First Ladies of Running
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First Ladies of Running by Amby Burfoot
Today, millions of women and girls around the world enjoy running and entering races. It wasn't always so:* In 1961, when Julia Chase edged to the start of a Connecticut 5-miler, officials tried to push her off the road.
* At the 1966 Boston Marathon, Roberta Gibb hid behind a forsythia bush, worried that police might arrest her.
* The next year at Boston, Kathrine Switzer was assaulted mid-race by a furious race organizer.
* In the mid-60s, Indianapolis high schooler Cheryl Bridges was told not to run anywhere near the boys' track team because she might "distract" them.
* When Charlotte Lettis signed up for the University of Massachusetts cross-country team in the fall of 1971, she was told to use the men's locker room.
* A few years later in coastal Maine, young Joan Benoit would stop her workouts to pretend she was picking roadside flowers, embarrassed that her neighbors might spot her running.
First Ladies of Running tells the inspiring stories of these and other fiercely independent runners who refused to give up despite the cultural and sports barriers they faced. Legends such as Doris Brown, Francie Larrieu, Mary Decker, Jackie Hansen, Miki Gorman, and Grete Waitz are chronicled by Runner's World editor Amby Burfoot. Burfoot even runs the 1994 Marine Corps Marathon with Oprah Winfrey, whose successful finish opened the floodgates for other women runners.
First Ladies of Running is a beautiful and long-overdue tribute to the pioneers of women's running, and a gift of empowerment for female runners everywhere.
Since 1978, Amby Burfoot has worked as an editor for Runner's World. He has run over 110,000 miles in his life and is the author or co-author of six books, including the 1968 Boston Marathon. He is a resident of Mystic, Connecticut.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781609615642 |
| ISBN 10 | 1609615646 |
| Title | First Ladies of Running |
| Author | Amby Burfoot |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Potter/Ten Speed/Harmony/Rodale |
| Year published | 2016-04-05 |
| Number of pages | 288 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |