13:36,080 Speaker 1: Cambridge native Seami Burman who won in the women's division, 229 00:13:36,080 --> 00:13:40,400 Speaker 1: but this was unofficial because women had not yet been invited. Yeah, 230 00:13:40,480 --> 00:13:44,000 Speaker 1: in nineteen seventy, Berman finished with a strong time of 231 00:13:44,240 --> 00:13:47,720 Speaker 1: three hours, five minutes and seven seconds, at which point 232 00:13:47,760 --> 00:13:50,640 Speaker 1: a reporter asked why did you do it? And at 233 00:13:50,640 --> 00:13:53,280 Speaker 1: the time she was steeming like, are you kidding me? 234 00:13:53,559 --> 00:13:55,760 Speaker 1: I just got this incredible time, and I ran and 235 00:13:55,800 --> 00:13:58,800 Speaker 1: I did great, and your your question for me is 236 00:13:58,840 --> 00:14:01,120 Speaker 1: why did I do it? And she just said that 237 00:14:01,160 --> 00:14:04,960 Speaker 1: they were just so patronizing, the reporters, the observers of 238 00:14:04,960 --> 00:14:07,960 Speaker 1: the race. But now her attitude has changed a little 239 00:14:07,960 --> 00:14:10,600 Speaker 1: bit about why they asked that question. Yeah, she talks 240 00:14:10,600 --> 00:14:13,079 Speaker 1: a lot about how the headlines of the time would 241 00:14:13,080 --> 00:14:16,400 Speaker 1: be like housewife running. There was always this had to 242 00:14:16,400 --> 00:14:20,320 Speaker 1: be this juxtaposition of some kind of stereotypically, you know, 243 00:14:20,400 --> 00:14:24,359 Speaker 1: feminine occupation with what at the time was a masculine 244 00:14:24,400 --> 00:14:29,080 Speaker 1: pursuit of running, even though today women comprise I think 245 00:14:29,120 --> 00:14:34,520 Speaker 1: it's fifty of competitors in road races UM. And then 246 00:14:34,760 --> 00:14:40,480 Speaker 1: in nineteen seventy two the Boston Marathon finally UM officially 247 00:14:40,520 --> 00:14:46,080 Speaker 1: invites women to enter, and Nina Kusick wins for the women. 248 00:14:46,120 --> 00:14:49,240 Speaker 1: And this is a funny little tidbit. Katherine Switzer ends 249 00:14:49,320 --> 00:14:53,080 Speaker 1: up getting third in the women's but her trophy was broken. 250 00:14:53,160 --> 00:14:58,680 Speaker 1: And when Jack Simple, the curmudgeon le scott It presents 251 00:14:58,680 --> 00:15:02,240 Speaker 1: her with this broken trophy, said that she deserved it broken. Yep. 252 00:15:02,800 --> 00:15:05,440 Speaker 1: He said that he'd been mad at her for years, 253 00:15:05,240 --> 00:15:08,600 Speaker 1: that five years. That Jock Simple holds a grudge, he does, 254 00:15:08,800 --> 00:15:12,080 Speaker 1: and he I there was an article that basically our 255 00:15:12,360 --> 00:15:14,360 Speaker 1: interview with him a couple of years later where he 256 00:15:14,400 --> 00:15:18,480 Speaker 1: basically was like, yeah, I'm mad about it. Still he 257 00:15:18,560 --> 00:15:20,320 Speaker 1: wasn't he wasn't gonna let it go. Well, if you 258 00:15:20,360 --> 00:15:22,360 Speaker 1: look at the photos of him when he's trying to 259 00:15:22,400 --> 00:15:25,040 Speaker 1: push her off the track, there he has a crazed 260 00:15:25,280 --> 00:15:28,640 Speaker 1: look in his eye, and when he's talking about that, 261 00:15:29,000 --> 00:15:33,080 Speaker 1: it seems like because of that photographic evidence, perhaps the 262 00:15:33,200 --> 00:15:37,320 Speaker 1: sting was a little bit sharper. Yeah. Katheryn Switzer in 263 00:15:37,360 --> 00:15:39,760 Speaker 1: one interview did talk about how you could when her 264 00:15:39,800 --> 00:15:43,000 Speaker 1: boyfriend hit him, you could you could hear like his 265 00:15:43,120 --> 00:15:46,400 Speaker 1: body