In Stride With Women Runners: Amby Burfoot Celebrates Their History In A New Book
Back in the Dark Ages when I was growing up, one of the worst insults an adolescent male could hurl at one of his buddies was, “You run like a girl!”
These days, an appropriate rejoinder to such a lame put-down would be, “Gee, thanks for the compliment!”
It’s taken centuries for women to gain acceptance in the workplace, earn the right to vote (and who knows, perhaps become elected the first female U.S. president), as well as have the same opportunities as men in athletic competition.
Just as feminists and suffragettes championed the fight against antediluvian labor and political practices, pioneering women athletes helped overturn chauvinistic restrictions on playing fields, gymnasiums and running tracks across the country.
In his informative, insightful and entertaining new book, “First Ladies of Running: 22 Inspiring Profiles of the Rebels, Rule Breakers, and Visionaries Who Changed the Sport Forever,” celebrated Boston Marathon champ/author Amby Burfoot of Mystic chronicles their efforts.
His subjects include such familiar legends as Joan Benoit Samuelson, winner of the first women’s Olympic marathon in 1984; Kathrine Switzer, who surreptitiously used only her first initial to receive an official race number and run in the formerly men’s-only Boston Marathon in 1967; and Grete Waitz, who in 1979 became the first woman to run the marathon in under two and a half hours as part of a career that included nine New York City Marathon victories between 1978 and 1988, more than any other runner in history.
While their stories are well known to the running cognoscenti, Amby adds fascinating details available only to someone with such inside knowledge thanks to his successful career as a marathoner and as writer and editor at Runner’s World magazine.
One of my favorite chapters does not focus on an elite runner but on one of the most influential women in the country, if not the world: Oprah Winfrey. Amby wound up accompanying her during the last 23 miles of the 1994 Marine Corps Marathon, and eventually persuaded her to pose on the cover of Runner’s World.
I don’t want to spoil the surprise reaction this event generated; for details you’ll have to read the book. It’s a great story.
Equally illuminating are profiles of women who have helped promote women’s competition during the past half-century-plus, including those with ties to southeastern Connecticut.
Among them are Julia Chase, now a New London psychiatrist who became the first woman road racer when she entered the Manchester 5-miler in 1961, and then rejoined the Thanksgiving Day field 50 years later, wearing the same Smith College skirted gym uniform. I’ve had several delightful conversations with Julia over the years and Amby perfectly captures her colorful personality.
Also profiled is one of the most popular women runners of her time, Patti Catalano Dillon, formerly of New London and now living in Windham. Patti, who overcame challenges to become the first American woman marathoner to break 2:30, placed second at Boston three times and notched four victories at Honolulu. She also is a champion storyteller who loves to laugh, and I always enjoy getting together with Patti and her family. I especially treasure memories of our ferocious running battles at the Jogger Joe 3-mile fun runs at Groton Long Point.
Amby, who grew up in Groton Long Point, has also been a friend for decades.
We chatted the other day about what it was like in the early days of running, before women were allowed to compete in long races. Resistance did not come from the male runners, he noted, but from stodgily misogynist race officials who clung to the patronizing belief that women weren’t tough enough to go the distance.
The women, it turned out, not only were just as tough if not tougher than men, they shared the same outsider’s role as the male runners.
“We were all such outcasts, social pariahs,” he recalled. “I was a nerdy, four-eyed, geeky kid who couldn’t get a date. We were thrilled to welcome anyone to our group.”
Amby, joined by Julia and Patti, will celebrate the publication of his new book at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 28, at Kelley’s Pace running store at Olde Mistick Village.
These pioneers have helped shape what has become one of the world’s most inclusive and individually rewarding sports.
All men and women who have laced up running shoes to jog around the block or race in a marathon owe them a debt of gratitude.
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