They say that Marathons are too fragile for a woman

The Boston Marathon is probably one of the most prestigious marathons in the world to participate in. Not everyone could participate as you’ll need fit certain criteria – such as having participated in an official marathon, and depending on your age and gender, completed it in around 3 hours.

Marathons in general, has always always been for exclusively for men as it was widely believed that women did not have the physical capability to run 42 kilometres. Even if there are records that indicate that a woman completed a marathon all the way back in 1896.

I got to know recently the story about the first  registered woman to participate in the Boston Marathon.

Determined to prove her coach that running a marathon was not too far for a ‘fragile woman’, and also inspired by the first female finisher, Bobbi Gibb who ran unregistered a year earlier.

While running the actual marathon, she was accosted by the race official who tried to physically remove her from the race, and I bet that it would have been rather scary to be in the same position as her at that point of time!

It took another 5 years before women are finally allowed to compete in the Boston marathon. For sure, I don’t think that I’d be able to do it any time soon as I’m not fast enough, but I find the story quite inspirational.

p.s. Cart and I are probably going to go back in Singapore in late December. While I really would like to participate in the Standard Charted Marathon, it’s not within our timeline. But Singapore City Race sounds interesting. I’d join that!