being shoved aside, like the hit was so hard. 266 00:15:47,120 --> 00:15:49,400 Speaker 1: So maybe his maybe his pride was hurt in addition 267 00:15:49,440 --> 00:15:54,000 Speaker 1: to his body when that happened. So in nineteen seventy two, 268 00:15:54,000 --> 00:15:59,160 Speaker 1: the Boston Marathon opens up to women, but the Olympics 269 00:15:59,360 --> 00:16:03,080 Speaker 1: did not open up a women's marathon until the l 270 00:16:03,120 --> 00:16:07,480 Speaker 1: A Games in nineteen eighty four, and they were still 271 00:16:07,560 --> 00:16:10,200 Speaker 1: hung up. The i o C, the International Olympic Committee, 272 00:16:10,600 --> 00:16:14,200 Speaker 1: was still hung up on that idea that running a 273 00:16:14,240 --> 00:16:18,240 Speaker 1: long distance would injure women and especially their ability to 274 00:16:18,440 --> 00:16:22,720 Speaker 1: have children. UM, but several studies would emerge, especially from 275 00:16:22,760 --> 00:16:27,200 Speaker 1: an Atlanta physiologist, David Martin at Georgia State University, who 276 00:16:27,320 --> 00:16:33,000 Speaker 1: found that UM, women's long distance running was just fine 277 00:16:33,040 --> 00:16:35,400 Speaker 1: for them, and because of the way the female body 278 00:16:35,480 --> 00:16:38,200 Speaker 1: stores fat, there was this notion that we might actually 279 00:16:38,200 --> 00:16:40,920 Speaker 1: be better equipped for long distance running compared to men. 280 00:16:42,040 --> 00:16:45,160 Speaker 1: And research like that was really crucial and convincing the 281 00:16:45,240 --> 00:16:48,280 Speaker 1: i o C to allow women to run. I mean, 282 00:16:48,280 --> 00:16:52,600 Speaker 1: it's I think it's interesting that this body, this governing organization, 283 00:16:52,640 --> 00:16:56,920 Speaker 1: had to be really convinced that women could participate. Well, 284 00:16:56,960 --> 00:16:59,120 Speaker 1: I mean, we could, we could spin in a positive 285 00:16:59,160 --> 00:17:00,680 Speaker 1: light and say, well that it's good that they were 286 00:17:00,800 --> 00:17:04,320 Speaker 1: looking out for what at the time was maybe the 287 00:17:04,359 --> 00:17:07,960 Speaker 1: best for women if there was if if medical knowledge 288 00:17:08,240 --> 00:17:12,520 Speaker 1: had not figured out what was going on inside of 289 00:17:12,560 --> 00:17:15,320 Speaker 1: women's bodies, and maybe they just thought women really weren't 290 00:17:15,359 --> 00:17:18,160 Speaker 1: capable of it. Yeah, but I mean as training. As 291 00:17:18,280 --> 00:17:22,240 Speaker 1: training has improved, women have obviously shown that they're capable 292 00:17:22,240 --> 00:17:26,000 Speaker 1: of achieving good times and marathons and not passing out. 293 00:17:26,119 --> 00:17:30,520 Speaker 1: But here is the question, when it comes to men 294 00:17:30,680 --> 00:17:37,119 Speaker 1: running women running, will we ever catch up to the guys? 295 00:17:38,200 --> 00:17:41,680 Speaker 1: Not exactly. There's a Time magazine article from two thousand 296 00:17:41,720 --> 00:17:44,320 Speaker 1: and eight where Tim Noakes, a professor of exercise and 297 00:17:44,359 --> 00:17:47,520 Speaker 1: sports science at the University of Cape Town, not that 298 00:17:47,600 --> 00:17:50,920 Speaker 1: whole fat store theory. You know that women have more 299 00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:53,480 Speaker 1: fuel to propel them in a in a long long 300 00:17:53,480 --> 00:17:56,760 Speaker 1: distance race. Um. He says that there is a lot 301 00:17:57,080 --> 00:18:00,760 Speaker 1: to do with Wait when compare ring men and women 302 00:18:01,080 --> 00:18:05,880 