9 Sep 2020 | Women's endurance running history |
Imagine a time when women did not run in road races. Imagine a time when women were told distance running would harm their health. Imagine a time when running in a marathon meant risking being jeered at or even assaulted. This time was in my lifetime. I was born in...
16 Aug 2020 | Women's endurance running history |
Road races in the 1950s in the UK were very different from today’s races. Most races were over 10 miles and distances varied. The only standard distances were 20 miles and the marathon. Petrol rationing ended in 1950 but the number of vehicles on the road was...
19 Apr 2019 | Women's endurance running history |
On 3rd August 1980, 200 women from 27 countries lined up in Battersea Park in London to run a marathon: the third Avon International Marathon. Maureen Fitzpatrick was one of those women, excitedly waiting at the start and hoping to complete her first marathon at the...
8 Apr 2017 | Women's endurance running history |
In March I was fortunate to have the chance to meet Mara Yamauchi, the UK’s second-fastest marathon runner, when she came to Nottingham to talk to England Athletics Run Leaders about coaching and training. Mara Yamauchi was inspired to run by watching the Los...
21 May 2016 | Blog, Popular articles, Women's endurance running history |
On a sunny day in August 1980 200 women from 27 countries lined up in Battersea Park in London to run a marathon. It was the first time the city’s streets had ever been closed for a race. It was the 3rd August. Two days before the men’s marathon had taken...
