Breaking Boundaries
Less than 1 percent of the global population has run a marathon. The long runs, the extreme training, and intense physical exertion makes a marathon one of the hardest athletic endeavors. Less than 60 years ago, women were not allowed to run some of the most famous marathons, like the Boston Marathon. In 1966, Roberta Gibb snuck onto the course and ran alongside the men. Six years later, in 1972, women were officially allowed to compete in the race. In 2024, twenty year old Kate Dailey ran a marathon with severe knee pain. But why were women not allowed to compete in something as simple as running? Misconceptions that their chest was going to grow hair or that their uterus would fall out were commonly associated with any time of long distance running. Female runner’s have come a long way since 1966. Breaking records, winning medals, and inspiring others are just some of the amazing things these women have done.
One Woman’s Story
Kate Dailey has made running a part of her daily routine. No matter the weather, or amount of homework she has, she takes the time to run. Dailey emphasizes that no matter where her head is at or what is going on, the only thing on her mind when she runs is simple nothingness. When Kate started her freshman year at UNC Chapel Hill, she started to run even more. She upped her pace, her mileage, and consistency. At the end of her freshman year, she made the decision to train for a marathon. Despite failing to convince her friends to run it, she signed up for the 26.2 mile race in Miami at the beginning of 2024. After months of training, she noticed something was wrong with her knee. Like many female racers, she was experiencing the pain of runner’s knee. Her father, a doctor, told her he highly recommended she not run the race. Her physical therapist, who was helping her through the pain, agreed with her father. Kate did not let that stop her. She rested, she iced, and she followed the doctors orders to strengthen her legs. She did not want to prove the men in her life right, she simply wanted to keep running and that is exactly what she did.
“I run and things just come off me easier and I’m a happier person.”
Kate Dailey
Race For Equality: Different Sides, Same Strides
Although men are often faster than women and are believed to be stronger, women are smarter when it comes to running. Men are around 10 percent faster than women when it comes to running distances. However, many women train faster and longer than their male counterparts. Studies show that men are more likely to have riskier pacing strategies and are therefore more likely to slow down whereas women are more consistent throughout their runs. Women are also much more likely to hit the goals they set for themselves before diving into the race. With each year, female runners are catching up to male runners, and recent studies have shown that the performance gap is shrinking. Although the top male performers still outrun the top female performers in 2024, this may change in the years to come.For female runners, the rate of injury is slightly higher. Like Kate, many experience runner’s knee. However, stress fractures, shin splints, and plantar facilities are also common among female runners. Women are six times more likely to suffer from a runner’s knee than men. This is not because female runner’s do not train well or are not as fast. It is simply because of the female anatomy and how different female bodies are from males. Female hip size, knee ligaments, and bone structure are all highly diverse from males, and make them “easier targets” for these types of runner’s pain. Yet, women persist and fight the pain and often, like Kate, run through it.