Speaker 1: and testosterone and muscle. Yes, if you um, if you 303 00:18:05,960 --> 00:18:10,040 Speaker 1: compare male and female just recreational runners, not people who 304 00:18:10,040 --> 00:18:12,520 Speaker 1: would be competing in the Olympics, the guys are about 305 00:18:12,560 --> 00:18:16,439 Speaker 1: twenty two pounds heavier than the women. So if you 306 00:18:16,480 --> 00:18:21,000 Speaker 1: look at wreck runners. That fat store idea might hold 307 00:18:21,119 --> 00:18:23,439 Speaker 1: some more sway because women are lighter and they have 308 00:18:23,960 --> 00:18:28,119 Speaker 1: these longer term energy stores, whereas men with higher muscle 309 00:18:28,200 --> 00:18:31,880 Speaker 1: mass can burn calories quicker. But it's for those those short, 310 00:18:31,880 --> 00:18:35,679 Speaker 1: shorter bursts of energy. But Noakes says that the world 311 00:18:35,720 --> 00:18:40,080 Speaker 1: record marathon runners of each gender are very close in weight. 312 00:18:40,119 --> 00:18:41,680 Speaker 1: I mean, if you look at those runners, they are 313 00:18:41,680 --> 00:18:44,439 Speaker 1: paired down to there's not any single ounce of body 314 00:18:44,480 --> 00:18:47,159 Speaker 1: fat on them. And he says, um that if you 315 00:18:47,200 --> 00:18:49,760 Speaker 1: don't match for weight, then yeah, women get the advantage, 316 00:18:49,800 --> 00:18:53,840 Speaker 1: but once you match for weight, men still run about 317 00:18:53,920 --> 00:18:57,600 Speaker 1: ten percent faster. And it has to do with higher 318 00:18:57,680 --> 00:19:01,720 Speaker 1: levels of testosterone that builds the muscle that gets your 319 00:19:01,760 --> 00:19:05,199 Speaker 1: foot off the ground as quickly as possible. Right, So 320 00:19:05,240 --> 00:19:07,359 Speaker 1: he's basically saying, you know, when you look at just 321 00:19:07,400 --> 00:19:09,640 Speaker 1: a general group of runners, whether it's in a marathon 322 00:19:09,760 --> 00:19:14,200 Speaker 1: or a five k or whatever, Um, a woman running 323 00:19:14,240 --> 00:19:17,000 Speaker 1: next to a bigger man is going to be able 324 00:19:17,040 --> 00:19:20,040 Speaker 1: to move that mass around faster because she's lighter, so 325 00:19:20,080 --> 00:19:22,280 Speaker 1: she might get a better time. But when you when 326 00:19:22,280 --> 00:19:25,120 Speaker 1: you have runners of about the same weight a man 327 00:19:25,160 --> 00:19:29,560 Speaker 1: and a woman, the man will propel himself faster. Yeah, 328 00:19:29,640 --> 00:19:33,359 Speaker 1: from any distance between a hundred meters and a thousand kilometers, 329 00:19:33,560 --> 00:19:38,600 Speaker 1: women are consistently nine to eleven percent slower than men, 330 00:19:39,119 --> 00:19:41,639 Speaker 1: So chances are women are not going to catch up 331 00:19:41,640 --> 00:19:44,400 Speaker 1: to men on the race. But that does not mean 332 00:19:44,440 --> 00:19:49,040 Speaker 1: that women have not been getting faster times right. A 333 00:19:49,040 --> 00:19:54,199 Speaker 1: two thousand Duke study looked at women's increasing participation and 334 00:19:54,240 --> 00:19:57,800 Speaker 1: they're increasing speed both in running and in swimming. And 335 00:19:57,880 --> 00:20:00,119 Speaker 1: they point out that before the seventies, few women been 336 00:20:00,200 --> 00:20:03,960 Speaker 1: ran for recreation and amateur regulations on competitive racing barred 337 00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:07,600 Speaker 1: them from distances longer than four kilometers, which we've touched on, 338 00:20:08,320 --> 00:20:11,840 Speaker 1: and they have found that as women's participation