Run, Karla, Run!

Elite women line the start of the NYRR New York Mini 10K on June 11, 2011. Photo by Phil Hospod.

My last post on the history of the NYRR New York Mini 10K got me thinking: do we still need women-only races? The topic came up on The New York Running Show right after the race, and I received a startlingly negative comment about them on my column in The Washington Times Communities.

I’m old enough to remember hearing that I couldn’t do this or couldn’t do that because I was a girl–including lots of athletic things. Thankfully I had parents who thought that was a bunch of hooey, and they signed me up for swim team, ill-fated golf lessons, and bought me GI Joe and He-Man action figures to go along with my Barbies and She-Ra toys.

All these years later, I think women-only races still have a place in the running community, as do men-only running events; and yes, men-only races do exist.

You can read my entire response to a certain “Disenfranchised” male about why women-only races still matter at The Washington Times Communities.

But I’m curious what do you all think?

Photo by Phil Hospod

On June 3, 1972, 78 women entered the world’s first ladies-only road race. On June 9, 2007, I ran the race as my very first 10K, along with 3,521 other women. Only four years later, the race has reached capacity around 5,000 runners—all of them pavement-pounding women. Tomorrow is the 40th running of the NYRR New York Mini 10K. I’ll be there to sing the national anthem, run the race and celebrate how far women—myself included—have come in our sport.

The Mini

The original Mini, named after the mini-skirt, was staged at a time when women were just starting to break gender barriers in running and sports at large. 1972 was a landmark year for women’s running. Read the rest of this entry →

Hey ultra runners! Here’s your chance to run with endurance legend Marshall Ulrich, and get an autographed copy of his new book, Running On Empty. On Sunday, June 12 JackRabbit Sports will be hosting “An Evening with Marshall Ulrich.” The event starts off with a run and finishes with refreshments and a book signing. Best of all, it’s free.

Best known for winning the Badwater Ultramarathon four times, Ulrich has run more than 100 races averaging more than 125 miles each, completed 12 expedition‐length adventure races, and ascended the Seven Summits. He’s crossed Badwater’s notoriously hot (think 130 degree temperatures) 135 mile desert route from Death Valley to Mt. Whitney in California a record 22 times, including a self‐contained, unaided solo crossing and a “quad” of nearly 600 miles. Read the rest of this entry →