Marathon Woman Running the Race to Revolutionize Women Sports Kathrine Switzer 9780738213293 Books
Download As PDF : Marathon Woman Running the Race to Revolutionize Women Sports Kathrine Switzer 9780738213293 Books
Marathon Woman Running the Race to Revolutionize Women Sports Kathrine Switzer 9780738213293 Books
The battle for women's rights in athletics seems almost quaint and definitely silly now.How could we preclude half of the population from enjoying what men enjoyed since the rise of leisure time? Did medical experts really claim that women couldn't run long distances, or that they couldn't handle the strain of playing full-court basketball?
It is easy to forgot what it took to get us to where we are now. So Kathrine Switzer's book, "Marathon Woman," serves as an excellent reminder of those past struggles.
The first part of this autobiography, which actually extends only through 1984, deals with how she became the female to be officially entered and run the Boston Marathon. She used an initial for a first name on the entry form, and she had to fend off Jock Semple, an official at the Marathon to do so, but she finished the race. Suddenly, all things female in long-distance running looked a lot more possible. Her stories about preparation for Boston are extremely detailed, as if she was taking notes along the way.
Switzer could have been content with being a trivia question and moving on to other areas of life, but she was smart enough and clever enough to carve out a niche in running. She graduated from college and juggled all sorts of responsibilities. Switzer spent some time training to become one of America's best marathoners while earning enough money to pay the bills and doing paid and unpaid work in order to push the cause along. The one question that comes up is: Did the woman ever sleep in the 1970's?
The steps were slow but steady. Switzer eventually hooked on with Avon, which set up a series of races around the world. Good women runners seemed to be falling out of trees to win races for a while, as potential became performance. In 1980, a women's marathon was held in London, and the event featured top athletes from around the world. The next year, the Olympics added a women's marathon to its schedule for the 1984 Games in Los Angeles. They have stayed there ever since.
It's always instructive to read books about struggles like this to see where the resistance comes from. In sports, the athletes rarely push back. They often are just happy that more people are participating. Indeed, Switzer was generally encouraged to run by her male counterparts. No, it's the bureaucracy that sticks to the "we've never done it this way" attitude until pushed against the wall.
Switzer goes all in when it comes to her story, revealing much about herself in this very candid story. She's paid a price for her quest, mostly in her personal relationships. Her book checks in at a lengthy 400 pages, which may be a little too much detail for some, and it could have been written 20 years ago. She's been busy in the meantime, writing other books and doing media work.
Then again, maybe that's a sign that Switzer has more of her life story to tell than was revealed in "Marathon Woman." Part two of this tale no doubt will be as interesting as part one.
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Marathon Woman Running the Race to Revolutionize Women Sports Kathrine Switzer 9780738213293 Books Reviews
I'm not one to read much on documentary type books, especially not self autobiographies. But as a distance runner, I found this book an amazing read! I couldn't put it down, I wanted to find out more about my running favorites! Katherine Switzer isn't the only person mentioned, and it's fun to find out her personal experiences with other famous runners.
As an avid runner, I found the story of Kathrine very compelling. I did not really know about her and never considered how hard it was for women to get accepted in something that today is extremely common and natural which is their participation in endurance events where many experts agree that physiologically, they are better suited for long distance running. The story is not recent but the lessons from the book are timeless. Do something you love. Pursue your dreams. Be patient. Persevere. This is a good story, it has a powerful message.
Great book. No problems with seller
Worth very cent
I selected this book for my book club. Most of us liked the book but stopped at the halfway or 2/3 mark or had ton push ourselves to finish it. It felt like the climax occurred at the 2/3 point, and it dragged after that.
The first 2/3 of the book is wonderful though. Very inspiring and interesting read about how Switzer, who considers herself an average athlete, developed her running ability and broke barriers in the sport of running. The explanation of sports marketing was also fascinating.