in sports, 339 00:20:11,840 --> 00:20:14,720 Speaker 1: not just running, has dramatically increased over the past century, 340 00:20:15,000 --> 00:20:19,720 Speaker 1: the disparities and performance have decreased because women are being 341 00:20:19,760 --> 00:20:23,560 Speaker 1: trained better than they were in the past. But nevertheless 342 00:20:23,640 --> 00:20:26,359 Speaker 1: you still see a pretty big gender gap. They point 343 00:20:26,359 --> 00:20:30,919 Speaker 1: out that the women's hundred meter world records um and 344 00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:32,600 Speaker 1: this was back in the year two thousands, so that 345 00:20:32,680 --> 00:20:35,240 Speaker 1: might have been broken since then, but they say that 346 00:20:35,280 --> 00:20:37,920 Speaker 1: it's about the same as the men's record for a 347 00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:43,240 Speaker 1: hundred meters that seventy five years earlier. But I mean. Nevertheless, 348 00:20:43,280 --> 00:20:48,280 Speaker 1: if you chart the UM world records of men's running 349 00:20:48,400 --> 00:20:52,720 Speaker 1: versus women's running, women's times have decreased at a faster 350 00:20:52,920 --> 00:20:55,399 Speaker 1: rate in the past forty years, and men's just because 351 00:20:55,400 --> 00:21:00,040 Speaker 1: our participation has increased exponentially compared to them, because we 352 00:21:00,040 --> 00:21:04,199 Speaker 1: were not previously allowed to run very far. Yeah, and 353 00:21:04,280 --> 00:21:07,679 Speaker 1: talking about participation, we should probably look at why people 354 00:21:07,680 --> 00:21:11,760 Speaker 1: are participating, uh, and competing in these in these crazy 355 00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:14,320 Speaker 1: races that I won't even watch because they exhaust me. 356 00:21:14,320 --> 00:21:17,160 Speaker 1: Why would you want to run twenty six miles. It's 357 00:21:17,200 --> 00:21:19,480 Speaker 1: like that Brian Reagan but where he's talking about like 358 00:21:19,680 --> 00:21:22,480 Speaker 1: all those iron Man type competitions and he's like, sure, 359 00:21:22,520 --> 00:21:24,920 Speaker 1: you don't have to do this. I always want to 360 00:21:24,920 --> 00:21:26,520 Speaker 1: say that to runners, like you don't. You can come 361 00:21:26,560 --> 00:21:30,960 Speaker 1: inside and have a sandwich. I can just drive you. Uh, 362 00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:34,960 Speaker 1: it's on my way. Yeah, that's gonna be a short drive, 363 00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:39,199 Speaker 1: like twenty minutes. UM study looked at people's motivations for 364 00:21:39,280 --> 00:21:41,959 Speaker 1: running their first marathons and found that there are some 365 00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:44,680 Speaker 1: common reasons for men and women, and those are to 366 00:21:44,760 --> 00:21:47,320 Speaker 1: finish the race in a certain time, to feel proud 367 00:21:47,359 --> 00:21:50,480 Speaker 1: of myself, and to improve my health. They found that 368 00:21:50,560 --> 00:21:53,439 Speaker 1: men were more likely to provide reasons to do with 369 00:21:53,480 --> 00:21:57,239 Speaker 1: achievement and competition, whereas women were more likely motivated by 370 00:21:57,280 --> 00:22:01,439 Speaker 1: psychological reasons such as to improve mood. But we should 371 00:22:01,480 --> 00:22:05,240 Speaker 1: also point out that the study author did not think 372 00:22:05,240 --> 00:22:06,879 Speaker 1: that you could extract late that data to say that 373 00:22:06,960 --> 00:22:12,480 Speaker 