261 Fearless

Once upon a time there was a young woman who wanted to run. And once upon a time too a city which didn´t have rules referred to the Marathon race and women. In other words, women couldn´t run. Period.

Was this Boston Marathon for men only?

Kathrine had been running since her twuelve and now, in her twenty, she was ready to prove to her coach —and to herself— she was capable of finishing that goddam race. Why a woman couldn´t run like a man?

It´s true, when I left the Borstal and worked with the milling cutter I used to run in to my part of town and people laughed at me: are you in a great hurry? Come along! There were a bunch of boys running where I lived, but no gals, of course.

No sooner than done, this gutsy Ms Switzer ploncked herself  at the starting line of a race “for men”. It was nineteen sixty seven. She had long hair. She and her eyeliner and her lipstick. She was ready amongst those men that encouraged her. Despite her tracksuit they knew she was a woman. A woman very proud of being woman. A woman with determination.

Two miles after the starting signal, and before she could react, a big man grabbed her shoulder and tried flung her back: “Get the hell out of my race and give me those numbers!” Fortunately, her coach and her boyfriend were there to allow Kathrine to go on. Those big men that they treat stopping people you can bump into them many times in your life. This bully of a bastard is anywhere.

Next Monday, after fifty years, the young Kathy, in her seventy will run once again the Boston Marathon and, like when she was twenty, she keep fighting so that women achieve their “finishing line”. Her 261 Fearless campaign encourages all women to run.

From my Borstal

LDR