I really wanted to learn about the woman behind the famous Boston marathon photo and I love that it starts out with a great retelling of how Kathrine became that icon for female runners. However, that part goes by fairly quickly and then you learn much more about the rest of her life and all the work she did to promote women's sports. I was pretty amazed to learn about just how much she and others did to change public opinion on women's distance running.
This is the perfect book to give to a female running partner! Reading Kathrine's story of personal and athletic growth was most inspiring. As well as being an honest and insightful autobiography of her personal and athletic growth, the book really lets you in on the world of networking, marketing and how people influence each other. You see how things can get done with a person's determination and focus -- in the business world as well as through the rigors of athletic training. Kathrine tells pretty much her whole story; whatever she has left out was probably appropriate abridgement, because what we see of her seems pretty complete for the purposes of this book. What an adventure it was at the start of women's running! You get a step-by-step unfolding of what it took to get to that excellent moment in 1984, when Joan Benoit crossed the finish line of the first women's marathon in the Olympic Games. Runners will especially enjoy this book, but it will be interesting to anyone who enjoys reading about people who make a postive difference in the world.
Very readable and amazing account of Kathrine Switzer's story, turning a negative event into a positive calling to fight for the acceptance of women in long-distance running, including the push for a women's marathon in the Olympics. And she continues her advocacy. Recently she founded a non-profit organization, 261 Fearless (named after her bib in the 1967 Boston marathon and the feeling so many have after hearing her story), whose goal is to organize non-competitive running organizations for women. I am proud to say that just two weeks ago, as a member of the 261 Fearless Boston 2017 team, I was able fund raise for this organization, and toe the start line with her and 100+ members of our team, cerebrating the 50th anniversary of her iconic run. The book, like Kathrine, is inspirational. I highly recommend it.
The battle for women's rights in athletics seems almost quaint and definitely silly now.
How could we preclude half of the population from enjoying what men enjoyed since the rise of leisure time? Did medical experts really claim that women couldn't run long distances, or that they couldn't handle the strain of playing full-court basketball?
It is easy to forgot what it took to get us to where we are now. So Kathrine Switzer's book, "Marathon Woman," serves as an excellent reminder of those past struggles.
The first part of this autobiography, which actually extends only through 1984, deals with how she became the female to be officially entered and run the Boston Marathon. She used an initial for a first name on the entry form, and she had to fend off Jock Semple, an official at the Marathon to do so, but she finished the race. Suddenly, all things female in long-distance running looked a lot more possible. Her stories about preparation for Boston are extremely detailed, as if she was taking notes along the way.
Switzer could have been content with being a trivia question and moving on to other areas of life, but she was smart enough and clever enough to carve out a niche in running. She graduated from college and juggled all sorts of responsibilities. Switzer spent some time training to become one of America's best marathoners while earning enough money to pay the bills and doing paid and unpaid work in order to push the cause along. The one question that comes up is Did the woman ever sleep in the 1970's?
The steps were slow but steady. Switzer eventually hooked on with Avon, which set up a series of races around the world. Good women runners seemed to be falling out of trees to win races for a while, as potential became performance. In 1980, a women's marathon was held in London, and the event featured top athletes from around the world. The next year, the Olympics added a women's marathon to its schedule for the 1984 Games in Los Angeles. They have stayed there ever since.
It's always instructive to read books about struggles like this to see where the resistance comes from. In sports, the athletes rarely push back. They often are just happy that more people are participating. Indeed, Switzer was generally encouraged to run by her male counterparts. No, it's the bureaucracy that sticks to the "we've never done it this way" attitude until pushed against the wall.
Switzer goes all in when it comes to her story, revealing much about herself in this very candid story. She's paid a price for her quest, mostly in her personal relationships. Her book checks in at a lengthy 400 pages, which may be a little too much detail for some, and it could have been written 20 years ago. She's been busy in the meantime, writing other books and doing media work.
Then again, maybe that's a sign that Switzer has more of her life story to tell than was revealed in "Marathon Woman." Part two of this tale no doubt will be as interesting as part one.
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