1: men are inherently more competitive than women, but that maybe 374 00:22:12,480 --> 00:22:15,520 Speaker 1: this is an opportunity for all of us to expand 375 00:22:15,600 --> 00:22:18,639 Speaker 1: our goals for running, whether it be to just cross 376 00:22:18,720 --> 00:22:20,639 Speaker 1: the finish line and feel great about doing it, or 377 00:22:20,720 --> 00:22:23,600 Speaker 1: cross the finish line in a certain amount of time, 378 00:22:23,800 --> 00:22:26,800 Speaker 1: or for me sneak on a course and cross the 379 00:22:26,800 --> 00:22:29,920 Speaker 1: finish line without getting caught. Right and they do, said 380 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:32,639 Speaker 1: an author um in this article that talks about the study. 381 00:22:32,640 --> 00:22:34,679 Speaker 1: They said an author He says that it doesn't really 382 00:22:34,720 --> 00:22:37,560 Speaker 1: matter what your motivation is, whether it's I'm going to 383 00:22:37,640 --> 00:22:39,720 Speaker 1: beat everyone and get the best time in the world, 384 00:22:40,240 --> 00:22:43,240 Speaker 1: or I want to slim down and get healthy. You 385 00:22:43,240 --> 00:22:45,359 Speaker 1: should just have a reason that works for you. Like 386 00:22:45,400 --> 00:22:47,040 Speaker 1: my friend Nolan tells me this all the time, Like 387 00:22:47,040 --> 00:22:49,560 Speaker 1: when I'm complaining about how I don't run, He's like, well, 388 00:22:49,640 --> 00:22:52,520 Speaker 1: you should run and get in shape and stuff, And 389 00:22:52,520 --> 00:22:54,320 Speaker 1: I'm like, well, but I don't even I just want 390 00:22:54,280 --> 00:22:57,080 Speaker 1: to go home and get my pajamas. And he just 391 00:22:57,119 --> 00:22:59,480 Speaker 1: says that it's important just to have a reason to run, 392 00:23:00,040 --> 00:23:01,879 Speaker 1: whether it's I want to run so that I can 393 00:23:01,920 --> 00:23:04,199 Speaker 1: get good enough to be in a marathon, or I 394 00:23:04,240 --> 00:23:06,479 Speaker 1: want to run to get healthy and feel better about myself. Well, 395 00:23:06,480 --> 00:23:08,240 Speaker 1: I will tell you this if you would like a 396 00:23:08,240 --> 00:23:13,520 Speaker 1: pajama related excuse to run. Anytime I run, I sleep 397 00:23:13,880 --> 00:23:17,200 Speaker 1: so much better that night. Yeah, it's true. So it 398 00:23:17,240 --> 00:23:21,280 Speaker 1: will make your pajama ton more enjoyable, more enjoyable, and 399 00:23:21,359 --> 00:23:24,400 Speaker 1: more worthwhile, so that I would encourage you to run 400 00:23:24,520 --> 00:23:28,000 Speaker 1: for the sake of your of your pajamas. UM and 401 00:23:28,119 --> 00:23:31,760 Speaker 1: also joined the legions of women who are running like 402 00:23:31,800 --> 00:23:35,240 Speaker 1: we mentioned earlier. Is this coming from Running USA dot org. 403 00:23:35,840 --> 00:23:39,359 Speaker 1: More women compete in road races than men do now 404 00:23:39,800 --> 00:23:45,000 Speaker 1: UM According to their two thousand eleven data, in five ks, 405 00:23:45,200 --> 00:23:49,200 Speaker 1: ten ks, and half marathons, women made up a majority 406 00:23:49,240 --> 00:23:52,600 Speaker 1: of the competitors, but still more men do run the 407 00:23:52,640 --> 00:23:59,199 Speaker 1: full marathon and women of men versus women, And I 408 00:23:59,200 --> 00:24:02,000 Speaker 1: thought it was interesting they break down the demographics of 409 00:24:02,240 --> 00:24:05,080 Speaker 1: these runners, these long distance runners. Who are these people? 