FIRST LADIES

THEY DARED TO BE DIFFERENT AND PAVED THE WAY FOR WOMEN EVERYWHERE TO FALL IN LOVE WITH RUNNING. L I SA JACKSON MEETS FOUR FEMALE PIONEERS

PIONEERS

“I founded 261 Fearless to help women feel as empowered by running as I had been”

KATHRINE SWITZER WAS THE FIRST WOMAN TO OFFICIALLY COMPLETE THE BOSTON MARATHON AT A TIME WHEN WOMEN WERE BARRED FROM THE EVENT

“When I ran the Boston Marathon in 1967 and got accosted by a race official who tried to pull off my race number, it was a radicalising experience. I saw that women were underestimated – but also underestimated themselves – and I wanted to create opportunities for them to run so they’d feel as empowered by running as I did.

“I believed it was important to have the women’s marathon accepted as an Olympic event and so set about getting sponsorship in order to create running events that women could enter. After successfully organising women’s races in 27 countries, I could show this evidence to the International Olympic Committee and, in 1984, women ran the first Olympic marathon in Los Angeles. It was a triumph for the sport as well as for women everywhere.

“261 Fearless started as a movement and it became a non-profit organisation in 2015. I set it up because most women in the world still live in fear and running is the fastest and most effective means to empower them. Women who want to run today face the same challenges they’ve always done: a lack of self-confidence, and social and cultural restrictions. With groups of women in 261 Fearless clubs, we can train them, organise events and form a global community of women who can easily reach out to others.