410 00:24:05,760 --> 00:24:08,400 Speaker 1: And they looked at the women who participate, and by 411 00:24:08,440 --> 00:24:11,600 Speaker 1: a long shot, the women. These women runners are college educated, 412 00:24:11,760 --> 00:24:14,520 Speaker 1: se have earned a college diploma, as opposed to the 413 00:24:14,520 --> 00:24:18,560 Speaker 1: general population, which is something like a quarter like um. 414 00:24:18,600 --> 00:24:21,239 Speaker 1: They tend to be affluent and their active participants, who 415 00:24:21,320 --> 00:24:24,680 Speaker 1: train year round and on average, bought three point two 416 00:24:24,680 --> 00:24:26,680 Speaker 1: pairs of running shoes in the past year. And I 417 00:24:26,720 --> 00:24:30,199 Speaker 1: think I've had my running shoes for about four years. 418 00:24:31,040 --> 00:24:34,320 Speaker 1: I'm not one of these people. But you can be, Caroline, 419 00:24:34,800 --> 00:24:37,960 Speaker 1: you can be Yeah. I guess I've just been busy. 420 00:24:38,400 --> 00:24:41,560 Speaker 1: I don't have time to be running for four hours. Well, hey, 421 00:24:41,600 --> 00:24:43,639 Speaker 1: why don't we Why don't we end this podcast with 422 00:24:43,760 --> 00:24:48,080 Speaker 1: one final fun fact as to why why do we 423 00:24:48,119 --> 00:24:50,280 Speaker 1: call it a marathon in the first place. This was 424 00:24:50,320 --> 00:24:52,160 Speaker 1: one thing that popped up in my head as we 425 00:24:52,160 --> 00:24:55,280 Speaker 1: were we're searching this. I just wanted to know where 426 00:24:55,840 --> 00:24:59,359 Speaker 1: this whole marathon and why is it twenty six miles? Uh? 427 00:24:59,560 --> 00:25:03,399 Speaker 1: For you fact nerds out there like me, this is 428 00:25:03,440 --> 00:25:07,760 Speaker 1: coming from Live Science Marathon. The word marathon comes from 429 00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:11,960 Speaker 1: a place called Marathon in Greece. It's not a gas station. 430 00:25:12,040 --> 00:25:14,720 Speaker 1: It is not the gas station Marathon. It is a 431 00:25:14,800 --> 00:25:19,840 Speaker 1: city in Greece and the origin of the marathon relates 432 00:25:19,840 --> 00:25:23,480 Speaker 1: back to the founder of the International Olympic Committee. While 433 00:25:23,520 --> 00:25:26,840 Speaker 1: he was planning for the first Olympics, he came up 434 00:25:26,840 --> 00:25:29,199 Speaker 1: with this twenty It was about twenty five miles at 435 00:25:29,240 --> 00:25:33,679 Speaker 1: the time, twenty five mile run um in relation to 436 00:25:34,320 --> 00:25:38,480 Speaker 1: this chapter from Greek history with the run of a 437 00:25:38,560 --> 00:25:41,720 Speaker 1: soldier from a battlefield near the town of Marathon, Greece 438 00:25:42,040 --> 00:25:47,640 Speaker 1: to Athens in four ninety BC, in order to announce 439 00:25:47,720 --> 00:25:51,640 Speaker 1: to the Athenians that they the Greeks, had defeated the Persians. 440 00:25:51,720 --> 00:25:56,800 Speaker 1: And apparently though the soldier delivered the message of victory 441 00:25:56,920 --> 00:26:00,359 Speaker 1: and then he died. Well, good for him him, I mean, 442 00:26:00,400 --> 00:26:02,480 Speaker 1: at least he made it. I would have dropped dead 443 00:26:02,480 --> 00:26:06,280 Speaker 1: way before that. He was clearly running very fast. Yeah, 444 00:26:06,320 --> 00:26:08,960 Speaker 1: a lot of the twenty five entrance in that very 445 00:26:09,000 --> 00:26:13,440 Speaker 1: first marathon. In the very first Olympics in eight only 446 00:26:13,560 --> 00:26:16,399 Speaker 1: nine runners hit the finish line. And then you have 447 00:26:16,480 --> 00:26:20,120 Speaker 1: the Boston Marathon that was started soon thereafter, I believe 448 00:26:20,160 --> 00:26:24,639 Speaker 1: in the following year. Actually um as directly related to 449 00:26:24,680 --> 00:26:28,879 Speaker 1: the Olympics. So there's your marathon knowledge. Now. I know 450 00:26:28,920 --> 00:26:32,040 Speaker 1: that we have only focused on marathon running. There's a 451 00:26:32,080 --> 00:26:35,520 Speaker 1: lot more running topics that we could cover, but we 452 00:26:35,640 --> 00:26:37,800 Speaker 1: figured that that would be biting off more than we 453 00:26:37,800 --> 00:26:41,960 Speaker 1: could chew in one podcast, So for now, let us 454 00:26:42,040 --> 00:26:44,760 Speaker 1: know your thoughts on women and marathons. Oh and by 455 00:26:44,800 --> 00:26:47,600 Speaker 1: the way, I have never snuck into another race. If 456 00:26:47,640 --> 00:26:49,720 Speaker 1: I and if I run the Peach Tree this year, 457 00:26:49,800 --> 00:26:53,000 Speaker 1: I will do it with a number, so you know 458 00:26:53,040 --> 00:26:55,520 Speaker 1: I there we go. It was. It was ignorance on 459 00:26:55,560 --> 00:26:59,160 Speaker 1: my part. Race organizers of the world can rest easy. Yeah, 460 00:26:59,200 --> 00:27:02,320 Speaker 1: I don't want I don't want some racing police at 461 00:27:02,320 --> 00:27:06,320 Speaker 1: my door after this podcast, because does exist, yes in 462 00:27:06,359 --> 00:27:09,600 Speaker 1: my mind. Well, let us know your stories about running 463 00:27:09,760 --> 00:27:12,760 Speaker 1: mom stuff at Discovery dot Com is email address you 464 00:27:12,800 --> 00:27:15,560 Speaker 1: can send it to. And in the meantime, we've got 465 00:27:15,720 --> 00:27:18,480 Speaker 1: a couple emails here to share. This first one is 466 00:27:18,600 --> 00:27:22,639 Speaker 1: from Chelsea in relation to our Richest Women in the 467 00:27:22,640 --> 00:27:26,919 Speaker 1: World podcast and uh, at one point we made what 468 00:27:27,040 --> 00:27:30,120 Speaker 1: she called a snarky little quip about John Walton's kit 469 00:27:30,200 --> 00:27:33,600 Speaker 1: built plane crash. She writes, I understand the confusion, but 470 00:27:33,640 --> 00:27:37,720 Speaker 1: I wanted to clear up about kitplane and experimental aircraft. 471 00:27:38,320 --> 00:27:41,000 Speaker 1: Experimental aircraft is a name that is attached to any 472 00:27:41,040 --> 00:27:43,600 Speaker 1: plane that is not built in a factory. My dad 473 00:27:43,680 --> 00:27:46,280 Speaker 1: has been working on a kit plane for more than 474 00:27:46,320 --> 00:27:49,040 Speaker 1: half my life. The point of building a plane yourself 475 00:27:49,119 --> 00:27:52,160 Speaker 1: is not to save money and cut corners, thereby producing 476 00:27:52,160 --> 00:27:55,480 Speaker 1: a slip shot or subpar product. These planes are a 477 00:27:55,560 --> 00:27:59,080 Speaker 1: labor of love. Some planes maybe low quality, but one 478 00:27:59,080 --> 00:28:01,359 Speaker 1: should not assume that all such planes are unsafe or 479 00:28:01,440 --> 00:28:04,760 Speaker 1: less airworthy. I've had to explain to so many people 480 00:28:04,760 --> 00:28:07,480 Speaker 1: that yes, he's building a plane, no, not a model, 481 00:28:07,480 --> 00:28:10,280 Speaker 1: and yes, the kind of people actually ride in. He's 482 00:28:10,320 --> 00:28:13,399 Speaker 1: put an intense amount of love, craftsmanship's stubbornness, and plane 483 00:28:13,400 --> 00:28:17,200 Speaker 1: anal retention into his plane. I'm crazy proud of him 484 00:28:17,359 --> 00:28:19,120 Speaker 1: and want others to know that a home built plane 485 00:28:19,200 --> 00:28:21,600 Speaker 1: is nothing to fear, especially if you know that was 486 00:28:21,680 --> 00:28:26,480 Speaker 1: made by a true engineer. That's great. Yeah, I'm glad 487 00:28:26,520 --> 00:28:30,320 Speaker 1: she informed us of that, because I, like probably many people, 488 00:28:30,480 --> 00:28:33,560 Speaker 1: had this idea of a kit that was not as safe. 489 00:28:33,600 --> 00:28:39,120 Speaker 1: I was imagining just like a like an inflatable plane. Yeah, 490 00:28:39,200 --> 00:28:42,080 Speaker 1: well that would be dangerous for sure. Okay, this email 491 00:28:42,200 --> 00:28:46,320 Speaker 1: is from Anson, who is writing about our women Pilot episode. 492 00:28:47,240 --> 00:28:50,320 Speaker 1: I am writing from yellow Knife, Northwest Territories, which was 493 00:28:50,360 --> 00:28:53,440 Speaker 1: recently voted as the most female friendly airport in the world. 494 00:28:53,840 --> 00:28:56,360 Speaker 1: This is the result of an initiative called Girls Fly Too, 495 00:28:56,440 --> 00:28:59,280 Speaker 1: started by a helicopter pilot at Trinity Helicopters here and 496 00:28:59,400 --> 00:29:02,320 Speaker 1: yellow Knife. She wanted to fly five young women and 497 00:29:02,400 --> 00:29:05,240 Speaker 1: girls in one day three weeks ago. The event took 498 00:29:05,240 --> 00:29:08,160 Speaker 1: place under sunny skies and over four girls between ages 499 00:29:08,200 --> 00:29:10,640 Speaker 1: seven and twenty two were flown. A friend who took 500 00:29:10,640 --> 00:29:12,880 Speaker 1: her thirteen year old daughter reports that her daughter was 501 00:29:12,920 --> 00:29:15,600 Speaker 1: thrilled and now talks of nothing else than becoming a 502 00:29:15,640 --> 00:29:19,040 Speaker 1: helicopter pilot. I grew up around aviation and am now 503 00:29:19,080 --> 00:29:21,880 Speaker 1: involved in air traffic survey that services with nav Canada, 504 00:29:22,000 --> 00:29:24,240 Speaker 1: Canada's provider of a T C and a T S. 505 00:29:25,160 --> 00:29:27,760 Speaker 1: I talked to many many female pilots on the radio. 506 00:29:27,800 --> 00:29:30,160 Speaker 1: Maybe about a third of all my contacts are female 507 00:29:30,200 --> 00:29:33,360 Speaker 1: and increase since I started in this business ten years ago. 508 00:29:33,800 --> 00:29:35,760 Speaker 1: The future is very bright for women who want to 509 00:29:35,800 --> 00:29:38,920 Speaker 1: become pilots, and organizations like the Royal Canadian Air Cadets, 510 00:29:39,200 --> 00:29:42,400 Speaker 1: the ninety nine, the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association and 511 00:29:42,400 --> 00:29:46,160 Speaker 1: the Experimental Aircraft Association are working hard at getting out 512 00:29:46,200 --> 00:29:50,840 Speaker 1: the message that girls can fly too. Excellent, So thanks 513 00:29:50,840 --> 00:29:53,880 Speaker 1: to everyone who's written in Mom's Stuff at Discovery dot 514 00:29:53,920 --> 00:29:55,600 Speaker 1: com is where you can send your letters. You can 515 00:29:55,640 --> 00:29:58,400 Speaker 1: also find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter 516 00:29:58,840 --> 00:30:02,239 Speaker 1: at Mom's Stuff Podcast, and there are a ton of 517 00:30:02,400 --> 00:30:07,120 Speaker 1: articles all about running at our home website, it's how 518 00:30:07,240 --> 00:30:13,280 Speaker 1: Stuff Works dot com. Be sure to check out our 519 00:30:13,280 --> 00:30:16,680 Speaker 1: new video podcast, Stuff from the Future. Join how Stuff 520 00:30:16,680 --> 00:30:19,600 Speaker 1: Work staff as we explore the most promising and perplexing 521 00:30:19,680 --> 00:30:23,360 Speaker 1: possibilities of tomorrow. The How Stuff Works iPhone app has 522 00:30:23,360 --> 00:30:30,920 Speaker 1: a ride. Download it today on iTunes. 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